Intelligence Feed

1w ago · hacker-news

Maksim Silnikau, a Belarusian national, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for creating and operating Ransom Cartel, a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) platform active from 2021 to 2023. The operation facilitated attacks on at least 18 organizations globally, leveraging stolen credentials and a hidden affiliate panel for managing ransom negotiations and payments via cryptocurrency mixers. While Silnikau did not conduct most intrusions himself, he built and managed the infrastructure, including a ratings system for affiliates. The operation was initially launched under a different name in May 2021 before being rebranded as Ransom Cartel later that year.

1w ago · hacker-news

A new threat technique called AI Recommendation Poisoning is being used by companies to manipulate AI assistant behavior by injecting memory-altering instructions through 'Ask AI' buttons on websites. When users click these buttons, pre-filled deep links execute prompts that silently mark specific domains as trusted sources in the AI's long-term memory, biasing future responses without user consent. This technique leverages legitimate AI features and bypasses traditional content-based defenses, with evidence of widespread adoption across marketing tools and CMS plugins. The attack persists indefinitely in the AI's memory and can influence security and product evaluation decisions.

1w ago · hacker-news

Researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk discovered a privacy issue in Apple's iCloud Private Relay that can expose a user's real IP address due to WebKit proxy bypasses. The vulnerability stems from three WebKit features—DNS prefetching, WebAuthn Related Origin Requests, and WebTransport—which send traffic directly from the device, bypassing the proxy configuration. This allows websites, particularly those using WebAuthn for passkeys, to view a user's real IP address even when Private Relay is enabled, without requiring user interaction or passkey usage.

1w ago · hacker-news

A weak random number generator in the CryptoJS library, specifically CryptoJS.lib.WordArray.random(), was exploited to compromise cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases, leading to the theft of approximately $5.7 million across two attack waves. The vulnerability affected five wallet applications—RRWallet, Bexo Wallet, NanChat, Bitcoin Libre, and Milo—where weak entropy reduced the effective search space for recovery phrases from 2^128 or 2^256 down to roughly 2^39 or 2^47, making them brute-forceable. The flaw was exploited in attacks between May and July 2026, with stolen funds traced across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, Rootstock, and Polygon blockchains. The issue stems from a regression in CryptoJS versions prior to 4.0.0, where a previously fixed issue was reintroduced in version 3.3.0 due to backward compatibility concerns.

1w ago · hacker-news

CISA has added CVE-2026-63077, a critical remote code execution vulnerability in JetBrains TeamCity, to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog due to active exploitation in the wild. The flaw stems from deserialization of untrusted data in the TeamCity agent polling protocol, allowing unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the TeamCity server process. A successful exploit could lead to theft of sensitive data, configuration, and credentials, as well as compromise of build artifacts and CI/CD pipelines. Federal agencies are required to patch by August 8, 2026, per BOD 26-04.

1w ago · hacker-news

Zbtlink routers are shipped with a factory-implanted backdoor named ENDLESSDOORS, which establishes unauthenticated root shells by connecting to command-and-control servers. The backdoor, based on the 'rctl' tool, runs as a disguised kernel thread with root privileges and contacts C2 infrastructure every 35 seconds. It allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands or spawn interactive root shells without authentication, enabling full device takeover. The backdoor is present in at least 20 router models, all of which initiate connections to a shared set of C2 endpoints.

1w ago · hacker-news

Security researchers discovered critical flaws in agent infrastructures from AWS, Google, and Vercel that allow attackers to bypass model authorization and directly trigger tool execution. The vulnerabilities, collectively named CoreBreak, stem from insufficient validation of tool-call inputs, enabling untrusted or forged instructions to reach execution without model oversight. AWS addressed CVE-2026-18830 in its managed Bedrock AgentCore service by adding server-side validation, while Google patched two separate issues in its Agent Development Kit (ADK) for Python, including CVE-2026-18236 for continuation forgery and a resumable-mode bypass. Vercel fixed two related authorization bypasses in its AI SDK harness packages, tracked as CVE-2026-64650 and CVE-2026-64651, which allowed sandboxed malicious code to invoke host tools without model authorization.

1w ago · hacker-news

Attackers exploited a SQL injection vulnerability in a public-facing web application to gain access to an Oracle database, then leveraged Oracle's embedded Java Virtual Machine to compile and execute malicious Java code within the database itself. This post-exploitation toolkit, tracked as khunt by Huntress, allowed the attackers to achieve SYSTEM-level privilege escalation on the underlying Windows server without writing files to disk. The toolkit consists of multiple Java classes and PL/SQL wrappers that enable command execution, credential theft, file system access, and registry hive extraction. The malicious activity was traced to a single IP address, and detection requires hunting for specific object names and SQL patterns due to the in-memory nature of the attack.

1w ago · hacker-news

Connor Riley Moucka pleaded guilty to orchestrating breaches of Snowflake customer accounts in 2024, exploiting stolen credentials from infostealer malware that had not been rotated and where multi-factor authentication (MFA) was disabled. The attacks impacted at least 165 organizations and exposed data belonging to over 100 million people, including sensitive personal and government-related information. No platform vulnerability was exploited; instead, the campaign leveraged previously compromised credentials, with Mandiant attributing the activity to threat actor UNC5537. Moucka monetized the stolen data through ransoms and sales, netting at least $495,000, while re-extorting at least one victim using data of a government official and their family.

2w ago · hacker-news

Two trojanized npm packages, 'bianira-ui' and 'fluid-type-ui', have been identified as part of a malicious campaign leveraging a novel blockchain-based command-and-control (C2) technique dubbed NullReceiver. This method, attributed to North Korean threat actors, encodes the C2 server IP address within the recipient address of zero-value Ethereum transactions, eliminating the need for smart contracts or calldata payloads. The malware decodes the IP address from the first four bytes of the transaction's destination address and connects to it, with the decoded IP being 166.88.134[.]62. The technique improves stealth and resilience by using throwaway addresses and minimizing on-chain footprint.

2w ago · hacker-news

Two critical vulnerabilities in Paperclip, an open-source AI agent control plane, allow remote code execution on server or developer machines via malicious agent imports. CVE-2026-41679 enables unauthenticated attackers to register and import a malicious agent configuration that executes commands with server privileges due to insufficient access controls during company creation. A second path exploits DNS rebinding in local_trusted mode, where a malicious website can trigger command execution on localhost by rebinding a hostname to 127.0.0.1 and invoking the import API. A third vulnerability, GHSA-xfqj-r5qw-8g4j, exposes sensitive API routes without proper authentication, potentially leaking control-plane details and allowing unauthorized access to heartbeat data and system health information.

2w ago · hacker-news

A macOS-focused threat operation leveraging over 250 front-end domains employs browser fingerprinting to selectively serve malware lures to genuine Mac users while evading crawlers and sandbox environments. The fingerprinting script collects navigator properties, screen dimensions, WebGL signals, timezone, iframe detection, touch support, developer console activity, and codec capability checks to determine if the visitor is a real Mac user. Qualified users are presented with a fake GitHub-themed 'Download for macOS' page that delivers the Atomic Stealer (AMOS) infostealer via an obfuscated Terminal command. The command retrieves additional scripts from a /curl/<id> endpoint and executes payloads that target credentials, browser data, authentication stores, cryptocurrency wallets, and sensitive files.

2w ago · hacker-news

Veeam, HashiCorp, and Django have released patches for critical vulnerabilities in their software. Veeam's Service Provider Console has two critical flaws: CVE-2026-58073 allows unauthenticated attackers to impersonate managed agents and steal credentials (CVSS 9.5), and CVE-2026-58072 enables arbitrary file write leading to remote code execution with low-privilege access (CVSS 9.0). HashiCorp's Terraform MCP Server has a CVSS 10.0 cross-tenant vulnerability (CVE-2026-16498) due to improper session isolation in stateless HTTP mode, allowing token reuse across users. Django patched a high-severity flaw in GeoDjango (CVE-2026-15307) that could allow file writes and potentially remote code execution via spatial lookups accessible to staff users.

2w ago · hacker-news

GitGuardian researchers identified 321 exposed and still-valid n8n API tokens in public GitHub commits, enabling unauthorized access to sensitive automation workflows, execution data, and stored credentials. Attackers can exploit these tokens to enumerate users, read or exfiltrate data, use or extract stored credentials (e.g., OpenAI API keys), and map high-risk configurations via the audit endpoint—all without exploiting a software vulnerability. The tokens remain valid due to missing expiration dates and poor credential hygiene, with some instances hosted on managed services like n8n.cloud. Responsible disclosure efforts met limited success, highlighting ongoing exposure risks.

2w ago · hacker-news

A critical vulnerability in Gitea, tracked as CVE-2026-59774, allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files accessible by the Gitea service account by exploiting the Org-mode markup renderer. The flaw exists in versions 1.22.1 through 1.27.0 and is triggered via a crafted Org-mode #+INCLUDE directive processed by the /{owner}/{repo}/markup endpoint. Although not direct remote code execution, attackers can chain the file-read capability with reading app.ini to extract the INTERNAL_TOKEN and subsequently inject Git hooks to achieve command execution. The vulnerability was discovered by XBOW Security and independently reported by Shai Rod, with no known in-the-wild exploitation observed at the time of disclosure.

2w ago · hacker-news

A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Open vSwitch (OVS) datapath, tracked as CVE-2026-64531 and dubbed OVSwrap, allows local users to escalate privileges to root. The flaw stems from a 16-bit length field wraparound when processing Netlink attributes in OVS flow installation, which can be triggered without requiring existing OVS bridges or daemons. A public proof-of-concept exploit achieves reliable local privilege escalation by chaining kernel pointer leaks, arbitrary reads, and targeted decrements to modify credentials and gain root access. The exploit supports around 800 kernel builds and leaves behind modified sudoers files and persistent root shells. Default installations of numerous Linux distributions are vulnerable if Open vSwitch is enabled and unprivileged user namespaces are allowed.

2w ago · hacker-news

A long-standing supply chain attack has affected QuickFox, a VPN and network acceleration tool, since at least August 2025. The malicious Windows installer, starting from version 3.0.51.0, delivers a backdoor called FDMTP via a trojanized Electron-based application. The attack uses a JavaScript loader that fingerprints the victim endpoint and downloads the payload from a malicious domain, cdns3.51quickfox[.]cn, which mimics the legitimate domain. The malware employs DLL side-loading to execute FDMTP, which communicates with a C2 server to exfiltrate system information and download additional plugins, targeting users such as Chinese expatriates and professionals interacting with Chinese speakers.

2w ago · hacker-news

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added three vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog due to active exploitation. These include a critical remote code execution flaw in Langflow (CVE-2026-9198), a sensitive data encryption bypass in Apache Tomcat (CVE-2026-34486), and an authentication bypass in N-able N-central (CVE-2026-18556 and CVE-2026-18577). Exploitation of CVE-2026-34486 has been linked to a Chinese-speaking threat actor using the aliases knaithe and KnYuan, who leveraged AI-powered offensive tools like DeepSeek via the Hermes Agent framework to autonomously target internet-exposed systems. The actor combined autonomous reconnaissance with manual exploitation of known vulnerabilities in Citrix NetScaler, Marimo, and IKE VPN, among others, targeting over 460 organizations.

2w ago · hacker-news

Open VSX removed 77 malicious 'evil twin' extensions that impersonated legitimate developer tools but were designed to exfiltrate sensitive developer environment data. The extensions, uploaded between July 26 and August 1, 2026, sent system information, workspace details, and CI/CD context to the domain mangorbit[.]com. Nineteen of them were more advanced reconnaissance payloads that collected Git metadata, installed extensions, CI environment variables, and telemetry settings. The malware included fallback mechanisms via DNS TXT records and persistence logic to distinguish between human and configuration-driven installations.

2w ago · hacker-news

Google removed three AI agent workflows from its Agent Development Kit (ADK) Python repository after Pillar Security demonstrated a supply chain attack vector. A malicious GitHub issue could trigger a prompt injection in a triage agent, leading to execution of a privileged code-fixing agent via a trusted bot account. This allowed arbitrary code execution on the CI runner and exfiltration of sensitive credentials, including a bot personal access token (PAT), a Google API key, and a Google Cloud service-account credential. Although no in-the-wild exploitation was observed, the attack chain exploited overly broad permissions and insufficient isolation between automation components.

2w ago · hacker-news

The Greatness PhaaS (Phishing-as-a-Service) platform has added device code phishing capabilities to bypass Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) by abusing the OAuth 2.0 Device Authorization Grant. This enables attackers to steal authentication tokens without presenting fake login pages, making detection more difficult. The service supports multiple phishing methods including adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) attacks, OAuth consent abuse, and phishing for iCloud, Yahoo, and Google Workspace. Post-compromise, attackers use stolen tokens to access Microsoft 365 resources via Microsoft Graph API and establish persistence by registering new devices to obtain Primary Refresh Tokens (PRTs).

2w ago · hacker-news

cPanel has patched a critical vulnerability, CVE-2026-58048 (CVSS 4.0: 9.4), that allows an authenticated hosting customer to execute SQL commands with full administrative database privileges, effectively crossing the privilege boundary into the server's root database context. The flaw resides in the database-renaming process, where SQL mode is not preserved, leading to execution in root context. This could lead to full operating system compromise depending on configuration. Two additional vulnerabilities were patched in the same release: CVE-2026-58047, an HTTP request-smuggling issue in cpsrvd, and a local privilege escalation in Exim via unsafe string expansion in .forward files.

2w ago · hacker-news

An active multi-wave campaign dubbed SMOKE#SCREEN by Securonix uses fake Adobe and Zoom update lures, along with business document themes, to deliver Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools like ConnectWise ScreenConnect. The attack begins with spear-phishing emails containing obfuscated VBScript droppers that perform anti-analysis checks before deploying payloads. These payloads ultimately install ScreenConnect, providing attackers with persistent remote access through attacker-controlled relay servers. A separate but related campaign distributes the Powercat Java-based information stealer via fake Xeno Roblox cheat installers, enabling credential theft, surveillance, and remote control.

2w ago · hacker-news

A malicious npm package worm originating from [email protected] has spread to hundreds of packages across multiple organizations, leveraging preinstall scripts to steal developer and CI credentials, including repository, cloud, and private-key material. The payload can propagate by republishing compromised packages using stolen npm credentials and includes secondary execution paths via .claude and .vscode hooks that activate when a user trusts the workspace. The attack leveraged legitimate GitHub Actions workflows, resulting in valid SLSA and OIDC provenance, making detection more difficult. The malware family is linked to prior PyPI compromises and is associated with the Shai-Hulud campaign, though the specific threat actor remains unidentified.

2w ago · hacker-news

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a high-severity vulnerability, CVE-2026-18577, in N-able N-central to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog due to active exploitation. The flaw, stemming from incomplete patching of a prior vulnerability (CVE-2026-18556), enables authentication bypass and account takeover, allowing attackers to gain administrative access and pivot to managed endpoints using the Take Control feature. Indicators include malicious use of legitimate tools like Cloudflared and connections from specific IP addresses associated with Mullvad and NordVPN exit nodes. While no specific threat actor has been attributed, exploitation has been observed across multiple organizations, with attackers conducting reconnaissance, lateral movement, and persistence.

2w ago · hacker-news

The DOUBLECUP loader-as-a-service (LaaS) is being used by threat actors to deliver malware such as CountLoader and a previously undocumented Python-based remote access trojan (RAT) called DeviceManager. The attack begins with social engineering lures via fake CRM login pages using ClickFix, which trigger the download of steganographically encoded PNG images into the browser cache. These images contain hidden payloads that, when extracted, execute malicious code to deploy the final malware. CountLoader uses environmental keying based on the victim's public IP address for decryption and establishes persistence by modifying browser shortcuts, while DeviceManager leverages blockchain-based C2 resolution via Ethereum/Polygon smart contracts using EtherHiding.

2w ago · hacker-news

A software supply chain attack has been uncovered involving 18 malicious npm packages that impersonate legitimate Alibaba-scoped packages, targeting Chinese-speaking developers. The packages deliver a cross-platform remote access trojan (RAT) through a multi-stage payload delivery mechanism that uses a rule engine and vm module to execute OS-specific malicious actions. On Windows, it trojanizes enterprise apps like Alilang; on Linux, it runs a memory-resident binary; and on macOS, it installs a persistent background script. The final payload enables command execution, file exfiltration, host reconnaissance, and lateral movement, suggesting industrial espionage as the likely motive.

2w ago · hacker-news

The INC Ransomware group has become the dominant threat actor exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in SonicWall SMA 1000 series VPN appliances, specifically CVE-2026-15409 and CVE-2026-15410, which allow for arbitrary command execution. The group has exploited these flaws since at least June 22, 2026, deploying a Python script called KNUCKLEBALL to launch the Suo5 proxy and a custom Java web shell named ORANGETAIL. Victims span multiple countries including the U.S., Australia, and Switzerland, with attackers using social engineering tactics such as phone calls from an individual claiming to be 'Andrew' and using the number +1 (304) 384-0401 to pressure victims into negotiations via info@helprans[.]com.

2w ago · hacker-news

Unit 42 researchers identified three post-compromise attack paths—Pass-ta-key, Silver Pass-ta-key, and Golden Pass-ta-key—targeting Chrome's Google Password Manager on Windows systems with TPM. These attacks allow malware with local access to hijack passkey-protected accounts by exploiting weaknesses in device key handling, user-verification key re-enrollment, and extraction of the 32-byte Security Domain Secret (SDS) from memory. While no active exploitation in the wild is reported, the techniques enable silent authentication, persistent access, and passkey decryption if an attacker gains initial endpoint access.

2w ago · hacker-news

Multiple active threats were reported this week, including Russian threat actors exploiting a Microsoft OWA XSS vulnerability (CVE-2026-42897) to deploy a JavaScript-based implant called OWAReaper for persistent mailbox access. A critical Ruby on Rails vulnerability (CVE-2026-66066) allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files via crafted image uploads, potentially leading to remote code execution. Additionally, Iranian-linked actors are suspected in coordinated attacks on over 30 Minnesota water systems, where exposed PLCs were targeted to disrupt operations. Storm-2945 (APT29) conducted DNS hijacking via compromised Wi-Fi networks to deliver CornFlake malware and ChocoShell infostealer, while a malicious campaign in RubyGems distributed 199 trojanized packages embedding XMRig cryptojacking payloads.