2025-10-01 AI创业新闻

$50 Battering RAM Attack Breaks Intel and AMD Cloud Security Protections

A group of academics from KU Leuven and the University of Birmingham has demonstrated a new vulnerability called Battering RAM to bypass the latest defenses on Intel and AMD cloud processors. “We built a simple, $50 interposer that sits quietly in the memory path, behaving transparently during startup and passing all trust checks,” researchers Jesse De Meulemeester, David Oswald, Ingrid Verbauwhede, and Jo Van Bulck said on a website publicizing the findings. “Later, with just a flip of a switch, our interposer turns malicious and silently redirects protected addresses to attacker-controlled locations, allowing corruption or replay of encrypted memory.” Battering RAM compromises Intel’s Software Guard Extensions ( SGX ) and AMD’s Secure Encrypted Virtualization with Secure Nested Paging ( SEV-SNP ) hardware security features, which ensure that customer data remains encrypted in memory and protected during use. It affects all systems using DDR4 memory, specifically those relying on confidential computing workloads running in public cloud environments to secure data from the cloud service provider using hardware-level access control and memory encryption.

The attack, in a nutshell, involves leveraging a custom-built, low-cost DDR4 interposer hardware hack to stealthily redirect physical addresses and gain unauthorized access to protected memory regions. The interposer makes use of simple analog switches to actively manipulate signals between the processor and memory, and can be built for less than $50. On Intel platforms, Battering RAM achieves arbitrary read access to victim plaintext or write plaintext into victim enclaves, whereas on AMD systems, the attack can be used to sidestep recent firmware mitigations against BadRAM , which was documented by the researchers back in December 2024, and introduce arbitrary backdoors into the virtual machine without raising any suspicion. Successful exploitation of the vulnerability can allow a rogue cloud infrastructure provider or insider with limited physical access to compromise remote attestation and enable the insertion of arbitrary backdoors into protected workloads.

The vulnerability was reported to the vendors earlier this year, following which Intel, AMD , and Arm responded that physical attacks are currently considered out of scope. However, defending against Battering RAM would require a fundamental redesign of memory encryption itself, the researchers noted. “Battering RAM exposes the fundamental limits of the scalable memory encryption designs currently used by Intel and AMD, which omit cryptographic freshness checks in favor of larger protected memory sizes,” they added. “Battering RAM […] is capable of introducing memory aliases dynamically at runtime.

As a result, Battering RAM can circumvent Intel’s and AMD’s boot-time alias checks.” The disclosure comes as AMD released mitigations for attacks dubbed Heracles and Relocate-Vote disclosed by the University of Toronto and ETH Zürich, respectively, that can leak sensitive data from cloud environments and confidential virtual machines that rely on AMD’s SEV-SNP technology by means of a malicious hypervisor. “The system lets the hypervisor move data around to manage memory efficiently,” David Lie, director of the Schwartz Reisman Institute (SRI) at the University of Toronto, said . “So when data is relocated, AMD’s hardware decrypts it from the old location and re-encrypts it for the new location. But, what we found was that by doing this over and over again, a malicious hypervisor can learn recurring patterns from within the data, which could lead to privacy breaches.” Last month, ETH Zürich researchers also demonstrated that a CPU optimization known as the stack engine can be abused as a side channel for attacks that lead to information leakage.

A proof-of-concept (PoC) has been developed for AMD Zen 5 machines, although it’s believed that all models have this “abusable hardware feature.” The discovery of Battering RAM also follows a report from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam researchers about a new, realistic attack technique referred to as L1TF Reloaded that combines L1 Terminal Fault (aka Foreshadow ) and Half-Spectre gadgets (aka incomplete Spectre -like code patterns) to leak memory from virtual machines running on public cloud services. “L1TF is a CPU vulnerability that allows an (attacker) VM to speculatively read any data residing in the (core-local) L1 data cache – including data the VM shouldn’t have access to,” VUSec researchers said . “At a high level, L1TF Reloaded abuses this to obtain an arbitrary RAM read primitive.” Google, which provided the researchers with a sole-tenant node in order to conduct the research safely without potentially affecting any other customers, awarded a $151,515 bug bounty and “ applied fixes to the affected assets .” Amazon said the L1TF Reloaded vulnerability does not impact the guest data of AWS customers running on the AWS Nitro System or Nitro Hypervisor. Spectre, which first came to light in early 2018, continues to haunt modern CPUs, albeit in the form of different variants.

As recently as two weeks ago, academics from ETH Zürich devised a new attack known as VMScape ( CVE-2025-40300 , CVSS score: 6.5) that breaks virtualization boundaries in AMD Zen CPUs and Intel Coffee Lake processors. Described as a Spectre branch target injection (Spectre-BTI) attack targeting the cloud, it exploits isolation gaps across host and guest in user and supervisor modes to leak arbitrary memory from an unmodified QEMU process. A software fix has been introduced in the Linux kernel to counter the cross-virtualization BTI (vBTI) attack primitive. “VMScape can leak the memory of the QEMU process at the rate of 32 B/s on AMD Zen 4,” the authors said in a study.

“We use VMScape to find the location of secret data and leak the secret data, all within 772 s, extracting the cryptographic key used for disk encryption/decryption as an example.” Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Phantom Taurus: New China-Linked Hacker Group Hits Governments With Stealth Malware

Government and telecommunications organizations across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia have emerged as the target of a previously undocumented China-aligned nation-state actor dubbed Phantom Taurus over the past two-and-a-half years. “Phantom Taurus’ main focus areas include ministries of foreign affairs, embassies, geopolitical events, and military operations,” Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 researcher Lior Rochberger said . “The group’s primary objective is espionage. Its attacks demonstrate stealth, persistence, and an ability to quickly adapt their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).” It’s worth pointing out that the hacking group was first detailed by the cybersecurity company back in June 2023 under the moniker CL-STA-0043 .

Then last May, the threat cluster was graduated to a temporary group, TGR-STA-0043 , following revelations about its sustained cyber espionage efforts aimed at governmental entities since at least late 2022 as part of a campaign codenamed Operation Diplomatic Specter. Unit 42 said its continued observation of the group yielded enough evidence to classify it as a new threat actor whose primary goal is to enable long-term intelligence collection and obtain confidential data from targets that are of strategic interest to China, both economically and geopolitically. “The group takes an interest in diplomatic communications, defense-related intelligence and the operations of critical governmental ministries,” the company said. “The timing and scope of the group’s operations frequently coincide with major global events and regional security affairs.” This aspect is particularly revealing, not least because other Chinese hacking groups have also embraced a similar approach.

For instance, a new adversary tracked by Recorded Future as RedNovember is assessed to have targeted entities in Taiwan and Panama in close proximity to “geopolitical and military events of key strategic interest to China.” Phantom Taurus’ modus operandi also stands out due to the use of custom-developed tools and techniques rarely observed in the threat landscape. This includes a never-before-seen bespoke malware suite dubbed NET-STAR. Developed in .NET, the program is designed to target Internet Information Services (IIS) web servers. That said, the hacking crew has relied on shared operational infrastructure that has been previously employed by groups like AT27 (aka Iron Taurus), APT41 (aka Starchy Taurus or Winnti), and Mustang Panda (aka Stately Taurus).

Conversely, the infrastructure components used by the threat actor have not been detected in operations carried out by others, indicating some sort of “operational compartmentalization” within the shared ecosystem. The exact initial access vector is not clear, but prior intrusions have weaponized vulnerable on-premises Internet Information Services (IIS) and Microsoft Exchange servers, abusing flaws like ProxyLogon and ProxyShell, to infiltrate target networks. “So far we have seen them exploiting known vulnerabilities for IIS and Microsoft Exchange servers (such as ProxyLogon and ProxyShell), but that doesn’t mean it won’t change in the future,” Assaf Dahan, director of threat research at Unit 42, told The Hacker News. “The group is very resourceful and motivated - they will find a way in one way or another.” Another significant facet of the attacks is the shift from gathering emails to the direct targeting of databases using a batch script that makes it possible to connect to an SQL Server database, export the results in the form of a CSV file, and terminate the connection.

The script is executed using the Windows Management Instrumentation ( WMI ) infrastructure. Unit 42 said the threat actor used this method to methodically search for documents of interest and information related to specific countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. Recent attacks mounted by Phantom Taurus have also leveraged NET-STAR, which consists of three web-based backdoors, each of which performs a specific function while maintaining access to the compromised IIS environment - IIServerCore , a fileless modular backdoor loaded by means of an ASPX web shell that supports in-memory execution of command-line arguments, arbitrary commands, and payloads, and transmits the results in an encrypted command-and-control (C2) communication channel AssemblyExecuter V1 , which loads and executes additional .NET payloads in memory AssemblyExecuter V2 , an enhanced version of AssemblyExecuter V1 that also comes fitted with the ability to bypass Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) and Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) “The NET-STAR malware suite demonstrates Phantom Taurus’ advanced evasion techniques and a deep understanding of .NET architecture, representing a significant threat to internet-facing servers,” Unit 42 said. “IIServerCore also supports a command called changeLastModified.

This suggests that the malware has active timestomping capabilities, designed to confuse security analysts and digital forensics tools.” Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Researchers Disclose Google Gemini AI Flaws Allowing Prompt Injection and Cloud Exploits

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed three now-patched security vulnerabilities impacting Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that, if successfully exploited, could have exposed users to major privacy risks and data theft. “They made Gemini vulnerable to search-injection attacks on its Search Personalization Model; log-to-prompt injection attacks against Gemini Cloud Assist; and exfiltration of the user’s saved information and location data via the Gemini Browsing Tool,” Tenable security researcher Liv Matan said in a report shared with The Hacker News. The vulnerabilities have been collectively codenamed the Gemini Trifecta by the cybersecurity company. They reside in three distinct components of the Gemini suite - A prompt injection flaw in Gemini Cloud Assist that could allow attackers to exploit cloud-based services and compromise cloud resources by taking advantage of the fact that the tool is capable of summarizing logs pulled directly from raw logs, enabling the threat actor to conceal a prompt within a User-Agent header as part of an HTTP request to a Cloud Function and other services like Cloud Run, App Engine, Compute Engine, Cloud Endpoints, Cloud Asset API, Cloud Monitoring API, and Recommender API A search-injection flaw in the Gemini Search Personalization model that could allow attackers to inject prompts and control the AI chatbot’s behavior to leak a user’s saved information and location data by manipulating their Chrome search history using JavaScript and leveraging the model’s inability to differentiate between legitimate user queries and injected prompts from external sources An indirect prompt injection flaw in Gemini Browsing Tool that could allow attackers to exfiltrate a user’s saved information and location data to an external server by taking advantage of the internal call Gemini makes to summarize the content of a web page Tenable said the vulnerabilities could have been abused to embed the user’s private data inside a request to a malicious server controlled by the attacker without the need for Gemini to render links or images.

“One impactful attack scenario would be an attacker who injects a prompt that instructs Gemini to query all public assets, or to query for IAM misconfigurations, and then creates a hyperlink that contains this sensitive data,” Matan said of the Cloud Assist flaw. “This should be possible since Gemini has the permission to query assets through the Cloud Asset API.” In the case of the second attack, the threat actor would first need to persuade a user to visit a website that they had set up to inject malicious search queries containing prompt injections into the victim’s browsing history and poison it. Thus, when the victim later interacts with Gemini’s search personalization model, the attacker’s instructions are processed to steal sensitive data. Following responsible disclosure, Google has since stopped rendering hyperlinks in the responses for all log summarization responses, and has added more hardening measures to safeguard against prompt injections.

“The Gemini Trifecta shows that AI itself can be turned into the attack vehicle, not just the target. As organizations adopt AI, they cannot overlook security,” Matan said. “Protecting AI tools requires visibility into where they exist across the environment and strict enforcement of policies to maintain control.” The development comes as agentic security platform CodeIntegrity detailed a new attack that abuses Notion’s AI agent for data exfiltration by hiding prompt instructions in a PDF file using white text on a white background that instructs the model to collect confidential data and then send it to the attackers. “An agent with broad workspace access can chain tasks across documents, databases, and external connectors in ways RBAC never anticipated,” the company said .

“This creates a vastly expanded threat surface where sensitive data or actions can be exfiltrated or misused through multi step, automated workflows.” Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Microsoft Expands Sentinel Into Agentic Security Platform With Unified Data Lake

Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled the expansion of its Sentinel Security Incidents and Event Management solution (SIEM) as a unified agentic platform with the general availability of the Sentinel data lake. In addition, the tech giant said it’s also releasing a public preview of Sentinel Graph and Sentinel Model Context Protocol ( MCP ) server. “With graph-based context, semantic access, and agentic orchestration, Sentinel gives defenders a single platform to ingest signals, correlate across domains, and empower AI agents built in Security Copilot, VS Code using GitHub Copilot, or other developer platforms,” Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president at Microsoft Security, said in a post shared with The Hacker News. Microsoft released Sentinel data lake in public preview earlier this July as a purpose-built, cloud-native tool to ingest, manage, and analyze security data to provide better visibility and advanced analytics.

With the data lake , the idea is to lay the foundation for an agentic defense by bringing data from diverse sources and enabling artificial intelligence (AI) models like Security Copilot to have the full context necessary to detect subtle patterns, correlate signals, and surface high-fidelity alerts. The shift, Redmond added, allows security teams to uncover attacker behavior, retroactively hunt over historical data, and trigger detections automatically based on the latest tradecraft. “Sentinel ingests signals, either structured or semi-structured, and builds a rich, contextual understanding of your digital estate through vectorized security data and graph-based relationships,” Jakkal said. “By integrating these insights with Defender and Purview, Sentinel brings graph-powered context to the tools security teams already use, helping defenders trace attack paths, understand impact, and prioritize response – all within familiar workflows.” Microsoft further noted that Sentinel organizes and enriches security data so as to detect issues faster and better respond to events at scale, shifting cybersecurity from “reactive to predictive.” In addition, the company said users can build Security Copilot agents in a Sentinel MCP server-enabled coding platform, such as VS Code, using GitHub Copilot, that are tailored to their organizational workflows .

The Windows maker has also emphasized the need for securing AI platforms and implementing guardrails to detect (cross-)prompt injection attacks, stating it intends to roll out new enhancements to Azure AI Foundry that incorporate more protection for AI agents against such risks. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Stop Alert Chaos: Context Is the Key to Effective Incident Response

The Problem: Legacy SOCs and Endless Alert Noise Every SOC leader knows the feeling: hundreds of alerts pouring in, dashboards lighting up like a slot machine, analysts scrambling to keep pace. The harder they try to scale people or buy new tools, the faster the chaos multiplies. The problem is not just volume; it is the model itself. Traditional SOCs start with rules, wait for alerts to fire, and then dump raw signals on analysts.

By the time someone pieces together what is really happening, the attacker has already moved on, or moved in. It is a broken loop of noise chasing noise. Flipping the Model: Context Over Chaos Instead of drowning in raw events, treat every incoming signal as a potential opening move in a bigger story. Logs from identity systems, endpoints, cloud workloads, and SIEMs do not just land in separate dashboards; they are normalized, connected, and enriched to form a coherent investigation.

A brute-force login attempt on its own is easy to dismiss. But when enhanced with user history, IP reputation, and signs of lateral movement, it is no longer background noise. It becomes the first chapter of an unfolding breach. Context is the difference between ignoring another failed login and stopping an attack in motion.

Enabling Analysts with Story-Driven Workflows The goal is not to hand analysts a bigger stack of alerts, it is to give them a story that already has shape and meaning. When analysts open a case, they see how the activity fits together, what actors are involved, and what paths the threat has already taken. Instead of starting from scratch with scattered evidence, they begin with a clear picture that guides their judgment. That shift changes the nature of the job itself.

Human-Centric AI That Enhances, Not Replaces This is not about replacing humans with AI. It is about giving humans the space to actually do security. When technology handles the grind of collecting, correlating, and enriching signals, analysts can focus on what they do best: interpreting meaning, thinking creatively, and applying institutional knowledge. Junior analysts can develop investigative reasoning by studying complete cases instead of clicking through endless queues, Mid-level analysts gain time to hunt and test new hypotheses Senior analysts focus on attacker behavior and strategy, shaping how defenses evolve.

The work stops feeling like endless triage and starts feeling like security again. Measurable Results: Faster MTTR, Fewer False Positives The results are measurable and dramatic. False positives drop sharply. Mean time to resolution shrinks from hours to minutes.

Quality and accuracy shoot up. Teams finally have the capacity to investigate the subtle, low-level signals where attackers often make their first moves. That is what happens when SOC teams stop chasing alerts and start building context. Defining the Cognitive SOC A SOC that thrives is not the one with the most dashboards or the biggest analyst headcount.

It is the one that can learn and adapt, quickly turn signals into stories, make confident decisions, and act before chaos spirals. That is the promise of a “cognitive SOC.” Technology organizes the noise, and analysts deliver the answers. Moving from Alert Chaos to Contextual Clarity Conifers helps enterprises and MSSP security business leaders escape the tradeoff between effectiveness and efficiency with CognitiveSOC™, an AI SOC agent platform that scales investigations with intelligence and context. Instead of drowning analysts in noisy alerts or forcing MSSPs to sacrifice margins, Conifers blends agentic AI, advanced data science, and human oversight with an organization’s own institutional knowledge to automate end-to-end, multi-tier investigations with reasoning and intent.

By mapping incidents to use cases and dynamically applying the right AI techniques, CognitiveSOC produces contextual, evidence-backed outputs that align with each organization’s risk profile and analyst preferences. This results in faster, higher-quality investigations and decision-making, reduced alert fatigue, and improved SOC outcomes at scale. More context, less chaos. Visit Conifers.ai to request a demo and experience how CognitiveSOC transforms noisy alerts into contextual investigations that boost efficiency, protect margins, and strengthen security posture.

Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

The ROI of AI in the SOC: What Security Teams Are Seeing

Urgent: China-Linked Hackers Exploit New VMware Zero-Day Since October 2024

A newly patched security flaw impacting Broadcom VMware Tools and VMware Aria Operations has been exploited in the wild as a zero-day since mid-October 2024 by a threat actor called UNC5174, according to NVISO Labs . The vulnerability in question is CVE-2025-41244 (CVSS score: 7.8), a local privilege escalation bug affecting the following versions - VMware Cloud Foundation 4.x and 5.x VMware Cloud Foundation 9.x.x.x VMware Cloud Foundation 13.x.x.x (Windows, Linux) VMware vSphere Foundation 9.x.x.x VMware vSphere Foundation 13.x.x.x (Windows, Linux) VMware Aria Operations 8.x VMware Tools 11.x.x, 12.x.x, and 13.x.x (Windows, Linux) VMware Telco Cloud Platform 4.x and 5.x VMware Telco Cloud Infrastructure 2.x and 3.x “A malicious local actor with non-administrative privileges having access to a VM with VMware Tools installed and managed by Aria Operations with SDMP enabled may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the same VM,” VMware said in an advisory released Monday. The fact that it’s a local privilege escalation means that the adversary will have to secure access to the infected device through some other means. NVISO researcher Maxime Thiebaut has been credited for discovering and reporting the shortcoming on May 19, 2025, during an incident response engagement.

The company also said VMware Tools 12.4.9, which is part of VMware Tools 12.5.4, remediates the issue for Windows 32-bit systems, and that a version of open-vm-tools that addresses CVE-2025-41244 will be distributed by Linux vendors. The vulnerable get_version() function While Broadcom makes no mention of it being exploited in real-world attacks, NVISO Labs attributed the activity to a China-linked threat actor Google Mandiant tracks as UNC5174 (aka Uteus or Uetus), which has a track record of exploiting various security flaws , including those impacting Ivanti and SAP NetWeaver, to obtain initial access to target environments. “When successful, exploitation of the local privilege escalation results in unprivileged users achieving code execution in privileged contexts (e.g., root),” Thiebaut said. “We can however not assess whether this exploit was part of UNC5174’s capabilities or whether the zero-day’s usage was merely accidental due to its trivialness.” NVISO said the vulnerability is rooted in a function called “get_version()” that takes a regular expression (regex) pattern as input for each process with a listening socket, checks whether the binary associated with that process matches the pattern, and, if so, invokes the supported service’s version command.

“While this functionality works as expected for system binaries (e.g., /usr/bin/httpd), the usage of the broad‑matching \S character class (matching non‑whitespace characters) in several of the regex patterns also matches non-system binaries (e.g., /tmp/httpd),” Thiebaut explained. “These non-system binaries are located within directories (e.g., /tmp) which are writable to unprivileged users by design.” As a result, this opens the door to potential abuse by an unprivileged local attacker by staging the malicious binary at “/tmp/httpd,” resulting in privilege escalation when the VMware metrics collection service is executed. All a bad actor requires to abuse the flaw is to ensure that the binary is run by an unprivileged user and it opens a random listening socket. The Brussels-based cybersecurity company noted that it observed UNC5174 using the “/tmp/httpd” location to stage the malicious binary and spawn an elevated root shell and achieve code execution.

The exact nature of the payload executed using this method is unclear at this stage. “The broad practice of mimicking system binaries (e.g., httpd) highlights the real possibility that several other malware strains have accidentally been benefiting from unintended privilege escalations for years,” Thiebaut said. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

New Android Trojan “Datzbro” Tricking Elderly with AI-Generated Facebook Travel Events

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a previously undocumented Android banking trojan called Datzbro that can conduct device takeover ( DTO ) attacks and perform fraudulent transactions by preying on the elderly. Dutch mobile security company ThreatFabric said it discovered the campaign in August 2025 after users in Australia reported scammers managing Facebook groups promoting “active senior trips.” Some of the other territories targeted by the threat actors include Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, South Africa, and the U.K. The campaigns, it added, specifically focused on elderly people looking for social activities, trips, in-person meetings, and similar events. These Facebook groups have been found to share artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content, claiming to organize various activities for seniors.

Should prospective targets express willingness to participate in these events, they are subsequently approached via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, where they are asked to download an APK file from a fraudulent link (e.g., “download.seniorgroupapps[.]com”). “The fake websites prompted visitors to install a so-called community application, claiming it would allow them to register for events, connect with members, and track scheduled activities,” ThreatFabric said in a report shared with The Hacker News. Interestingly, the websites have also been found to contain placeholder links to download an iOS application, indicating that the attackers are looking to target both the mobile operating systems, distributing TestFlight apps for iOS and trick victims into downloading them. Should the victim click on the button to download the Android application, it either leads to the direct deployment of the malware on their devices, or that of a dropper that’s built using an APK binding service dubbed Zombinder to bypass security restrictions on Android 13 and later.

Some of the Android apps that have been found distributing Datzbro are listed below - Senior Group (twzlibwr.rlrkvsdw.bcfwgozi) Lively Years (orgLivelyYears.browses646) ActiveSenior (com.forest481.security) DanceWave (inedpnok.kfxuvnie.mggfqzhl) 作业帮 (io.mobile.Itool）麻豆传媒 (fsxhibqhbh.hlyzqkd.aois 麻豆传媒 (mobi.audio.aassistant) 谷歌浏览器 (tvmhnrvsp.zltixkpp.mdok) MT管理器 (varuhphk.vadneozj.tltldo) MT管理器 (spvojpr.bkkhxobj.twfwf) 大麦 (mnamrdrefa.edldylo.zish) MT管理器 (io.red.studio.tracker) The malware, like other Android banking trojans, has a wide range of capabilities to record audio, capture photos, access files and photos, and conduct financial fraud through remote control, overlay attacks, and keylogging. It also relies on Android’s accessibility services to perform remote actions on the victim’s behalf. A notable feature of Datzbro is the schematic remote control mode, which allows the malware to send information about all the elements displayed on the screen, their position, and content, so as to allow the operators to re-create the layout at their end and effectively commandeer the device. The banking trojan can also serve as a semi-transparent black overlay with custom text so as to hide the malicious activity from a victim, as well as steal the device lock screen PIN and passwords associated with Alipay and WeChat.

Furthermore, it scans accessibility event logs for package names related to banks or cryptocurrency wallets, and for text containing passwords, PINs, or other codes. “Such a filter clearly shows the focus of the developers behind Datzbro, not only using its Spyware capabilities, but also turning it into a financial threat,” ThreatFabric said. “With the help of keylogging capabilities, Datzbro can successfully capture login credentials for mobile banking applications entered by unsuspecting victims.” It’s believed that Datzbro is the work of a Chinese-speaking threat group, given the presence of Chinese debug and logging strings in the malware source code. The malicious apps have been found to be connected to a command-and-control (C2) backend that’s a Chinese-language desktop application, making it stand apart from other malware families that rely on web-based C2 panels.

ThreatFabric said a compiled version of the C2 app has been leaked to a public virus share, suggesting that the malware may have been leaked and is being distributed freely among cybercriminals. “The discovery of Datzbro highlights the evolution of mobile threats targeting unsuspecting users through social engineering campaigns,” the company said. “By focusing on seniors, fraudsters exploit trust and community-oriented activities to lure victims into installing malware. What begins as a seemingly harmless event promotion on Facebook can escalate into device takeover, credential theft, and financial fraud.” The disclosure comes as IBM X-Force detailed an AntiDot Android banking malware campaign codenamed PhantomCall that has targeted users of major financial institutions globally, spanning Spain, Italy, France, the U.S., Canada, the U.A.E., and India, using fake Google Chrome dropper apps that can get around Android 13’s controls that prevent sideloaded apps from exploiting accessibility APIs.

According to an analysis published by PRODAFT in June 2025, AntiDot is attributed to a financially motivated threat actor called LARVA-398 and is available to others under a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) model on underground forums. The latest campaign is designed to make use of the CallScreeningService API to monitor incoming calls and selectively block them based on a dynamically generated list of phone numbers stored in the phone’s shared preferences, effectively allowing the attackers to prolong unauthorized access, complete fraudulent transactions, or delay detection. “PhantomCall also enables attackers to initiate fraudulent activity by silently sending USSD codes to redirect calls, while abusing Android’s CallScreeningService to block legitimate incoming calls, effectively isolating victims and enabling impersonation,” security researcher Ruby Cohen said . “These capabilities play a critical role in orchestrating high-impact financial fraud by cutting off victims from real communication channels and enabling attackers to act on their behalf without raising suspicion.” Found this article interesting?

Evolving Enterprise Defense to Secure the Modern AI Supply Chain

The world of enterprise technology is undergoing a dramatic shift. Gen-AI adoption is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, and SaaS vendors are embedding powerful LLMs directly into their platforms. Organizations are embracing AI-powered applications across every function, from marketing and development to finance and HR. This transformation unlocks innovation and efficiency, but it also introduces new risks.

Enterprises must balance the promise of AI with the responsibility to protect their data, maintain compliance, and secure their expanding application supply chain. The New Risk Landscape
With AI adoption comes a new set of challenges:
AI Sprawl: Employees adopt AI tools independently, often without security oversight, creating blind spots and unmanaged risks. Supply Chain Vulnerabilities; interapplication integrations between AI tools and enterprise resources expand the attack surface and introduce dependencies and access paths enterprises can’t easily control. Data Exposure Risks; Sensitive information is increasingly shared with external AI services, raising concerns about leakage, misuse, or unintentional data retention.

This evolving risk landscape makes clear that AI security requires more than traditional defenses. AI Demands a New Security Paradigm AI is transforming the enterprise landscape at an unprecedented pace, bringing both opportunity and risk. As organizations adopt AI-powered applications across departments, the uncontrolled spread of these tools creates blind spots, increases supply chain vulnerabilities, and raises the likelihood of data exposure. Traditional defenses were not designed to handle the speed, scale, and complexity of this new reality, leaving enterprises exposed.

To address these challenges, a new security paradigm is essential, one grounded in continuous discovery, real-time monitoring, adaptive risk assessment, and governance. This approach provides the visibility needed to understand AI usage, the controls to mitigate risk, and the resilience to secure the entire AI application supply chain in today’s fast-changing enterprise environment. Securing the AI supply chain with Wing Security Wing Security delivers the visibility and control needed to manage sprawl, mitigate threats, and secure the AI supply chain. By extending its proven SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) foundation to address the unique risks of AI adoption, its broad integrations and continuous discovery, Wing identifies every AI application in use across the enterprise.

Advanced analytics over vendor data and audit logs provide real-time insights into application misuse, risks of data exposure, and which third-party dependencies expand the attack surface. Wing then applies adaptive risk assessments and governance controls to ensure safe, compliant usage. This approach enables enterprises to innovate confidently with AI while reducing exposure to supply chain attacks, breaches, and regulatory violations. Seizing the benefits of AI without sacrificing control or security Wing Security empowers organizations to capture AI’s full potential without compromising safety.

With continuous discovery, Wing identifies both sanctioned and unsanctioned applications and AI tools, shining a light on hidden usage across the enterprise. Advanced analytics provide clear assessments of vendor security and data practices, while governance controls ensure responsible adoption. Real-time monitoring and adaptive risk management protect sensitive information, mitigate threats, and reduce exposure to breaches. By addressing the challenges of Shadow IT and Shadow AI head-on, Wing transforms security into a business enabler, giving enterprises visibility, control, and confidence to innovate at the speed of AI while staying secure and compliant.

For customers, this focus on AI security translates into real business value:
Safe innovation: Employees can adopt AI tools with confidence. Reduced exposure; Lower risk of breaches, supply chain attacks, or accidental data leakage. Regulatory readiness; Stronger governance to meet compliance requirements. Enterprise trust; Strengthened relationships with customers, partners, and regulators.

With Wing , organizations gain complete visibility, actionable risk insights, and stronger governance over their AI supply chain. This transforms security from a blocker into an enabler, empowering enterprises to innovate at the pace of AI while staying secure, compliant, and in control. Securing the Future Work Environment The future of our work environment is being reshaped by the rapid adoption of AI-powered applications. While these tools unlock new levels of productivity and innovation, they also create blind spots, Shadow AI risks, and complex supply chain vulnerabilities.

Wing Security empowers organizations to embrace this new reality with confidence, delivering complete visibility, real-time monitoring, adaptive risk assessment, and governance across the AI supply chain. By doing so, Wing Security enables enterprises to innovate safely, stay compliant, and build trust in the modern digital workplace. Ready to see what’s hiding in your stack? See what Wing can show you.

Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

U.K. Police Just Seized £5.5 Billion in Bitcoin — The World’s Largest Crypto Bust

A Chinese national has been convicted for her role in a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme after law enforcement authorities in the U.K. confiscated £5.5 billion (about $7.39 billion) during a raid of her home in London. The cryptocurrency seizure, amounting to 61,000 Bitcoin, is believed to be the single largest such effort in the world, the Metropolitan Police said. Zhimin Qian (aka Yadi Zhang), 47, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Monday to offenses related to acquiring and possessing criminal property (i.e., cryptocurrency).

She is expected to be sentenced at a later date. The Met Police said the seizure was the result of a probe launched in 2018 after it received a tip-off about the transfer of criminal assets, with the agency accusing Zhang of orchestrating a large-scale fraud in China between 2014 and 2017 that defrauded more than 128,000 victims. According to Sky News , Zhang was arrested in April 2024. The scheme essentially duping victims , mostly between 50 and 75 years old, into investing their funds with false promises of daily dividends and guaranteed profits, after which the proceeds are converted into Bitcoin.

“She then fled China using false documents and entered the U.K., where in September 2018 she attempted to launder the proceeds via purchasing property, with the assistance of an assailant, Jian Wen,” the agency noted . Wen was also jailed for six years and eight months last May for her role in the operation, which involved facilitating the movement of a cryptocurrency wallet that contained 150 Bitcoin, then valued at £1.7 million ($2.28 million). Earlier this January, Wen was ordered to pay back more than £3.1 million ($4.16 million) or face extra time in jail. Operation Contender 3.0 Targets Romance Scams and Sextortion in 14 African Countries The development comes as INTERPOL said authorities in 14 African countries arrested 260 suspects and seized 1,235 electronic devices as part of a coordinated international operation dubbed Contender 3.0 that took place between July 28 and August 11, 2025, to tackle cyber-enabled crime.

Countries that participated in the activity included Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. “The crackdown targeted transnational criminal networks exploiting digital platforms, particularly social media, to manipulate victims and defraud them financially,” it said . “Specifically, the operation focused on romance scams , where perpetrators build online relationships to extract money from victims, and sextortion, in which victims are blackmailed with explicit images or videos.” The illicit activities have claimed 1,463 victims, resulting in losses of $2.8 million. The arrests were carried out in Ghana, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, and Angola.

The suspects were found to use fake profiles, forged identities, and stolen images to deceive victims and pull off the scams and, in some cases, trick individuals into sharing intimate images. Alongside the arrests, USB drives, SIM cards, and forged documents used by the suspects to support their criminal activities were seized by officials. It also resulted in the dismantling of 81 cybercrime infrastructures across the continent. Group-IB, which was one of the private sector entities to support the operation along with Trend Micro, said it provided intelligence on the perpetrators who targeted and interacted with victims of romance scams and digital sextortion.

It also said it shared details regarding the payment data used by these criminals in their extortion attempts. “Cybercrime units across Africa are reporting a sharp rise in digital-enabled crimes such as sextortion and romance scams,” Cyril Gout, acting executive director of Police Services at INTERPOL, said. “The growth of online platforms has opened new opportunities for criminal networks to exploit victims, causing both financial loss and psychological harm.” Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

CISA Sounds Alarm on Critical Sudo Flaw Actively Exploited in Linux and Unix Systems

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Monday added a critical security flaw impacting the Sudo command-line utility for Linux and Unix-like operating systems to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities ( KEV ) catalog, citing evidence of active exploitation in the wild. The vulnerability in question is CVE-2025-32463 (CVSS score: 9.3), which affects Sudo versions prior to 1.9.17p1. It was disclosed by Stratascale researcher Rich Mirch back in July 2025.

“Sudo contains an inclusion of functionality from an untrusted control sphere vulnerability,” CISA said. “This vulnerability could allow a local attacker to leverage sudo’s -R (–chroot) option to run arbitrary commands as root, even if they are not listed in the sudoers file.” It’s currently not known how the shortcoming is being exploited in real-world attacks, and who may be behind such efforts. Also added to the KEV catalog are four other flaws - CVE-2021-21311

Adminer contains a server-side request forgery vulnerability that, when exploited, allows a remote attacker to obtain potentially sensitive information. (Disclosed as exploited by Google Mandiant in May 2022 by a threat actor called UNC2903 to target AWS IMDS setups) CVE-2025-20352
Cisco IOS and IOS XE contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) subsystem that could allow for denial of service or remote code execution.

(Disclosed as exploited by Cisco last week) CVE-2025-10035

Fortra GoAnywhere MFT contains a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability that allows an actor with a validly forged license response signature to deserialize an arbitrary actor-controlled object, possibly leading to command injection. (Disclosed as exploited by watchTowr Labs last week) CVE-2025-59689
Libraesva Email Security Gateway (ESG) contains a command injection vulnerability that allows command injection via a compressed email attachment. (Disclosed as exploited by Libraesva last week) In light of active exploitation, Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies relying on the affected products are advised to apply the necessary mitigations by October 20, 2025, to secure their networks. Found this article interesting?

EvilAI Malware Masquerades as AI Tools to Infiltrate Global Organizations

Threat actors have been observed using seemingly legitimate artificial intelligence (AI) tools and software to sneakily slip malware for future attacks on organizations worldwide. According to Trend Micro, the campaign is using productivity or AI-enhanced tools to deliver malware targeting various regions, including Europe, the Americas, and the Asia, Middle East, and Africa (AMEA) region. Manufacturing, government, healthcare, technology, and retail are some of the top sectors affected by the attacks, with India, the U.S., France, Italy, Brazil, Germany, the U.K., Norway, Spain, and Canada emerging as the regions with the most infections, indicating a global spread. “This swift, widespread distribution across multiple regions strongly indicates that EvilAI is not an isolated incident but rather an active and evolving campaign currently circulating in the wild,” security researchers Jeffrey Francis Bonaobra, Joshua Aquino, Emmanuel Panopio, Emmanuel Roll, Joshua Lijandro Tsang, Armando Nathaniel Pedragoza, Melvin Singwa, Mohammed Malubay, and Marco Dela Vega said.

The campaign has been codenamed EvilAI by Trend Micro, describing the attackers behind the operation as “highly capable” owing to their ability to blur the line between authentic and deceptive software for malware distribution and their ability to conceal its malicious features in otherwise functional applications. Some of the programs distributed using the method include AppSuite, Epi Browser, JustAskJacky , Manual Finder, OneStart , PDF Editor, Recipe Lister, and Tampered Chef. Some aspects of the campaign were documented in detail by Expel, G DATA, and TRUESEC last month. What’s significant about the campaign is the lengths to which the attackers have gone to make these apps appear authentic and ultimately carry out a slew of nefarious activities in the background once installed, without raising any red flags.

The deception is further enhanced by the use of signing certificates from disposable companies, as older signatures are revoked. “EvilAI disguises itself as productivity or AI-enhanced tools, with professional-looking interfaces and valid digital signatures that make it difficult for users and security tools to distinguish it from legitimate software,” Trend Micro said. The end goal of the campaign is to conduct extensive reconnaissance, exfiltrate sensitive browser data, and maintain encrypted, real-time communication with its command-and-control (C2) servers using AES-encrypted channels to receive attacker commands and deploy additional payloads. It essentially makes use of several propagation methods, including using newly registered websites that mimic vendor portals, malicious ads, SEO manipulation, and promoted download links on forums and social media.

EvilAI, per Trend Micro, is used as a stager, chiefly acting as a conduit to gain initial access, establish persistence, and prepare the infected system for additional payloads, while taking steps to enumerate installed security software and hinder analysis. “Rather than relying on obviously malicious files, these trojans mimic the appearance of real software to go unnoticed into both corporate and personal environments, often gaining persistent access before raising any suspicion,” the company said . “This dual-purpose approach ensures the user’s expectations are met, further lowering the chance of suspicion or investigation.” Further analysis by G GATA has also determined that the threat actors behind OneStart, ManualFinder, and AppSuite are the same and that the server infrastructure is shared for distributing and configuring all these programs. “They have been peddling malware disguised as games, print recipe, recipe finder, manual finder, and lately, adding the buzzword ‘AI’ to lure users,” security researcher Banu Ramakrishnan said .

Expel said the developers behind AppSuite and PDF Editor campaigns have used at least 26 code-signing certificates issued for companies in Panama and Malaysia, among others, over the last seven years to make their software appear legitimate. The cybersecurity company is tracking the malware signed using these certificates under the name BaoLoader, adding it’s different from TamperedChef, citing differences in the behavioral differences and the certificate patterns. “BaoLoader is primarily a backdoor which allows the operator to execute whatever they want on a system,” Expel told The Hacker News. “We believe their primary use up to this point has been advertising fraud.

The actors behind the malware work as an affiliate distributor for legitimate software, but are using the backdoor to install the applications. “The applications we have seen include browser extensions and a residential proxy. We’ve reached out to the organizations whose software is being installed.” Expel also pointed out that EvilAI is a much broader category that includes BaoLoader alongside other malware, and that the malicious software distributed under the EvilAI label can be viewed as distinct campaigns, suggesting that this could be part of a much bigger infrastructure. “Each malware campaign has its own developer, delivery infrastructure, and objectives,” the company said.

“Distinguishing between them helps us better understand different risks and the people behind them.” It’s worth noting that the name TamperedChef was first attributed to a malicious recipe application that’s configured to set up a stealthy communication channel with a remote server and receive commands that facilitate data theft. Another aspect worth mentioning here is that the malware that TRUESEC tracks as TamperedChef is actually BaoLoader. The malware, as previously highlighted by G DATA, consists of a core backdoor component that provides the main functionality, including facilitating advertising fraud. “TamperedChef used code-signing certificates issued to companies in Ukraine and Great Britain while BaoLoader consistently used certificates from Panama and Malaysia,” the company pointed out .

And that’s not all. Field Effect and GuidePoint Security have since uncovered more digitally signed binaries that masquerade as calendar and image viewer tools, and make use of the NeutralinoJS desktop framework to execute arbitrary JavaScript code and siphon sensitive data. These applications deploy the original TamperedChef malware, Expel said. “The use of NeutralinoJS to execute JavaScript payloads and interact with native system APIs enabled covert file system access, process spawning, and network communication,” Field Effect said.

“The malware’s use of Unicode homoglyphs to encode payloads within seemingly benign API responses allowed it to bypass string-based detection and signature matching.” The Canadian cybersecurity company said the presence of several code-signing publishers across multiple samples suggests either a shared malware-as-a-service provider or a code-signing marketplace that facilitates broad distribution. “The TamperedChef campaign illustrates how threat actors are evolving their delivery mechanisms by weaponizing potentially unwanted applications, abusing digital code signing, and deploying covert encoding techniques,” it said. “These tactics allow malware to masquerade as legitimate software, bypass endpoint defenses, and exploit user trust.” (The story was updated after publication to include responses from Expel.) Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

⚡ Weekly Recap: Cisco 0-Day, Record DDoS, LockBit 5.0, BMC Bugs, ShadowV2 Botnet & More

Cybersecurity never stops—and neither do hackers. While you wrapped up last week, new attacks were already underway. From hidden software bugs to massive DDoS attacks and new ransomware tricks, this week’s roundup gives you the biggest security moves to know. Whether you’re protecting key systems or locking down cloud apps, these are the updates you need before making your next security decision.

Take a quick look to start your week informed and one step ahead. ⚡ Threat of the Week Cisco 0-Day Flaws Under Attack — Cybersecurity agencies warned that threat actors have exploited two security flaws affecting Cisco firewalls as part of zero-day attacks to deliver previously undocumented malware families like RayInitiator and LINE VIPER. The RayInitiator and LINE VIPER malware represent a significant evolution on that used in the previous campaign, both in sophistication and its ability to evade detection. The activity involves the exploitation of CVE-2025-20362 (CVSS score: 6.5) and CVE-2025-20333 (CVSS score: 9.9) to bypass authentication and execute malicious code on susceptible appliances.

The campaign is assessed to be linked to a threat cluster dubbed ArcaneDoor, which was attributed to a suspected China-linked hacking group known as UAT4356 (aka Storm-1849). Future-Ready Protection for Microsoft Rising attacks demand a plan. Get Veeam’s Cyber Resilience Playbook for Microsoft 365 & Entra ID and learn 10 steps to stay future-ready and secure your SaaS data. Download the playbook now!

Read Now ➝ 🔔 Top News Nimbus Manticore Uses MiniJunk in Critical Infra Attacks — An Iran-aligned cyber espionage group has expanded its operations beyond its traditional Middle Eastern hunting grounds to target critical infrastructure organizations across Western Europe using constantly evolving malware variants and attack tactics. Nimbus Manticore, which overlaps with UNC1549 or Smoke Sandstorm, has been observed targeting defense manufacturing, telecommunications, and aviation companies in Denmark, Portugal, and Sweden. Central to the campaign are MiniJunk, an obfuscated backdoor that gives the attacker persistent access to infected systems, and MiniBrowse, a lightweight stealer with separate versions for stealing credentials from Chrome and Edge browsers. MiniJunk is an updated version of MINIBIKE (aka SlugResin), with the emails directing victims to fake job-related login pages that appear to be associated with companies like Airbus, Boeing, Flydubai, and Rheinmetall.

In a further escalation of its tactics, Nimbus Manticore has been observed using the service SSL.com starting around May 2025 to sign their code and pass off malware as legitimate software programs, leading to a “drastic decrease in detections.” ShadowV2 Targets Docker for DDoS Attacks — A novel ShadowV2 bot campaign is turning distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks into a full-blown for-hire business by targeting misconfigured Docker containers on AWS. Instead of relying on prebuilt malicious images, the attackers build containers on the victim’s machine itself to launch a Go-based RAT that can launch DDoS attacks. The exact rationale of the approach is unclear, though Darktrace researchers suggest it may have been a way to reduce forensic traces from importing a malicious container. Once installed, the malware sends a heartbeat signal to the C2 server every second, while also polling for new attack commands every five seconds.

Cloudflare Mitigates Largest DDoS Attack on Record — Web performance and security company Cloudflare said its systems blocked a record-breaking distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that peaked at 22.2 terabits per second (Tbps) and 10.6 billion packets per second (Bpps), and lasted only 40 seconds. The attack was aimed at a single IP address of an unnamed European network infrastructure company. It’s believed that the attack may be powered by the AISURU botnet. Vane Viper Linked to Malicious Campaigns Distributing Malware — A high-volume cybercrime operation known as Vane Viper that’s been active for more than a decade is supported by a commercial digital advertising platform with a checkered past.

Vane Viper takes advantage of hundreds of thousands of compromised websites and malicious ads that redirect unsuspecting Web users to destinations such as exploit kits, malware, and sketchy websites. The findings suggest that Vane Viper is not acting as an unwitting intermediary but is a complicit enabler and active participant in malicious operations. It also shares parallels with VexTrio Viper in that both emerged from Eastern Europe around 2015 and are controlled by the Russian diaspora in Europe and Cyprus. “URL Solutions, Webzilla, and AdTech Holding form a closely connected trio of firms: domains registered en masse via a registrar steeped in cybercrime, hosted on infrastructure operated by a company that’s hosted everything from Methbot to state-sponsored disinformation, and payloads delivered via an ad network long implicated in malvertising,” Infoblox said.

“Not only has PropellerAds turned a ‘blind eye’ to criminal abuse of their platform, but indicators […] suggest – with moderate-to-high confidence – that several ad-fraud campaigns originated from infrastructure attributed to PropellerAds.” 2 New Supermicro BMC Bugs Allow Implanting Malicious Firmware — Servers running on motherboards sold by Supermicro contain medium-severity vulnerabilities that can allow hackers to remotely install malicious firmware that runs even before the operating system, providing unprecedented persistence. That said, the caveat is that the threat actor needs to have administrative access to the BMC control interface to perform the update, or distribute them as part of a supply chain attack by compromising the servers used to host firmware updates and replacing the original images with malicious ones, all while keeping the signature valid. Supermicro said it has updated the BMC firmware to mitigate the vulnerabilities, adding that it’s currently testing and validating affected products. The current status of the update is unknown.

‎️‍🔥 Trending CVEs Hackers don’t wait. They exploit newly disclosed vulnerabilities within hours, transforming a missed patch or a hidden bug into a critical point of failure. One unpatched CVE is all it takes to open the door to a full-scale compromise. Below are this week’s most critical vulnerabilities, making waves across the industry.

Review the list, prioritize patching, and close the window of opportunity before attackers do. This week’s list includes — CVE-2025-20362, CVE-2025-20333, CVE-2025-20363 (Cisco), CVE-2025-59689 (Libraesva ESG), CVE-2025-20352 (Cisco IOS), CVE-2025-10643, CVE-2025-10644 (Wondershare RepairIt), CVE-2025-7937, CVE-2025-6198 (Supermicro BMC), CVE-2025-9844 (Salesforce CLI), CVE-2025-9125 (Lectora Desktop), CVE-2025-23298 (NVIDIA Merlin), CVE-2025-59545 (DotNetNuke), CVE-2025-34508 (ZendTo), CVE-2025-27888 (Apache Druid Proxy), CVE-2025-10858 , CVE-2025-8014 (GitLab), and CVE-2025-54831 (Apache Airflow). 📰 Around the Cyber World Microsoft Offers ESU for Free in the E.U. — Microsoft has decided to offer free extended security updates for Windows 10 users in the European Economic Area (EEA), following pressure from the Euroconsumers group.

“We are pleased to learn that Microsoft will provide a no-cost Extended Security Updates (ESU) option for Windows 10 consumer users in the European Economic Area (EEA),” Euroconsumers said . In other regions, users will need to either enable Windows Backup or pay $30 for the year or redeem 1,000 Microsoft Reward points. It’s worth noting that Windows 10 reached end of support (EoS) on October 14, 2025. Olymp Loader Spotted in the Wild — A new malware loader called Olymp Loader has been spotted in the wild, being propagated via GitHub repositories, or through tools disguised as popular software such as PuTTY, OpenSSL, Zoom, and even a Counter Strike mod called Classic Offensive.

Written in assembly language, the malware-as-a-service (MaaS) solution provides built-in stealer modules, including a custom version of BrowserSnatch that’s available on GitHub. Campaigns using Olymp have been found to deliver an array of information stealers and remote access trojans like Lumma, Raccoon, WebRAT (aka SalatStealer), and Quasar RAT. The tool was first advertised by a seller named OLYMPO in HackForums on June 5, 2025, as a botnet, before evolving into a loader and a crypter. “The malware seller has published a roadmap that treats Olymp as a bundle comprising Olymp Botnet, Olymp Loader, Olymp Crypter, an install service, and a file‑scanning tool for antivirus testing,” Outpost24 said .

“It remains to be seen whether OLYMPO can sustain and support a broader malware product suite over time.” Regardless, the emergence of yet another bundled crimeware stack can further lower the entry barrier for less experienced threat actors, allowing them to mount widespread campaigns at scale within a short amount of time. Malicious Facebook Ads Lead to JSCEAL Malware — Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed an ongoing campaign that’s using bogus ads on Facebook and Google to distribute premium versions of trading platforms like TradingView for free. According to Bitdefender, the activity has also expanded to YouTube, where sponsored ads on the platform are being used to direct users to malware-laced downloads that steal credentials and compromise accounts. These ads are posted via legitimate-but-compromised verified YouTube accounts to serve the ads.

The attackers take pains to ensure that the hijacked channels mimic the official TradingView channel by reusing the latter’s branding and playlists to build credibility. An unlisted video uploaded by the rebranded channel, titled “Free TradingView Premium – Secret Method They Don’t Want You to Know,” is estimated to have racked up more than 182,000 views through aggressive advertising. “The unlisted status is deliberate, of course. By not being publicly searchable, these malicious videos avoid casual reporting and platform moderation,” Bitdefender said .

“Instead, they are shown exclusively through ad placements, ensuring they reach their targets while remaining hidden from public view.” The attacks ultimately led to the deployment of malware known as JSCEAL (aka WEEVILPROXY) to steal sensitive data. LockBit 5.0 Analyzed — The threat actors behind the LockBit ransomware have released a “significantly more dangerous” version, LockBit 5.0, on its sixth anniversary, with advanced obfuscation and anti-analysis techniques, while being capable of targeting Windows, Linux, and ESXi systems. “The 5.0 version also shares code characteristics with LockBit 4.0, including identical hashing algorithms and API resolution methods, confirming this is an evolution of the original codebase rather than an imitation,” Trend Micro said . “The preservation of core functionalities while adding new evasion techniques demonstrates the group’s strategy of incremental improvement to their ransomware platform.” LockBit may not be the most prolific ransomware group it once was ever since its infrastructure was disrupted in a law enforcement operation early last year, but the findings show that it continues to be as aggressive as ever when it comes to refining and retooling its tactics.

“The Windows binary uses heavy obfuscation and packing: it loads its payload through DLL reflection while implementing anti-analysis techniques like ETW patching and terminating security services,” the company said. “Meanwhile, the newly discovered Linux variant maintains similar functionality with command-line options for targeting specific directories and file types. The ESXi variant specifically targets VMware virtualization environments, designed to encrypt entire virtual machine infrastructures in a single attack.” Microsoft Blocks Access to Services Used by Israeli Military Unit — Microsoft has revealed that it “ceased and disabled” a set of services to Unit 8200 within the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) that were used to enable mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. It said it found evidence “relating to IMOD consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services.” The secretive contract came to light last month following a report by The Guardian, along with +972 Magazine and Local Call, that revealed how Microsoft’s Azure service was being used to store and process millions of Palestinian civilian phone calls made each day in Gaza and the West Bank.

The newspaper reported that the trove of intercepted calls amounted to 8,000 terabytes of data and was held in a Microsoft data center in the Netherlands. The collected data has been moved out of the country and is being planned to be transferred to the Amazon Web Services cloud platform. Ransomware Groups Use Stolen AWS Keys to Breach Cloud — Ransomware gangs are using Amazon Web Services (AWS) keys stored in local environments, such as Veeam backup servers, to pivot to a victim’s AWS account and steal data with the help of the Pacu AWS exploitation framework, turning what started as an on-premise event into a cloud compromise . “Threat actors are becoming increasingly adept at exploiting cloud environments — leveraging compromised AWS keys, targeting backup servers, and using advanced attack frameworks to evade detection,” Varonis said .

Meta Unveils Ad-Free Option in the U.K. — Meta has launched an ad-free experience for Facebook and Instagram in the U.K., allowing users to pay £2.99 a month to access the platforms without ads on the web, and £3.99 a month for Android and iOS. “We will notify UK users over the age of 18 that they have the choice to subscribe to Facebook and Instagram for a fee to use these services without seeing ads,” the company said . “A reduced, additional fee of £2/month on the web or £3/month on iOS and Android will automatically apply for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center.” Meta has significant hurdles in rolling out the scheme in the E.U., causing it to walk back its ad model, offering users the choice to receive “less personalized ads” that are full-screen and temporarily unskippable.

Earlier this May, the European Commission
said
the model does not comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and fined Meta €200 million. In response, the company said it would need to make modifications to the model that “could result in a materially worse user experience for European users and a significant impact.” In a report published in July 2025, privacy non-profit noyb
said: “‘Pay or Okay’ has spread throughout the E.U. in recent years and can now be found on hundreds of websites. However, data protection authorities still haven’t adopted a consistent E.U.-wide approach to deal with these systems.

They should have agreed on this long ago.” Dutch Teen Duo Arrested Over Alleged ‘Wi-Fi Sniffing’ for Russia — Two teenagers have been arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of espionage , reportedly on behalf of Russian intelligence agencies. The boys, both aged 17, were arrested on Monday. One has been remanded in custody while the other has been released on home bail. The arrests are related to laws regarding state-sponsored interference, but additional details have been withheld due to the age of the suspects and the ongoing investigation.

The teens are alleged to have been tasked with carrying a “Wi-Fi sniffer” along a route past buildings in The Hague, including the headquarters of Europol and Eurojust, as well as several embassies. Akira Ransomware Breaching MFA-Protected SonicWall VPN Accounts — Cybersecurity researchers have warned about an “aggressive” Akira ransomware campaign targeting SonicWall VPNs to rapidly deploy the locker as part of an attack wave that began on July 21, 2025. “In almost all intrusions, ransomware encryption took place in under four hours from initial access, with a staging interval as short as 55 minutes in some instances,” Arctic Wolf said in a new report. Other commonly observed post-exploitation activities include internal network scanning, Impacket SMB activity tied to discovery, Active Directory discovery, and VPN client logins originating from Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting providers.

Targeting firewall and LDAP-synchronized, several intrusions have involved the threat actors leveraging the dedicated account used for Active Directory synchronization to log in via SSL VPN, despite not being intentionally configured for such access. In more than 50% of the analyzed intrusions, login attempts were observed against accounts with the One Time Password (OTP) feature enabled. “Malicious logins were followed within minutes by port scanning, Impacket SMB activity, and rapid deployment of Akira ransomware,” the company noted . “Victims spanned across multiple sectors and organization sizes, suggesting opportunistic mass exploitation.” Four People to Face Trial Over Greece Spyware Scandal — Four individuals, two Israeli and two Greek employees of spyware vendor Intellect, are expected to face trial in Greece over the use of the Predator surveillance tool by the ruling government in 2022 to eavesdrop on judges, senior military officers, journalists, and the opposition.

But to date, no government officials have been charged in connection with the scandal. Phishing Emails Lead to DarkCloud Stealer — The information stealer known as DarkCloud is being distributed via phishing emails masquerading as financial correspondence that trick recipients into opening malicious ZIP archives. The stealer, besides adding new layers of encryption and evasion, targets web browser data, keystrokes, FTP credentials, clipboard contents, email clients, files, and cryptocurrency wallets. Stolen credentials/data are sent to attacker-controlled Telegram, FTP, SMTP, or Web Panel (PHP) endpoints.

It’s marketed on Telegram by a user named @BluCoder and on the clearnet through the domain darkcloud.onlinewebshop[.]net. It’s advertised as the “best surveillance software for parents, spouses, and employers.” Cybersecurity company eSentire
said: “DarkCloud is an information-stealing malware written in VB6 and is actively being updated to target a wide range of applications, including email clients, FTP clients, cryptocurrency wallets, web browsers and supports numerous other information-stealing capabilities like keystroke/clipboard harvesting, clipboard hijacking, and file collection.” Nupay Plugs “Configuration Gap” — Indian fintech company Nupay said it addressed a configuration gap after UpGuard flagged an unprotected Amazon S3 storage bucket containing more than 270,000 documents related to bank transfers of Indian customers. The exposed information included bank account numbers, transaction amounts, names, phone numbers, and email addresses. The data was linked to at least 38 different banks and financial institutions.

It’s currently not known how long the data was left publicly accessible on the internet, although misconfigurations of this kind are not uncommon. Nupay told TechCrunch the bucket exposed a “limited set of test records with basic customer details,” and that a majority of the details were “dummy or test files.” Top AI Chatbots Provide Answers with False Claims — Some of the top AI chatbots’ tendency to repeat false claims on topics in the news increased nearly twice as much as they did last year, according to an audit by NewsGuard. The disinformation rates of the chatbots have almost doubled, going from 18% in August 2024 to 35% a year later, with the tools providing false claims to news prompts more than one-third of the time. “Instead of citing data cutoffs or refusing to weigh in on sensitive topics, the LLMs now pull from a polluted online information ecosystem — sometimes deliberately seeded by vast networks of malign actors, including Russian disinformation operations — and treat unreliable sources as credible,” it said .

Israel’s PM Says His U.N. Speech Streamed Directly to Gaza Cellphones — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his speech at the United Nations last week was also pushed to mobile phones of Gaza residents in an unprecedented operation. “Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to special efforts by Israeli intelligence, my words are now also being carried,” Netanyahu said . “They’re streamed live through the cell phones of Gaza.” There is no evidence for how it would’ve worked or if this actually took place.

Fake Teams Installers Lead to Oyster Malware — Threat actors are abusing SEO poisoning and malvertising to lure users searching for Teams online into downloading a fake installer that leads to malware called Oyster (aka Broomstick or CleanUpLoader). “Oyster is a modular, multistage backdoor that provides persistent remote access, establishes Command and Control (C2) communications, collects host information, and enables the delivery of follow-on payloads,” Blackpoint said . “By hiding behind a widely used collaboration platform, Oyster is well positioned to evade casual detection and blend into the noise of normal enterprise activity.” The activity has been attributed by Conscia to Vanilla Tempest (aka Storm-0832 or Vice Society). Flaw in Streamlit Framework Patched — Cybersecurity researchers discovered a vulnerability in the Streamlit app deployment framework that can allow attackers to hijack underlying cloud servers.

“To do that, threat actors bypass file type restrictions and take full control of a misconfigured cloud instance running Streamlit applications,” Cato Networks said . In a hypothetical attack scenario, bad actors can exploit a file upload vulnerability in the framework to rewrite server files and deploy new SSH configurations. Streamlit released a security patch in March. 🎥 Cybersecurity Webinars Beyond the Hype: Practical AI Workflows for Cybersecurity Teams — AI is transforming cybersecurity workflows, but the best results come from blending human oversight with automation.

In this webinar, Thomas Kinsella of Tines shows how to pinpoint where AI truly adds value, avoid over-engineering, and build secure, auditable processes that scale. Halloween Special: Real Breach Stories and the Fix to End Password Horrors — Passwords are still a prime target for attackers—and a constant pain for IT teams. Weak or reused credentials, frequent helpdesk resets, and outdated policies expose organizations to costly breaches and reputational damage. In this Halloween-themed webinar from The Hacker News and Specops Software, you’ll see real breach stories, discover why traditional password policies fail, and watch a live demo on blocking compromised credentials in real time—so you can end password nightmares without adding user friction.

From Code to Cloud: Learn How to See Every Risk, Fix Every Weak Link — Modern AppSec needs end-to-end visibility from code to cloud. Without it, hidden flaws delay fixes and raise risk. This webinar shows how code-to-cloud mapping unites dev, DevOps, and security to prioritize and remediate faster, forming the backbone of effective ASPM. 🔧 Cybersecurity Tools Pangolin — It is a self-hosted reverse proxy that securely exposes private services to the internet without opening firewall ports.

It creates encrypted WireGuard tunnels to connect isolated networks and includes built-in identity and access management, so you can control who reaches your internal apps, APIs, or IoT devices. Ideal for developers, DevOps teams, or organizations needing safe remote access, Pangolin simplifies sharing internal resources while keeping them protected behind strong authentication and role-based permissions. AI Red Teaming Playground — Microsoft’s AI Red Teaming Playground Labs offers hands-on challenges to practice probing AI systems for security gaps. Built on Chat Copilot and powered by the open-source PyRIT framework, it lets you simulate prompt injections and other adversarial attacks to identify hidden risks in generative AI before deployment.

Disclaimer: The tools featured here are provided strictly for educational and research purposes. They have not undergone full security audits, and their behavior may introduce risks if misused. Before experimenting, carefully review the source code, test only in controlled environments, and apply appropriate safeguards. Always ensure your usage aligns with ethical guidelines, legal requirements, and organizational policies.

🔒 Tip of the Week Hardening Active Directory Against Modern Attacks — Active Directory is a prime target—compromise it and attackers can own your network. Strengthen its defenses starting with Kerberos FAST (Flexible Authentication Secure Tunneling), which encrypts pre-authentication traffic to block offline password cracking and relay attacks. Deploy it in “Supported” mode, monitor KDC events (IDs 34, 35), then enforce “Required” once all clients are ready. Run PingCastle for a rapid forest health check and use ADeleg/ADeleginator to uncover dangerous over-delegation in OUs or service accounts.

Harden password security with Fine-Grained Password Policies (FGPP) and automate local admin password rotation using LAPS or Lithnet Password Protection to block breached credentials in real time. Tighten other control layers: use AppLocker Inspector/Gen to lock down application execution and GPOZaurr to detect orphaned or risky Group Policy Objects. Scan AD Certificate Services with Locksmith to close misconfigurations and use ScriptSentry to catch malicious logon scripts that enable stealthy persistence. Finally, apply CIS or Microsoft security baselines and generate custom Attack Surface Reduction rules with ASRGen to block exploit techniques that bypass standard policies.

This layered, rarely implemented strategy raises the cost of compromise and forces even advanced adversaries to work far harder. Conclusion These headlines show how tightly connected our defenses must be in today’s threat landscape. No single team, tool, or technology can stand alone—strong security depends on shared awareness and action. Take a moment to pass these insights along, spark a conversation with your team, and turn this knowledge into concrete steps.

Every patch applied, policy updated, or lesson shared strengthens not just your own organization, but the wider cybersecurity community we all rely on. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.