Vulnerabilities & Exploits
Cybersecurity news in this category
Browser Built on Mistakes: How Real-World Attacks Shaped Modern Browser Defenses
cKEV Index Launches to Prioritize Vulnerabilities as AI Accelerates Exploit Development
Apache HTTP Server 2.4.69 Patches 20 Vulnerabilities Including CVSS 9.8 Issues
BrokenPipe PoC Exploits Steam Client Service for Silent SYSTEM Privilege Escalation on Windows
A new proof-of-concept named BrokenPipe demonstrates how a standard Windows user can escalate privileges to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM through the Steam Client Service without requiring administrator credentials or triggering a UAC prompt. The vulnerability stems from insufficient signature validation in VDF installation scripts processed by steamservice.exe, allowing an attacker to control the execution path of a malicious script. The issue affects Steam version 10.96.30.42 on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, though no public CVE has been assigned yet. Valve was notified of the flaw in March, several months prior to public disclosure. The attack is strictly local and requires initial code execution under a standard user account, making it relevant for shared or corporate environments. Security teams are advised to inventory Steam installations, apply application allowlisting, and monitor for anomalous SYSTEM-level processes linked to the service while awaiting an official patch.
WatchGuard Fireware OS Affected by 15 Vulnerabilities Including Critical CVE-2026-86131
WatchGuard Technologies disclosed 15 vulnerabilities in Fireware OS, the operating system powering its UTM appliances. The advisories were published between September 29 and 30, 2026, covering issues that range from remote code execution and authorization bypass to file disclosure and denial of service. Impact varies by deployment, yet none of the flaws had been observed in active exploitation at disclosure time. The most severe finding, CVE-2026-86131 in BOVPN Over TLS, received a CVSS v4.0 base score of 9.2 and Critical rating. This code-injection flaw in client configuration handling allows an attacker who controls the VPN server to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the connecting Firebox device. The remaining vulnerabilities affect multiple components and are tracked under separate CVE identifiers listed in the official advisories.
Rust Researcher Builds AI Pipeline to Test 900 Vulnerability Hypotheses Across Crates and Linux Kernel
Sergey Gordeychik developed the rust-in-peace research harness that combines multiple LLM agents, traditional SAST tools, and dynamic verification to hunt for memory-safety, logic, and API misuse issues in Rust code. The system generates independent hypotheses, attempts to refute them with separate agents, then validates survivors through fuzzing, protocol tests, or container execution. Starting from the Damn Vulnerable Rust Application, the pipeline was expanded to popular crates including x509-parser, h2, and lopdf, ultimately producing a Linux kernel patch. Experiments showed that three parallel analysis passes yielded 20 confirmed findings after triage, with nine appearing in all passes. The work also highlighted how models can produce convincing but false positives when context such as dependency checks or call order is missing. Gordeychik presented the approach at ZeroNights under the title Rust in Peace: How to Raise Your Own Pet Mythos.
Critical Zero-Day Vulnerability in FortiMail Allows Unauthenticated File Writes
Fortinet disclosed a critical zero-day vulnerability in its FortiMail email security product that is already being exploited in attacks. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-104286, affects the graphical user interface component and stems from improper sanitization of path traversal and NULL byte sequences. Attackers can craft malicious HTTP requests to write arbitrary files to the system without authentication. The vulnerability received a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8, classifying it as Critical. Fortinet discovered the issue internally but has also received reports of active exploitation. Planned patches include FortiMail 8.0.2, 7.6.7, and 7.4.9, while users on the 7.2 branch are advised to migrate to 7.4 or later.
Six Months After tun0 Leak: Which Android VPN Clients Fixed Server Address Exposure and Which Ignored It
A detailed investigation reveals that Android VPN clients suffer from two distinct server address leaks when split tunneling is enabled. The first leak, tied to an unprotected local SOCKS proxy on 127.0.0.1, was quickly mitigated by most Xray and sing-box based clients through random ports and passwords. The second, more persistent leak allows excluded applications to bind sockets directly to the tun0 interface and discover the VPN server IP without root or special permissions. Only TeapodStream and OlConnect implemented owner-UID checks using ConnectivityManager.getConnectionOwnerUid, yet both initially mishandled the INVALID_UID response returned for excluded apps. AmneziaVPN has unmerged pull requests that correctly reject unknown owners, while sing-box offers a manual package_name_regex rule. v2rayNG closed the report as not planned, and major clients including WireGuard for Android, Mullvad, Proton VPN and others have issued no statements.
Part 2: How Third-Party Developers Closed the tun0 Leak in AmneziaVPN on Android
Third-party contributors to AmneziaVPN have detailed their fix for a VPN tunnel bypass affecting excluded applications on Android. The vulnerability allows any app, even those disallowed from the VPN, to bind sockets directly to the tun0 interface using SO_BINDTODEVICE and thereby discover the VPN server address. The team implemented a packet filter inside the client that queries Android via ConnectivityManager.getConnectionOwnerUid to determine packet ownership and drops traffic from unknown UIDs. The solution was integrated into both the Xray and AmneziaWG traffic paths, with the AmneziaWG hook placed inside amneziawg-go after packet parsing. Testing with leak_probe.py showed zero successful bypass attempts out of six methods when the filter was active, compared to six out of six without it. The developers submitted three pull requests and released a side-loaded test build, while noting remaining limitations such as raw sockets and tethering scenarios.
Cisco Confirms Active Exploitation of CVE-2026-76504 in Catalyst SD-WAN Manager
Cisco has confirmed that the critical vulnerability CVE-2026-76504 in Catalyst SD-WAN Manager has been exploited in attacks throughout September. The flaw carries a CVSS score of 9.8 and allows attackers to gain full administrator access without any credentials by bypassing API authentication through malformed URI encoding. The issue affects the login session handling mechanism, enabling forged requests to grant netadmin privileges by default. Similar URI manipulation techniques were observed earlier this month in Oracle PeopleSoft attacks. Patches are available across multiple release trains including 20.9.10.1, 20.12.8.2, 20.15.6.1, 20.18.4.1, 26.1.2.1 and 26.2.1, while older installations must migrate to supported versions. Cisco recommends restricting access to trusted hosts and placing the Manager behind firewalls until updates are applied. The vulnerability was discovered during routine support operations and verified by Cisco's Product Security Incident Response Team.
Zero-Days in PaperCut MF Chained to Compromise Active Directory in Education Sector
Analysts at eSentire investigated an attack that chained two zero-days in PaperCut MF, tracked as CVE-2026-81578 and CVE-2026-82078, to move from an internet-exposed print server to a domain controller in an education sector client in under two days. Attackers gained initial access through the card or badge query field, delivering malicious Java code that allowed unauthenticated configuration changes and arbitrary bytecode execution on version 24.0.2. The first stage loader reassembled payload fragments in memory, launched the next stage, and deleted its own files while remaining compatible with multiple Tomcat versions. A web shell followed, accepting commands via a custom HTTP header, reading configurations, and erasing log traces while positioning itself early in the request processing chain. The command-and-control implant was AdaptixC2, hidden inside a modified Microsoft Copilot binary downloaded from Alibaba Cloud infrastructure. Privilege escalation was achieved without passwords by locating a domain-privileged service account, stealing its access token, and relaunching the implant under those rights. On the domain controller the payload arrived via administrative share and was executed by modifying the Windows PlugPlay service, after which the legitimate path was restored to minimize traces. The operators extracted credentials from memory and registry, enabled Restricted Admin mode, used an NTLM hash for RDP access, and copied the full Active Directory database containing passwords for all domain accounts.
Apache WSS4J Library Addresses Seven Vulnerabilities Including Authentication Bypass Flaws
The Apache WSS4J library, used to apply WS-Security to SOAP messages in Java environments, has received updates fixing seven vulnerabilities. The development team disclosed multiple security advisories on September 30, 2026, covering the issues. Three vulnerabilities received an Important severity rating: CVE-2026-88920, CVE-2026-89238, and CVE-2026-95616. CVE-2026-88920 allows authentication bypass in the DOM security processor by injecting attacker-controlled keys into crafted unsigned sender-vouches SAML assertions. CVE-2026-89238 stems from improper handling of encryption headers, enabling attackers to force plaintext elements to be treated as decrypted headers and bypass security policies. The remaining four vulnerabilities were also resolved in the same coordinated update release.
US Authorities Warn of Active Exploitation of Apple CoreGraphics and Cisco SD-WAN Vulnerabilities
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added two newly identified vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. CVE-2026-86950 affects Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS through a flaw in the CoreGraphics framework that allows out-of-bounds memory writes and potential arbitrary code execution. CVE-2026-76504 impacts Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, enabling unauthenticated attackers to gain administrative access due to improper URI encoding handling in the API. Federal agencies must remediate both issues within three days of their respective catalog additions. CISA also requires organizations to check for signs of compromise in addition to applying patches. The alerts highlight ongoing risks to widely deployed Apple operating systems and enterprise SD-WAN infrastructure.
Cisco Patches Critical Zero-Day Authentication Bypass in Catalyst SD-WAN Manager
Cisco Systems has released security updates to address a critical zero-day vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager that allows attackers to bypass authentication and gain remote administrator access. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-76504, stems from improper URI encoding handling in HTTP requests targeting specific APIs. With a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8, the issue is rated Critical and has already been exploited in real-world attacks confirmed by Cisco in September 2026. The company published its security advisory on September 30, 2026, and strongly recommends immediate updates to the fixed releases. Organizations are also advised to restrict API access to trusted sources while applying the patches.
Hackers Exploit Two Critical Citrix NetScaler Zero-Days to Deploy Web Shells and Enable Lateral Movement
Two critical zero-day vulnerabilities in Citrix NetScaler, tracked as CVE-2026-88771 and CVE-2026-88772, are being actively exploited in the wild to achieve unauthenticated remote code execution. Attackers deploy password-protected PHP web shells such as WHIPSHOT and use the Python-based SLAPSHOT tunneling tool for lateral movement inside targeted networks. The flaws affect NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway appliances with default configurations, and one requires DTLS enabled on VPN vServers. Citrix has released patches for versions 13.1-64.23 and 14.1-73.37, while CISA added the issues to its KEV catalog with a September 30, 2026 remediation deadline for U.S. federal agencies. Organizations are advised to hunt for indicators including modified httpd.conf entries, anomalous setuid permissions on /bin/sh, and suspicious files in /var/netscaler/logon/LogonPoint/custom before applying updates.
Critical Vulnerability CVE-2026-12342 Allows Remote Code Execution in SailPoint IdentityIQ
SailPoint has disclosed a critical vulnerability in its identity management product IdentityIQ that stems from insufficient input validation in the web service API. The flaw, identified as CVE-2026-12342, permits an attacker on an adjacent network to execute arbitrary code on the IdentityIQ server without requiring authentication. The vulnerability received a CVSSv3.1 base score of 9.6 and is rated Critical. SailPoint published a security advisory on September 28, 2026, and has released patches for all supported affected versions. The company also plans to include the fix in future patch levels. The issue affects the processing of content sent to the web service API, where improper validation allows malicious input to trigger code execution.
WatchGuard Patches Critical API Flaws in Access Points Allowing Unauthenticated Command Execution
WatchGuard has released firmware version 3.4.8 to address three vulnerabilities affecting its access points, two of which are rated critical. The most severe issues, CVE-2026-86102 and CVE-2026-101891, both scored 9.3 on the CVSS scale and reside in the internal API management service. These flaws permit unauthenticated attackers with network access to execute arbitrary shell commands or bypass access controls without requiring any credentials or valid sessions. A third vulnerability, CVE-2026-87969 with a CVSS score of 8.6, involves command injection through the command-line diagnostic interface but requires authenticated administrator privileges. All firmware versions from 1.0 through 3.4.7 are impacted. The vulnerabilities were disclosed on September 28 with no evidence of active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code available at the time. A compromised access point could serve as an internal foothold for further network attacks due to its visibility into corporate traffic.
Spectre Variant Returns: Branch Target Reuse Attack Extracts Root Password Hash from Linux Memory
Researchers from VUSec and Scuola Superiore SantโAnna have disclosed Branch Target Reuse, a new Spectre v2 variant that exploits stale branch predictor entries in modern CPUs. The attack targets JIT compilers that generate and reuse executable code at runtime, allowing speculative execution of instructions from previously freed memory regions. On Intel systems with existing mitigations enabled, the researchers demonstrated extraction of the root password hash from the Linux kernel in minutes. Practical proof-of-concept exploits were developed against the Linux kernel, while PoCs were also prepared for Firefox and tested on GraalVM. The issue affects Intel, AMD, and Arm processors, although exploitation success depends on the specific JIT environment and predictor state. Defenses have already been merged into the Linux kernel and GraalVM, while Mozilla continues work on site isolation. The findings highlight that Spectre-class issues remain relevant as long as processors rely on aggressive speculative execution.
EASM Uncovers Forgotten Perimeter Assets Including 11-Year-Old Servers Invisible to Standard Scanners
EASM solutions continuously discover external attack surfaces by starting from public data such as company names, domains, WHOIS records, Certificate Transparency logs, and internet-wide scanners like Shodan and Censys. Unlike traditional vulnerability scanners that only check assets from a predefined list, EASM maps unknown shadow IT including forgotten test servers, abandoned marketing subdomains, exposed APIs, and cloud buckets left open to the internet. The technology follows the same reconnaissance path used by attackers and has become essential for mature vulnerability management programs after years of being considered exotic. Major vendors including Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse, CyCognito, Qualys, Rapid7, and Tenable now lead the market, while Russian providers such as Positive Technologies PT EASM, BI.ZONE EASM, and CyberOK PenOps have grown rapidly since 2022. Without an established process for prioritization and remediation, EASM implementations risk generating overwhelming alert volumes rather than reducing risk. The approach is now viewed as a core component of Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) frameworks.
Mozilla Releases Firefox 157 with 76 Security Fixes, Shifts to Individual CVE Reporting
Mozilla Foundation has released Firefox 157, addressing 76 vulnerabilities rated at various severity levels. The update also includes patches for the extended support releases Firefox ESR 153.4, ESR 140.17, and ESR 115.42. A key change in this release involves Mozilla's new approach to publishing security advisories, moving from grouping multiple memory safety issues under single CVEs to reporting them individually. Among the high-severity issues fixed are sandbox escape flaws, privilege escalation bugs, use-after-free errors, uninitialized memory problems, and JIT compiler mistakes affecting components such as DOM, Graphics, WebGPU, WebAssembly, and Networking. The ESR versions received 62, 43, and 31 fixes respectively, with 34 rated high in the latest branch. All listed CVEs range from CVE-2026-100756 through CVE-2026-100831.
Recon in Bug Bounty: Spotting Anomalies Instead of Chasing Known Vulnerability Patterns
The article explains that effective reconnaissance in Bug Bounty programs goes far beyond automated subdomain enumeration with tools like subfinder or httpx. It emphasizes building a mental model of the target application by analyzing policy documents, infrastructure changes via Censys and Shodan, and identifying behavioral anomalies rather than matching textbook vulnerability patterns. A detailed case study describes how a hidden legacy endpoint on ibm.com was discovered during passive and active reconnaissance, leading to the identification of a time-based Blind SQL Injection vulnerability confirmed with sqlmap. The author stresses that recon is a continuous process involving hypothesis testing, understanding service trust boundaries, and evaluating real security impact for triage teams. Practical advice includes reviewing HackerOne reports for context, maintaining motivation through interesting targets, and revisiting programs as infrastructure evolves. The piece also covers how JavaScript analysis and direct endpoint interaction help map authorization flows and weak links between microservices.
Google Releases Chrome Security Update Fixing 32 Vulnerabilities Including One Critical Flaw
Google has issued a security update for its Chrome browser that addresses a total of 32 vulnerabilities across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. One vulnerability is rated Critical, while 25 are rated High, one Medium, and five Low. The Critical issue, tracked as CVE-2026-102331, is a buffer overflow in the ANGLE graphics component that was reported externally on August 24. High-severity fixes cover multiple type confusion and buffer overflow problems in the V8 JavaScript engine, use-after-free flaws in Bluetooth, Views, Passwords, FullScreen, and PictureInPicture, plus uninitialized resource handling in GPU and WebGPU. Additional High issues include out-of-bounds writes in GPU, out-of-bounds reads in WebGL, cross-site scripting in WebUI, UI display problems in Omnibox, and permission management weaknesses in Mojo. The update ships as Chrome 154.0.8037.93 and 154.0.8037.92 for Windows and macOS and 154.0.8037.92 for Linux, with gradual rollout over the coming days and weeks.
Automated Scans Exploit CVE-2026-39364 in Exposed Vite Dev Servers to Steal AWS and Azure Secrets
A large-scale automated campaign is actively scanning the internet for publicly exposed Vite development servers to exfiltrate sensitive files and cloud credentials. Attackers leverage CVE-2026-39364 to bypass server.fs.deny restrictions and read arbitrary files using crafted query parameters such as ?raw combined with ?import. The campaign has generated thousands of requests over several weeks, with telemetry from honeypots recording 807 sessions and roughly 32,000 events in a single month. Targets include .env files, terraform.tfstate, and other infrastructure-as-code artifacts that often contain AWS access keys and Microsoft Azure tokens. The vulnerable versions are Vite 7.1.0 through versions prior to 7.3.2 and Vite 8.x prior to 8.0.5. Part of the scanning traffic originates from Google Cloud IP ranges 34.x and 35.x. Organizations are urged to update immediately, restrict the dev server to localhost, and rotate any exposed cloud credentials.
cKEV Index Launches to Prioritize Vulnerabilities Using Urgent Patch Score Methodology
CyberOK has introduced the open cKEV Index, a catalog of high-priority vulnerabilities based on the Urgent Patch Score (UPS) framework that tracks signals such as exploit publication and confirmed attacks. The index addresses the growing gap between accelerated vulnerability discovery powered by AI and the slower pace of patching, testing, and deployment in real environments. It incorporates timelines from sources including Anthropic reports on AI-assisted campaigns GTG-50014 and GTG-50029, the rust-in-peace framework, Microsoft Exchange Server Subscription Edition delays, and Oracleโs record 1,434 CVE fixes. UPS defines progressive phases from Radar to Emergency/IR, allowing teams to link specific events like PoC releases or CISA KEV additions to concrete actions under resource constraints. Research using 2025 CISA KEV data shows that early signals enable 35โ53% of patches to be completed before official exploitation confirmation. The public version displays only Urgent Patch and Emergency stages with event histories, while full data and API access are available to CyberOK customers.
Multiple Vulnerabilities Found in WatchGuard Access Points Including Critical Flaw
WatchGuard Technologies has disclosed three vulnerabilities affecting its WatchGuard AP access point products, one of which is rated critical. The issues were detailed in an advisory published on September 28 and involve flaws in internal API services and a diagnostic command-line interface. CVE-2026-86102 allows OS command injection that can lead to arbitrary shell command execution on the underlying operating system when an attacker has network access. CVE-2026-101891 stems from improper access controls that permit unauthenticated acquisition of valid API sessions. CVE-2026-87969 affects the diagnostic CLI and enables arbitrary OS command execution but requires administrator privileges to exploit. The findings were reported by Security NEXT.
CISA Adds Two Critical Citrix NetScaler Flaws to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
The CISA has added two critical vulnerabilities affecting Citrix NetScaler ADC and Gateway to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog following reports of active global exploitation. Both CVE-2026-88771 and CVE-2026-88772 carry a CVSS score of 9.5 and were patched by Citrix on September 27, the same day they were added to the catalog. The first flaw stems from improper input validation and allows unauthenticated arbitrary command execution on default installations. The second issue involves a buffer overflow that can lead to remote code execution or denial of service when DTLS is enabled on VPN virtual servers. Affected versions include 14.1-73.32, 13.1-63.21 and earlier, with fixes available in 14.1-73.37, 13.1-64.23 and later releases including FIPS variants. The issues were identified by watchTowr on September 26, and Citrix confirmed ongoing attacks against unpatched systems. Organizations are advised to apply patches immediately while preserving evidence and following full incident response procedures.
Apple Patches Zero-Day CVE-2026-86950 in CoreGraphics Exploited in Targeted iOS Attacks
Apple has released emergency security updates for iPhone, iPad, and multiple macOS versions to address a zero-day vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-86950. The flaw resides in the CoreGraphics framework responsible for rendering images, text, and 2D graphics. It was discovered by Meta Product Security and confirmed to have been used in sophisticated, targeted attacks against specific iOS users. The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write that could allow arbitrary code execution when processing a specially crafted file. Apple states the attacks were highly selective rather than widespread. Patches are included in iOS 26.7.1, iPadOS 26.7.1, macOS Tahoe 26.7.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.8.1. An erroneous CVE identifier, CVE-2026-20700, appeared in some early reports.
Apple Releases macOS Updates to Fix CoreGraphics Vulnerability Possibly Exploited in Targeted iOS Attacks
Apple has issued security updates for multiple macOS versions to address a serious vulnerability in the CoreGraphics framework. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-86950, involves an out-of-bounds write that could allow arbitrary code execution when processing specially crafted files. The company also noted that the same issue may have been exploited in sophisticated, targeted attacks against older versions of iOS. CISA assigned the vulnerability a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8, classifying it as High severity. Patches are now available in macOS Tahoe 26.7.1, macOS Sequoia 15.8.1, and the latest macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 release.
Apple Releases iOS 26.7.1 and iPadOS 26.7.1 to Fix CoreGraphics Vulnerability Possibly Exploited in Targeted Attacks
Apple has issued iOS 26.7.1 and iPadOS 26.7.1 to address a high-severity vulnerability in the CoreGraphics framework. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-86950, could allow arbitrary code execution when processing a specially crafted file due to an out-of-bounds write. The company stated that the issue may have been exploited in sophisticated, targeted attacks against specific individuals on versions prior to iOS 27. CISA assigned the vulnerability a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8, classifying it as High severity. On the same day, Apple also released iOS 27.0.1 and iPadOS 27.0.1, though those updates did not reference CVE-2026-86950. The patches close a vector that could be abused for remote code execution in image rendering components.
Fundamental Flaw in File Monitoring APIs Exposes Keystrokes and App Activity Across Windows, Linux, Android, and macOS
Researchers from Graz University of Technology demonstrated how built-in file change notification mechanisms can leak sensitive user activity without requiring elevated privileges. The affected subsystems include inotify on Linux, FileObserver on Android, ReadDirectoryChangesW on Windows, and FSEvents on macOS. On Linux the technique enables reconstruction of typed text with 93-100% accuracy by monitoring /dev/input/event4 timestamps. Android apps can break sandbox isolation to observe messaging events, while Windows monitoring of browser cache files reveals visited websites at 97.8% accuracy. Only partial mitigations have been deployed in Linux and Windows, with no fixes available for Android or macOS. Additional attacks remain possible, including detection of password prompts to facilitate phishing overlays.
16-Year-Old Researcher Discovers Authentication Bypass in Microsoft Titan Analytics Platform
A 16-year-old security researcher using the pseudonym Faav identified a critical flaw in Microsoft Titan, the company's internal analytics platform. The vulnerability allowed an attacker to submit forged JSON Web Tokens that bypassed signature verification and granted administrator privileges. With these rights, the researcher could execute arbitrary SQL queries against connected databases containing metadata from nearly 10,000 tables. Microsoft received the report on September 5, disabled public API access four days later, and issued a $5,000 bounty on September 17. No evidence has emerged that the issue was exploited by malicious actors before remediation. The researcher accessed only limited metadata and a small number of records during testing and did not exfiltrate customer personal data.
Quantum Randomness Failures Allow AI to Extract Predictable Patterns from QRNG Devices
Quantum physics can generate true randomness, yet engineering flaws in QRNG implementations often introduce predictable noise that attackers can exploit. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute has published ETSI TR 104 171, a technical report guiding the design and evaluation of quantum random number generators used in cryptographic key creation. The report highlights that sensors, power supplies, signal processors, and post-processing algorithms can leak patterns even when statistical tests pass. Artificial intelligence systems are now capable of analyzing large datasets to detect these subtle correlations. Side-channel emissions such as power consumption and electromagnetic radiation further increase the risk by linking physical signals to output values. ETSI recommends adopting an entropy zero trust model that includes continuous monitoring, hardware protection, encrypted delivery channels, and detailed logging of generation events. In multi-tenant environments, client streams must remain isolated to prevent cross-contamination of entropy sources.
CISA Sets September 30 Deadline for Federal Agencies to Patch Actively Exploited Citrix NetScaler Zero-Days
CISA has ordered U.S. federal agencies to apply patches by September 30 for two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway. The flaws, tracked as CVE-2026-88771 and CVE-2026-88772, enable unauthenticated remote code execution under default configurations and affect systems commonly exposed to the internet. CVE-2026-88771 allows remote code execution without authentication on NetScaler ADC and Gateway, while CVE-2026-88772 can trigger remote code execution or denial of service via a memory overflow when DTLS is enabled on VPN vServers. Citrix has released fixes for versions 14.1 and 13.1, including FIPS and NDcPP builds, with minimum required builds of 14.1-73.37 and 13.1-64.23. The advisory also covers six additional vulnerabilities from CVE-2026-88773 to CVE-2026-88778 involving HTTP request smuggling and TCP ISN prediction issues. Unsupported branches NetScaler 12.1 and 13.0 receive no patches, requiring immediate migration. Organizations are advised to inventory instances, check for compromise indicators before patching, and preserve forensic evidence.
CSRF Flaw in Elementor Allows Admin Account Creation on Over 2 Million WordPress Sites
A critical CSRF vulnerability has been identified in the Elementor page builder plugin for WordPress, affecting versions 4.3.0 and 4.3.1. The issue enables attackers to create administrator accounts on target sites by exploiting improper handling of CSRF protections in the Editor Events module. With a CVSS score of 8.8, the flaw impacts more than 2 million installations out of over 10 million total WordPress sites using the plugin. No CVE identifier had been assigned at the time of disclosure on September 26. The vulnerability was fixed in version 4.3.2, and users are urged to update immediately. The discovery is credited to researcher Saggre following responsible disclosure, with no public records of active exploitation noted at the time of analysis.
Mandiant Uncovers WAF Bypass Campaign Exploiting Critical Oracle PeopleSoft CVE-2026-35273
Mandiant has identified an active campaign abusing CVE-2026-35273, a critical unauthenticated remote code execution flaw in Oracle PeopleSoft's Environment Management Hub (PSEMHUB). Attackers bypass web application firewalls by replacing the literal path /PSEMHUB/ with /%50SEMHUB/, exploiting the fact that many WAF rules inspect the URL before decoding while the PeopleSoft application server decodes it afterward. The exploitation chain relies on Java object deserialization via POST requests to /%50SEMHUB/hub, allowing deployment of two distinct JSP web shells. The group then establishes persistence with a trojanized installer that drops the SIDEEYE backdoor along with Neo-reGeorg and MeshAgent. Activity attributed to UNC6240, linked to ShinyHunters, began as a zero-day against educational institutions in June 2026 and has since expanded to higher education, technology, healthcare, agriculture, transportation, and government sectors.
Dissecting CVE-2026-83557 in jackson-databind: Why Not Every CVE Requires Immediate Panic
A detailed analysis of CVE-2026-83557 reveals that the vulnerability in jackson-databind affects only a narrow set of configurations involving polymorphic deserialization with the Comparable base type. The flaw stems from an incomplete denylist in DefaultBaseTypeLimitingValidator, which overlooks java.lang.Comparable when the MapperFeature.BLOCK_UNSAFE_POLYMORPHIC_BASE_TYPES flag is explicitly enabled. Researchers constructed working proof-of-concept exploits showing that an attacker can instantiate classes such as java.io.File, but only when the property is declared as Comparable<?> and the protective flag is active. The issue impacts versions 2.11 through 2.22.1, yet the CVSS score of 5.6 reflects its moderate real-world risk because most applications lack the required Comparable-typed polymorphic fields. Patching introduces its own trade-off by blocking legitimate Comparable subclasses, forcing developers to implement custom BasicPolymorphicTypeValidator allowlists. The case highlights how dependency scanners often flag CVEs without considering application-specific configuration and DTO structures.
Multiple Critical Vulnerabilities Found in Citrix NetScaler ADC and Gateway, Two Actively Exploited
Cloud Software Group disclosed eight vulnerabilities affecting NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway products on September 27, 2026. Two of the issues, CVE-2026-88771 and CVE-2026-88772, have already been confirmed as exploited in the wild, prompting urgent remediation advice. CVE-2026-88771 stems from insufficient input validation and allows unauthenticated remote code execution across all default configurations. CVE-2026-88772 involves a memory overflow that can lead to code execution or denial of service when DTLS is enabled, which occurs by default on VPN vServers. The remaining six vulnerabilities cover code execution, denial of service, and HTTP request smuggling risks, with the advisory rated Critical overall. Organizations are urged to apply patches immediately and investigate potential breaches.
YApi Abandoned Since 2022: Fork Yapix Exposes Forgable Project Tokens and Critical Sandbox Flaws
YApi, a widely used open-source API documentation and mocking platform with 27.7k GitHub stars, has received no updates since its 1.12 release in November 2022. The project accumulated 1,629 open issues, including an unaddressed remote code execution report via mock scripts. Security researcher Perruer created the Yapix fork to address broken dependencies, Node.js 22 incompatibility with deprecated crypto.createCipher, and 244 known vulnerabilities in production dependencies. Analysis revealed that project tokens could be forged by any user because the default passsalt key was a hardcoded five-character string published on GitHub. The original implementation used vm2 and Node vm for script execution, both of which are unsafe, allowing arbitrary server-side code execution. Yapix migrates to isolated-vm with strict memory and time limits, replaces SHA-1 password hashing with scrypt, and blocks MongoDB operator injection in API parameters.
Researchers Bypass RP2350 Secure Debug Lock with Laser Fault Injection and Photon Emission Microscopy
Security researchers have demonstrated a hardware attack that restores Secure Debug access on the RP2350 microcontroller revision A4 despite permanent OTP fuses disabling it. Using photon emission microscopy they first located the exact physical bits of the DEBUGEN register, then applied precisely timed 980 nm laser pulses to flip two critical bits and re-enable the Mem-AP ports. The attack requires decapping the chip from the backside and laboratory equipment costing around $250,000, but succeeds in seconds once calibrated. It bypasses the CRIT1.DEBUG_DISABLE fuse, TrustZone restrictions, and glitch detectors by resetting the device before firmware can re-lock the OTP page. The technique was developed against the updated A4 silicon released after the first Raspberry Pi Hacking Challenge. The work highlights that even heavily hardened microcontrollers remain vulnerable to sophisticated physical attacks when an attacker has direct silicon access.
ServiceNow AI Platform Affected by Five Vulnerabilities Including Critical SQL Injection Flaws
ServiceNow disclosed five vulnerabilities in its AI Platform on September 24, 2026, through a security advisory. Two of the issues received CVSS v4.0 base scores of 9.3 and were rated Critical. CVE-2026-13016 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to perform SQL injection and manipulate database contents under specific conditions. CVE-2026-86860 stems from improper authorization checks that enable data exfiltration and privilege escalation without authentication. The flaws were identified via internal testing, coordinated disclosure, and the company's bug bounty program. ServiceNow urges customers to apply the provided updates immediately to mitigate the risks.
CISA Adds Adobe Commerce and WSO2 Vulnerabilities to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added two actively exploited vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. CVE-2026-71362 affects Adobe Commerce and Magento, enabling attackers to escalate privileges through an authorization bypass flaw. CVE-2026-5430 impacts multiple WSO2 API management products and allows JWT authentication bypass, leading to administrator account takeover and remote code execution via arbitrary file uploads. Adobe issued an advisory in August 2026 recommending patches within 30 days, while WSO2 warned about the issue in May 2026. CISA has set a September 27, 2026 deadline for federal agencies to apply updates and investigate potential compromises.
Blackbox Asset Management: Discovering and Identifying IT Infrastructure Without Direct Access
Security Vision expert Fedor Bokov explains how organizations can manage IT assets in blackbox mode when customers refuse to provide credentials or internal documentation. The approach begins with network scanning using tools such as nmap and masscan to detect live hosts and open ports across external and internal perimeters. Identification relies on banner grabbing, HTTP header analysis, favicon inspection, HTML structure, and service fingerprinting to determine exact software versions and operating systems. Examples include extracting Ubuntu 22.04 LTS details from an OpenSSH banner and identifying Checkpoint Gaia from specific HTTP responses on port 443. Further analysis of ports like 1433 and 443 reveals Microsoft SQL Server 2017, nginx 1.28.0, PHP 8.2.29, and Bitrix-Site-Manager instances. The methodology concludes with continuous monitoring cycles that track version changes, new services, and configuration deviations to prioritize vulnerability remediation without traditional inventory access.
Check Point Patches Critical Zero-Day CVE-2026-93616 Enabling Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution on Management Servers
Check Point has addressed a critical zero-day vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-93616 with a CVSS score of 9.8 that allowed remote unauthenticated attackers to upload and execute arbitrary scripts on management servers. The flaw combined directory traversal with insecure file handling, enabling attackers to escape the intended directory and place scripts in executable locations. Affected products include Security Management Server, Multi-Domain Security Management Server, Log Server, Multi-Domain Log Server, and SmartEvent. Targeted attacks were observed starting July 23 before public disclosure, though exploitation remained limited. Vulnerable versions span multiple R82, R81, and R80 releases, with fixes now available through specific hotfixes and Jumbo Takes. Administrators are advised to apply patches immediately, place management servers behind a Security Gateway, and restrict TCP port 19009 access. Detection guidance includes reviewing cpm.elg logs for unusually long usernames and ReflectionUtils errors containing directory traversal sequences.
GitLab Releases Security Updates Fixing 11 Vulnerabilities Including Two Critical Flaws
GitLab has issued critical security updates for its development platform to address 11 vulnerabilities across Community Edition and Enterprise Edition. The patches cover versions 19.4.1, 19.3.3, and 19.2.7 and were released on September 23, 2026. Two vulnerabilities rated Critical allow authenticated users to achieve arbitrary code execution on the server. CVE-2026-89078 involves a double-free issue in CI/CD configuration parsing triggered by crafted regular expressions, while CVE-2026-93577 is an integer overflow in the regular expression compiler. Additional High-severity issues include cross-site scripting in merge request diffs and unauthorized access to sensitive CI/CD variables via the Duo AI job troubleshooting feature. The update also resolves five Medium and two Low severity flaws.
Google Releases Chrome 154 with 108 Security Fixes Including 11 Critical Vulnerabilities
Google has published Chrome 154 for Windows, macOS, and Linux, addressing a total of 108 vulnerabilities. Eleven of these issues are rated Critical, covering buffer overflows in ANGLE, out-of-bounds writes in GPU, and multiple Use-After-Free flaws in ServiceWorker, Fullscreen, WindowDialog, AdFilter, and WebGL. Twenty-five High-severity issues were also fixed, including authorization problems in extensions, improper UI rendering in SecurityIndicators, and race conditions plus type confusion in the V8 JavaScript engine. Additional Medium and Low severity fixes bring the total to 108 patched flaws across components such as PDFium and WebAudio. The update is being rolled out over the coming days and weeks. Specific CVEs addressed include CVE-2026-95350, CVE-2026-95357, and CVE-2026-95281.
WordPress Patches Critical Core Vulnerability CVE-2026-87902 Affecting All Versions from 4.7.0
WordPress has released patches for a critical vulnerability in the platform's core code, tracked as CVE-2026-87902 with a CVSS score of 9.2. The flaw impacts every version from 4.7.0 through 7.1.1, meaning virtually all unpatched installations remain exposed. Because the issue resides in the base system rather than plugins or themes, even sites without any extensions installed are at risk. The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to load arbitrary PHP files from outside theme directories, which can lead to remote code execution on certain server configurations. The bug was privately reported in July by researcher Robert Ressl through HackerOne and disclosed publicly on 22 September, with no confirmed exploitation observed so far. Administrators are urged to apply the updates immediately and keep automatic updates enabled.
Critical Microsoft SharePoint Vulnerability Allows Remote Code Execution via SafeControls Bypass
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-65660 with a CVSS score of 8.8 affects Microsoft SharePoint Server 2016, SharePoint Server 2019, and Subscription Edition. The flaw permits an authenticated low-privileged attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution on on-premises servers. It stems from improper handling of quotes in attacker-controlled Register directives within the ToolPane component, bypassing the SafeControls mechanism. This allows registration of dangerous .NET classes followed by deserialization-based remote code execution. Microsoft released patches on August 11, 2026, and initially reported no public disclosure or exploitation. Publication of a detailed technical analysis has now increased the risk for unpatched installations.
Google Chrome Prepares Deferred Restart Feature to Apply Security Updates Without Disruption
Google is developing a queued restart capability for Chrome that lets the browser install updates after detecting user inactivity instead of forcing an immediate closure. The feature, tracked under the queued-restarts theme in Chromium code, offers users the choice to restart right away or wait for roughly five minutes of idle time. Chrome will automatically skip the restart if the browser is downloading files, playing audio or video, recording the screen, or using the camera. Notifications and a menu indicator labeled Scheduled Restart will inform users of the planned update, while additional reminders may appear when opening new tabs. The implementation currently lacks the ability to select a precise restart time like Windows Update and remains limited to the absence of activity. Google has previously committed to reducing the annoyance of mandatory browser restarts for security patches, though the feature has not yet reached the stable channel.
Windows 11 Update KB5124010 Triggers Crashes in Battlefield 6 and Other Titles
An optional non-security update KB5124010 for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 is causing sudden game crashes for players of Battlefield 6, Battlefield 2042, and titles using Easy Anti-Cheat. The patch, initially distributed to Windows Insider participants and later made available broadly in early September, leads to silent exits within 15-30 seconds or a few minutes after launch. Reinstalling games, verifying DirectX installations, and repairing anti-cheat components have failed to resolve the issue, while uninstalling KB5124010 has restored functionality in multiple cases. The crashes are suspected to stem from conflicts with anti-cheat systems, including Electronic Arts' Javelin used in Battlefield titles and Easy Anti-Cheat in games such as Wardogs, which reports error WD-L020-95bc94d86a0d. Microsoft has not officially confirmed any link to anti-cheat software, and the problems affect users across diverse hardware configurations. Players are advised to skip the optional update until further clarification or a fix is provided.
WordPress Issues Critical Security Update 7.1.2 Five Days After Previous Patch
WordPress has released version 7.1.2 to fix a new critical vulnerability that was not addressed in the 7.1.1 update issued just five days earlier. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-87902, is a path traversal issue rated Critical that can be exploited without authentication. It resides in the page template resolution process and allows execution of arbitrary local PHP files located outside the theme directory, provided certain conditions such as the presence of a page- prefixed directory in the parent or child theme are met. The update was published on September 22, 2026, and affects the prior release from September 17. Administrators are urged to apply the patch immediately to prevent potential remote code execution.
F5 BIG-IP APM Vulnerability CVE-2026-94127 Allows Remote Code Execution, Already Exploited in the Wild
F5 has disclosed a critical heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in BIG-IP Access Policy Manager that is already being actively exploited. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-94127, affects systems configured as an OAuth authorization server with both an access policy and OAuth profile applied to a virtual server. Successful exploitation can result in arbitrary code execution from crafted network traffic. The issue also impacts appliance mode configurations. F5 rates the vulnerability 9.3 under CVSS v4.0 and 9.8 under CVSS v3.1, classifying it as Critical. The company discovered the flaw internally and has confirmed real-world exploitation, urging immediate patching and compromise assessment.
ZeroNights 2026 Conference Program Highlights Offensive Security Research Across 30+ Talks
The ZeroNights 2026 conference program has been announced, featuring three tracks, four stages, and over 30 speakers focused on advanced offensive techniques, vulnerability discovery, and secure development practices. The event will take place on September 30, 2026, in Saint Petersburg at LOFT#7. Key presentations on the Offensive Track cover femtocell security, mobile operator advertising API exploitation, Trusting Trust attacks on the JDK, Rust memory safety limitations, and AMD SMM vulnerabilities including CVE-2025-54502. Additional talks examine Qualcomm BootROM flaws such as CVE-2026-25262, Linux kernel exploitation via CVE-2026-31695, Semtech LR11xx chip vulnerabilities, and reverse engineering of Dexprotector. The program emphasizes practical research into binary exploitation, side-channel analysis, and cross-chain bridge attacks.
BigDiskBuster Exploit Blocks Microsoft Defender Updates on All Supported Windows Versions
Security researcher Abdelhamid Naseri, known as Nightmare Eclipse, has released BigDiskBuster, a new exploit targeting Microsoft Defender that prevents the platform and antivirus signatures from receiving updates. The tool leaves Windows systems protected only by an outdated threat database while the interface continues to display normal status indicators. BigDiskBuster works across all currently supported Windows versions but requires continuous background execution. The researcher has published the source code on GitHub and acknowledged that the current implementation contains bugs requiring further refinement. The technique closely resembles the earlier UnDefend tool released in April, which similarly interfered with Defender update mechanisms. Naseri has disclosed nearly a dozen proof-of-concept exploits since April affecting Microsoft Defender, BitLocker, and other Windows components, including ShieldCrash, ShieldBreak, RoguePlanet, LegacyHive, BlueHammer, RedSun, YellowKey, and Plasma variants. Microsoft has not yet issued a patch for BigDiskBuster and previously criticized uncoordinated public disclosures of working exploits.
WordPress Click2Shell Flaw Chain Lets Attackers Achieve RCE via Single Admin Click
Researchers discovered a chain of vulnerabilities in WordPress core named Click2Shell that enables remote code execution without attacker authentication. The attack requires only that a logged-in administrator opens a specially crafted preview link, after which the interface automatically installs a malicious theme. Researcher Paulos Yibelo from pwn.ai found that inconsistent parameter handling between the theme directory API and browser JavaScript allowed the crafted URL to trigger installation without user interaction. A second vulnerable component, the Mobile Repair Zone 2.5.4 theme from the official directory, was used to load arbitrary PHP code and abuse an insecure AJAX handler for plugin installation. Successful exploitation grants full access to wp-config.php, database credentials, file modification rights, and the ability to create new administrators. WordPress addressed the issue in version 6.7.1 and backported fixes to supported branches, while the constant DISALLOW_FILE_MODS offers temporary mitigation by blocking theme and plugin changes.
Cache Key Injection Flaw in Nginx Configurations Allows Access Bypass, Data Disclosure and Cached Denial of Service
Security researcher Alex Brumen from YesWeHack has detailed a Cache Key Injection attack vector that exploits poorly constructed cache keys in Nginx. The issue arises when administrators concatenate variable-length values without delimiters, such as $scheme$host$request_uri$http_accept, allowing different requests to produce identical cache keys. Attackers can poison the cache with 404 responses to deliver CPDoS, expose restricted pages like /admin by manipulating path components, or even achieve stored XSS by colliding HTTP and HTTPS responses. The technique can also bypass Cloudflare protection when the Authorization header routes requests directly to the vulnerable Nginx cache. Mitigation requires using explicit delimiters or structured encoding in cache keys, validating the Host header, enforcing HTTPS redirects, and avoiding caching of authenticated requests.
Click2Shell Flaw in WordPress Core Enables Remote Code Execution via Single Malicious Link
Researchers at pwn.ai have disclosed Click2Shell, a vulnerability in the WordPress core that allows an attacker to install a malicious theme and achieve remote code execution simply by tricking an authenticated administrator into opening a crafted link. The isolated flaw carries a CVSS score of 7.1, but the full attack chain reaches 9.6. The issue stems from an interpretation mismatch between the WordPress.org theme directory and the administrator browser, causing the browser to automatically trigger the install button without any user confirmation or password prompt. Affected versions start from 6.0 and run up to but not including 7.1.1. The vulnerability has been fixed in WordPress 7.1.1 with backported patches released for all supported branches down to version 4.7. No exploitation in the wild had been observed at the time of disclosure, yet the low barrier of convincing an admin to click a link makes prompt patching essential.
CISA Adds Three Actively Exploited Linux Kernel Vulnerabilities to KEV Catalog
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added three vulnerabilities affecting the Linux Kernel to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The flaws, identified as CVE-2025-39682, CVE-2026-53266, and CVE-2025-39964, are confirmed to be under active exploitation in the wild. CISA is directing all federal agencies to apply patches immediately and to search for indicators of compromise. The vulnerabilities impact the kernel's kTLS TLS processing, the ebtables network bridge component, and the AF_ALG cryptographic interface. Each issue can lead to memory corruption or inconsistent internal state that attackers may leverage for privilege escalation or remote code execution.
Keycloak Cluster on Three VMs: Engineers Detail Embedded Infinispan Setup, HA Testing Failures, and Bug Fix
A team deployed Keycloak for 25,000โ30,000 users across a country using three isolated VMs instead of Kubernetes. They chose Embedded Infinispan with JGroups over an external cluster to reduce failure points and maintain session replication. PostgreSQL with Patroni handled shared storage and JDBC_PING discovery. Testing revealed that full datacenter outages triggered split-brain conditions and 5xx errors that the built-in healthcheck could not resolve. The engineers wrote a Python watcher script to detect multiple coordinators in the JGROUPS_PING table and restart affected containers. They reported the recovery bug to the Keycloak project, which was confirmed and fixed in a later release. The production cluster now survives single-DC loss without session loss.
From UDP Probe to Working Tunnel: Analyzing Hysteria2 Behavior via QUIC, HTTP/3 and Client Events
A detailed technical study examined how commercial Hysteria2 VPN endpoints respond to different levels of network probing, starting from simple UDP packets and progressing to full QUIC handshakes and authenticated client connections. The research used custom NetProbe tools on Windows and Linux to test real subscription endpoints, capturing both external probe results and decrypted traffic from an instrumented Hysteria2 client. Simple UDP probes received no response and timed out, while properly formed QUIC Initial packets with TLS ClientHello and ALPN h3 successfully completed handshakes using TLS 1.3 and TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384. An unauthenticated HTTP/3 GET request triggered immediate connection closure with H3_NO_ERROR (code 0x100), whereas a legitimate client sending POST /auth with Hysteria-Auth headers received the expected 233 status confirming authentication and UDP forwarding support. Subsequent data transfer tests, including parallel requests and file downloads, were observed inside separate QUIC streams after authentication, confirming that the tunnel carried real traffic. The study highlights differences between external probing and authenticated client behavior, providing practical insight into how Hysteria2 servers handle reconnaissance versus legitimate VPN usage.
Unbound 1.26.1 Patches Critical DNSSEC Validator Flaw CVE-2026-81642 Enabling Remote Code Execution
NLnet Labs has released Unbound 1.26.1 to address CVE-2026-81642, a critical vulnerability in the DNSSEC validator that can cause service crashes and potential remote code execution. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.26.0 and is triggered when validating a malicious DNS zone. It resides in the handling of DNSKEY records, where a buffer overflow can occur during DNS response processing. The vulnerability carries a CVSS 4.0 score of 9.1 with a network attack vector, no privileges required, and no user interaction needed. Exploitation requires an attacker to control a malicious DNS zone that the resolver queries, which can lead to denial of service or RCE in the worst case. The update also includes fixes for eight additional security issues, including CVE-2026-82717 and CVE-2026-81634, both involving heap corruption.
BIND DNS Servers Receive Patches for 14 Vulnerabilities Including High-Severity DoS Flaws
The Internet Systems Consortium has released BIND 9 updates that address 14 vulnerabilities across multiple versions of the widely used DNS server software. Seven of the issues received a CVSS score of 7.5 and were rated high severity, while the remaining seven scored between 5.3 and 6.5. The most critical flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to crash the named process with a single malformed SIG(0) request over DNS over HTTPS. Additional vulnerabilities enable cache poisoning through forged NXDOMAIN responses, downgraded secure delegations, and acceptance of unsigned answers, as well as resource exhaustion via uncontrolled cache growth and excessive CPU consumption. Affected releases span BIND 9.11.0 through 9.18.50, 9.20.0 through 9.20.27, and 9.21.0 through 9.21.25. No workarounds exist, making immediate upgrades to versions 9.20.29, 9.21.26, or 9.20.29-S1 the only mitigation. The ISC reports no known exploitation in the wild and none of the flaws appear in CISAโs Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Cisco Patches 29 Vulnerabilities in Secure Firewall ASA, FTD and FMC Products
Cisco Systems has disclosed multiple vulnerabilities affecting its Cisco Secure Firewall product line and released corresponding security updates. The advisory covers 14 security bulletins addressing 29 CVEs across Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA), Threat Defense (FTD), and Management Center (FMC) software. Five of the advisories are rated Critical, covering 18 CVEs that include remote code execution without authentication and privilege escalation to administrator level. Several issues have already been confirmed as exploited in the wild. The company also consolidated related weaknesses under single CVE identifiers where appropriate and provided CVSS v3.1 base scores ranging up to 9.9. Affected products include the Secure Firewall 3100 and 4200 Series along with multiple software hardening releases issued on 16 September 2026.
pgAdmin 4 Database Management Tool Patches Multiple Vulnerabilities in Version 9.18
The development team behind pgAdmin 4, the popular management tool for PostgreSQL databases, has released version 9.18 to address multiple security issues. The update, published on September 17, 2026, includes fixes for four CVEs along with 29 total changes covering new features and bug resolutions. One vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-86863, stems from insufficient web server authentication that trusts external HTTP headers, enabling attackers to bypass login and impersonate administrators without passwords. A second issue, CVE-2026-86864, allows command injection through the backup feature when database names are passed as arguments, potentially leading to unauthorized file writes or exfiltration of connection passwords. The update is available now from the official pgAdmin repository.
Cisco Issues Emergency Patches for Critical ISE Zero-Day CVE-2026-76460 Already Exploited in Attacks
Cisco has released emergency patches for Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) to address CVE-2026-76460, a maximum-severity zero-day with a CVSS score of 10.0. The vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication controls in an API endpoint, allowing remote attackers to bypass authentication entirely without credentials. Active exploitation has been confirmed, enabling unauthorized access to the API gateway and potential root-level command execution when chained with further actions. The flaw affects all configurations of ISE and ISE-PIC, with no available workarounds, forcing organizations to apply updates immediately. Patches are available for branches 3.1 Patch 12, 3.2 Patch 11, 3.3 Patch 12, 3.4 Patch 7, and 3.5 Patch 4, while version 3.0 has reached end of software maintenance. Administrators are advised to review ise-kong access.log and node access logs for suspicious usernames and cross-reference with perimeter and firewall logs. In cases of confirmed compromise, affected nodes should be reinstalled and restored from backups, with iACLs recommended to restrict management traffic during rollout.
Stored XSS in Telegram Desktop Allows Silent Data Exfiltration via Chat Export
Researchers at ExPatch Vulnerability Research discovered a stored XSS vulnerability in Telegram Desktop that could be triggered when users exported chat history to HTML. The flaw resided in export_output_html.cpp where button text from inline keyboards was not passed through the SerializeString function, allowing arbitrary HTML and JavaScript to execute upon opening the exported file. Attackers could deliver the payload through a bot that never joined the target group, relying on message forwarding to reach victims. Once executed, the script exfiltrated all visible messages, chat metadata, and file paths to an attacker-controlled server while optionally replacing the page with a phishing form. Telegram issued a silent fix in Beta v6.9.4 and Stable v7.0.1 without publishing an advisory or assigning a CVE. The researchers refused the offered bounty and published the details after the patch to inform users about risks from previously exported files.
Cisco Confirms Active Exploitation of Critical Secure Email Gateway Flaw Allowing Root Command Execution
Cisco has confirmed active exploitation of a critical vulnerability in its Secure Email Gateway product that allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-76461 with a CVSS score of 9.8, stems from insufficient input validation in the message analysis logic of AsyncOS. Attackers can trigger the issue by sending a specially crafted email containing malicious SQL instructions, which leads to arbitrary SQL command execution and full root access on affected appliances. The vulnerability impacts physical and virtual deployments running AsyncOS versions 15.5 and earlier, 16.0, and 16.5. Patches are available in versions 15.5.5-0141, 16.0.4-302, and 16.5.0-780, while the Secure Email and Web Manager and Secure Web Appliance remain unaffected. CISA added the CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on September 14 and set a September 17 remediation deadline for federal agencies.
Cisco ISE Affected by 42 Vulnerabilities Including Multiple Critical Flaws with Confirmed Exploitation
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) has been found to contain 42 vulnerabilities across 15 security advisories released by Cisco Systems on September 16, 2026. Six advisories received the highest Critical rating, covering 21 individual vulnerabilities, while three were rated High and six Medium. One standout issue, CVE-2026-76460, allows attackers to bypass authentication on the management API via crafted HTTP requests and execute commands with root privileges. The flaw also impacts the Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC). Cisco has urged immediate application of updates as some vulnerabilities are already being exploited in the wild. The product provides core network authentication and access control functions for enterprise environments.
CISA Adds Three Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities to KEV Catalog, Including Cisco ISE and Acronis Backup Flaws
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added three vulnerabilities with confirmed in-the-wild exploitation to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The flaws affect Cisco Identity Services Engine, its Passive Identity Connector, and Acronis Backup plugins for cPanel and Plesk. All three entries carry a remediation deadline of September 19, 2026. The Cisco issue stems from insufficient authentication controls on an API endpoint that lets remote attackers bypass the web-based management interface. The Acronis vulnerability arises from overly permissive default settings in server-management plugins, enabling privilege escalation. Federal agencies have been directed to investigate potential compromises and apply mitigations without delay.
R-Vision VM 6.6 Adds Container Scanning, Web Application Audits and Mobile Scanner for Isolated Networks
R-Vision has released version 6.6 of its vulnerability management platform, expanding detection capabilities to web applications, Docker and Kubernetes container environments, and previously unreachable isolated network segments. The new web audit feature inventories resources and identifies associated vulnerabilities, although the company describes the current functionality as basic and not intended to replace dedicated DAST solutions. Container auditing now covers both Docker and Kubernetes, including runtime analysis, with findings presented directly in the host card within the central console. The most notable addition is a mobile scanner that runs on a laptop without requiring dedicated servers, allowing security specialists to audit air-gapped or remote sites and later upload results to the main R-Vision VM instance. The mobile component supports White Box, Black Box, Compliance and web-audit modes, performs full inventory, and is designed to scan up to 2000 hosts. Additional improvements include expanded inventory for ESXi, vCenter and network equipment, updated compliance checks, enhanced dashboards, automation policies and data export options, plus the ability to update agents directly from the interface.
BloodHound, smbmap and enum4linux-ng: Essential Tools for Starting Active Directory Penetration Testing
Active Directory remains the primary target in most internal penetration tests, regardless of how an attacker first gains network access. The article outlines a practical reconnaissance workflow that begins with identifying the domain name and domain controllers through port scanning for ports 88 and 389. Tools such as enum4linux-ng enable initial data collection without credentials by leveraging null sessions, while smbmap reveals readable and writable SMB shares that often contain SSH keys, certificates, and plaintext passwords. BloodHound, paired with collectors like SharpHound, maps relationships between users, groups, and computers to reveal attack paths toward Domain Admins. The piece stresses understanding Kerberos and NTLM protocols to apply techniques such as Kerberoasting, AS-REP Roasting, and pass-the-hash effectively rather than running commands blindly. It also covers quieter alternatives to noisy tools and provides a concise checklist for beginners, along with references to the Red September CyberED course on Active Directory attacks.
Apple Releases iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 with Fixes for 126 Vulnerabilities
Apple has released iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, addressing a total of 126 CVEs across multiple system components. The updates target issues in the kernel, WebKit, Bluetooth, video encoding, and media handling frameworks. Twenty kernel vulnerabilities were resolved, including problems that could allow memory corruption or privilege escalation to root level. Separate patches were also issued for older devices via iOS 26.7 and iPadOS 26.7. Notable fixes include CVE-2026-43689 in the kernel and CVE-2026-65414 affecting Bluetooth. The release was made available on September 14, 2026.
GitSpawn Exposes Persistent Git Config Execution Risks in Coding Agents
Manifold Security released GitSpawn, detailing eight vulnerabilities across seven coding agents where opening a folder triggers arbitrary code execution via Git configuration before any user prompt. The core issue stems from the core.fsmonitor setting in .git/config, which Git executes during index updates like git status or git diff. While vendors including Anthropic patched Claude Code in version 2.1.196, the fix only blocks agent-initiated calls and leaves manual Git commands or other tools vulnerable. Additional vectors include nested bare repositories tracked under CVE-2026-45033 affecting GitHub Copilot CLI and unpatched agents such as Qwen Code and Grok Build. The researcher also released the Stroq tool to inspect repositories for dangerous settings like core.fsmonitor and postinstall scripts before opening them. The findings highlight that repository trust mechanisms from 2021 remain bypassed by modern AI coding tools.
Critical Unauthenticated File Upload Flaw in WooCommerce Wholesale Lead Capture Enables Active PHP Web Shell Attacks
A critical vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-27540 affects WooCommerce Wholesale Lead Capture versions 2.0.3.1 and earlier, allowing unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files including PHP web shells. The flaw resides in the wwlc_file_upload_handler AJAX action, where the file extension allowlist can be manipulated through the file_settings parameter to accept .php files. Exploitation has been observed in the wild with more than 100,000 blocked attempts since June 2026, including sustained campaigns from repeat IP addresses. The developer released version 2.0.3.2 on 20 February 2026 to address the issue, yet many sites remain unpatched. Organizations are advised to update immediately, audit wp-content/uploads for unexpected PHP files, and monitor admin-ajax.php requests for suspicious activity. In confirmed compromise cases, full remediation requires credential rotation and restoration from verified backups.
AWS Systems Manager Agent Flaw Allows Bypass of Port Forwarding Restrictions
Amazon has fixed a vulnerability in the AWS Systems Manager agent that permits an authenticated attacker to bypass restrictions on port forwarding sessions. The issue, tracked as CVE-2026-89049, stems from inadequate validation of equivalent representations of blocked link-local addresses. As a result, attackers can reach the EC2 instance metadata service at 169.254.169.254 and obtain temporary credentials tied to the instance's IAM role. Affected versions are those prior to 3.3.4851.0, with the fix included in that release and all subsequent versions. AWS recommends reviewing custom builds of the agent, restricting access to the AWS-StartPortForwardingSessionToRemoteHost document, auditing Session Manager activity, and applying least-privilege principles to IAM roles.
Vulnerability Management in Atypical Environments: ICS, Networks, IoT, Mobile, Hardware, and ML Systems
Vulnerability management follows the same core process across environmentsโidentify assets, scan, assess risk, prioritize, remediate, and verifyโbut each domain introduces critical constraints. In industrial control systems, scanning must avoid disrupting physical processes, requiring audit-mode authenticated scans, digital twins for testing, and strict change windows. Network devices frequently suffer from poor segmentation, default SNMP community strings, and exposed management interfaces that enable traffic redirection or configuration tampering. IoT ecosystems remain plagued by default credentials, as demonstrated by the Mirai botnet that took down major DNS infrastructure in 2016, while modern botnets like Reaper and VPNFilter exploit unpatched firmware at massive scale. Machine learning systems face novel threats including prompt injection, prompt leaking, and jailbreaking that can bypass safety controls or exfiltrate training data. Mobile platforms suffer from extreme fragmentation that prevents timely patching of vulnerabilities such as Stagefright, Pegasus, and BlueBorne. Hardware-level flaws like Spectre, Meltdown, and BadUSB demonstrate that even firmware and silicon require coordinated microcode, OS, and application updates.
Google Issues Chrome 153 Security Update Addressing 42 Vulnerabilities Including Three Critical Flaws
Google has released a major security update for its Chrome browser version 153, fixing a total of 42 vulnerabilities. The update includes three critical-severity issues that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause memory corruption. Patches are now available for Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms, with versions 153.0.8010.48 and 153.0.8010.47. Among the critical fixes are out-of-bounds read in WebGL, use-after-free in Internals, and another use-after-free in Workers. The release also resolves 28 high-severity flaws affecting the V8 JavaScript engine, ServiceWorker, Skia, DOM, PDF, and other components. Medium and low severity issues were addressed as well, bringing the total to 42 vulnerabilities resolved.
Oracle Releases September 2026 Critical Security Patch Update Fixing 673 Issues Across Multiple Products
Oracle has published its monthly Critical Security Patch Update (CSPU) on September 15, 2026, delivering a total of 673 security fixes. The update addresses 672 unique CVEs after removing duplicates and targets a wide range of products including Oracle Database Server, Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, Siebel, and Oracle VM VirtualBox. Of the fixes, 607 received a CVSSv3 base score of 7.0 or higher, with 104 scoring 9.0 or above. Six vulnerabilities carry the maximum score of 10.0, while 15 are rated 9.9 and 44 are rated 9.8. Additionally, 247 of the issues can be exploited remotely without authentication. The CSPU serves as a smaller, more frequent complement to Oracleโs quarterly Critical Patch Update (CPU) releases.
Cisco Secure Email Gateway CVE-2026-76461 Critical SQL Injection Flaw Exploited in the Wild for Root Access
Cisco has confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2026-76461, a CVSS 9.8 critical SQL injection vulnerability in Secure Email Gateway. The flaw resides in AsyncOS mail parsing logic and allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root simply by sending a specially crafted email. No user interaction, authentication, or workarounds exist, leaving immediate patching as the only mitigation. Affected versions include all releases up to 15.5, 16.0, and 16.5; fixed builds are 15.5.5-014, 16.0.4-302, and 16.5.0-780. Because the gateway sits at the network perimeter with high privileges, successful compromise enables long-term email interception, lateral movement, and internal phishing campaigns. Organizations should examine mail_logs for patterns such as COPY.*TO PROGRAM and cross-check network telemetry for anomalous outbound connections.
How Modern API Attacks Abuse Legitimate Functionality Instead of Exploiting Vulnerabilities
Traditional API incidents once centered on authorization errors, access control issues, SQL injections, and known vulnerability exploitation. Today, many attacks on APIs no longer require finding code flaws; attackers simply use documented methods, valid authorization, and correct parameters at unexpected scale or timing. NGENIX security teams observe three main behavioral patterns: Burst attacks that overload resource-heavy endpoints, Shortwave attacks that exploit race conditions through timed parallel requests, and Carpet Bombing that distributes activity across dozens of endpoints for reconnaissance or scalping. These techniques often bypass WAF because each individual request appears fully compliant with API specifications. Protection is shifting toward behavioral analysis, sliding-window rate limiting, and monitoring of overall client behavior rather than single-request signatures. Real-world cases include sudden catalog scraping during contests and mass reservation of airline seats without purchases, leading to degraded service for legitimate users.
Critical Vulnerabilities Patched in WHMCS Billing Software for Hosting Providers
WebPros International has disclosed two serious vulnerabilities in its WHMCS billing management platform used by hosting and cloud service providers. CVE-2026-67399 allows unauthenticated remote code execution through unsafe deserialization of untrusted data under specific conditions, potentially compromising the entire server environment and associated data. CVE-2026-67398 affects the 2CheckOut payment gateway module and stems from missing authorization checks, enabling attackers to retrieve sensitive customer information including names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers without authentication. HackerOne assigned CVSS v4.0 scores of 9.3 (Critical) to the first issue and 8.2 (High) to the second. WebPros released fixed versions WHMCS 9.0.8 and 8.13.7, and recommended disabling the 2CheckOut module as a temporary mitigation for the second flaw.
Cisco Releases Critical Patches for Exploited SQL Injection Flaw in Secure Email Gateway
Cisco Systems has issued security updates for Cisco Secure Email Gateway to address a critical SQL injection vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-76461. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation during email parsing and allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands. Successful exploitation can lead to root-level access on the underlying operating system, enabling full command execution. The vulnerability carries a CVSSv3.1 base score of 9.8 and is rated Critical. Cisco confirmed active exploitation of the issue in September 2026. Recommended fixes include upgrading to versions 16.5.0-780, 16.0.4-3021, or 15.5.5-0141, with strong preference given to the newest release.
Telegram Desktop HTML Export Flaw Allowed Stealthy JavaScript Injection into Chat History
Researchers at ExPatch identified a vulnerability in Telegram Desktop that enabled attackers to embed malicious JavaScript into exported HTML chat histories without user detection. The flaw stemmed from insufficient sanitization of button captions added by bots, allowing hidden scripts to execute when the HTML file was opened in a browser. Malicious messages could be forwarded into chats and remain dormant until export, potentially exfiltrating messages, sender names, and timestamps to attacker servers. The issue affected versions 4.15.1 through 6.9.3, with fixes released in beta 6.9.4 and stable version 7.0.1 on July 14. No in-the-wild exploitation was observed, though the attack required specific conditions including an unpatched export and JavaScript-enabled browser. Users are advised to re-export chats after updating or open old files with JavaScript disabled.
Critical MikroTik RouterOS Vulnerabilities Enable SSH Authentication Bypass and Privilege Escalation
Polish CERT disclosed three vulnerabilities in MikroTik routers, two of which have been actively exploited since at least September 2. The flaws, rated 9.2 on CVSS, affect devices with internet-facing SSH access and were discovered using OpenAI models GPT 5.5 Cyber and GPT 5.6 Sol followed by manual verification. CVE-2026-67276 allows authentication bypass when the attacker knows the username and public key module, while CVE-2026-86060 permits privilege escalation via usernames containing invalid characters. Their combination enables full device compromise. A third issue, CVE-2026-67277 rated 8.8, resides in the speed-test service and can cause denial of service. Patches are available in RouterOS versions 7.25beta3, 7.24.2, 7.23.4 and 6.49.21, and MikroTik added detection for prior compromise. Attacks began concurrently with patch release and leave distinctive log entries.
Yookassa Webhook Flaw Allowed Forging Payment Confirmations via Single Curl Request
A technical audit of a car rental service uncovered a critical flaw in the Yookassa webhook handler where payment.succeeded events were trusted without verification. The endpoint accepted the event type and gateway_payment_id directly from the client-supplied payload, enabling attackers to mark pending bookings as paid using a simple unauthenticated POST request. The vulnerability existed because the integration did not use Yookassa's optional Webhook-Signature mechanism and avoided IP allowlisting due to proxy infrastructure concerns. Developers addressed the issue by implementing a reverse API call to fetch authoritative payment status from Yookassa before updating records, ensuring fail-closed behavior on errors. New tests cover forgery attempts, amount mismatches, and idempotency, while several additional hardening measures were deliberately deferred to keep the patch minimal and reviewable. The original unit tests had masked the problem by simulating trusted input rather than validating source authenticity.
Password Deleted from Git but Still Present: Major CI/CD Security Mistakes
Developers often leave secrets in configuration files, .env examples, or test scripts that end up in Git history. Removing a file in a new commit does not erase previous versions, and .gitignore offers no protection for already tracked content. Pre-commit hooks with tools like Gitleaks can scan staged changes before they reach the repository. Docker images can retain secrets in layers even after removal commands, requiring BuildKit secret mounts instead. Terraform plans and state files may still expose sensitive values marked only as sensitive. Kubernetes workloads need both non-root containers with dropped capabilities and narrowly scoped RBAC roles. Multiple scanning stages from pre-commit through post-deployment help catch issues before they reach production.
Critical SSRF Vulnerability in AWS SSM Agent Allows IAM Credential Theft via Port Forwarding Bypass
Amazon Web Services has disclosed a high-severity server-side request forgery vulnerability in the AWS Systems Manager Agent. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-89049, affects the port forwarding feature used by Session Manager and stems from insufficient validation that permits bypass of deny-list restrictions on link-local addresses. Successful exploitation requires port-forwarding permissions but can lead to unauthorized access to instance metadata and temporary IAM role credentials. The company rated the issue as Important with CVSSv4.0 base score 8.5 and CVSSv3.1 score 9.9. The vulnerability was addressed in version 3.3.4851.0 released on 13 July 2026, prior to the public advisory issued on 10 September 2026.
New Windows 11 Bypass Lets Users Skip Internet and Microsoft Account During Setup
A new method has been discovered that allows Windows 11 Home users to complete initial setup without an internet connection or Microsoft account. The technique requires no command-line tools or scripts and was found by enthusiast Bob Pony. During the OOBE process, users simply open the sign-in options and click the Learn more link, which redirects the wizard to local account creation. Previous bypasses such as OOBE\bypassnro and start ms-cxh:localonly have already been blocked by Microsoft. The new approach appears to be an overlooked interface element and works only on the Home edition. Microsoft is expected to close this loophole in a future update as it continues tightening account requirements.
CISA Adds Four Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities in GitLab, ConnectWise ScreenConnect and JFrog Artifactory to KEV Catalog
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added four vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog after confirming active exploitation in the wild. The flaws affect GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition, ConnectWise ScreenConnect, and JFrog Artifactory. CVE-2026-85706 allows unauthenticated path traversal in GitLabโs commit API, enabling arbitrary file reads. CVE-2026-84869 in ScreenConnect permits unauthorized file transfer and execution over active remote sessions. Two additional issues in Artifactory, CVE-2026-42018 and CVE-2026-42016, can lead to token leakage and privilege escalation. Federal agencies have been directed to apply mitigations and investigate potential compromises by specific deadlines.
Critical Vulnerability in ConnectWise ScreenConnect Enables Unauthorized File Transfers
ConnectWise has disclosed a serious vulnerability in its remote access product ScreenConnect that allows attackers to transfer and execute files from active remote sessions without requiring authorization or host-side confirmation. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-84869, impacts both Support and Access session types and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.9, placing it in the Critical severity category. The company rated the issue as Important in its three-tier scale and assigned it the highest priority of High. Exploitation of the vulnerability has already been confirmed in the wild, increasing the urgency for organizations using the product. ConnectWise published the security advisory on September 8, 2026, urging users to apply available mitigations promptly. The vulnerability stems from improper handling in the file transfer process within the client component.
Can IDOR Vulnerabilities Be Found Through Static Analysis? New Python Kernel Aims to Answer the Question
A researcher has developed a static analysis module for detecting Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerabilities in Python web applications. The tool moves beyond simple heuristics by tracking the relationship between user-controlled identifiers, database objects, and authorization checks. It supports Django, Django REST Framework, Flask, and FastAPI, using a custom taint-tracking system called SIAOD to label data origins. Existing approaches such as OpenAPI specifications, broad AST heuristics, Semgrep, and CodeQL were analyzed and found insufficient for capturing the precise semantics of IDOR. Testing on 150 small repositories yielded 48 true positives out of 112 findings, while analysis of 12 million lines of production code from 15 companies produced only five confirmed issues amid hundreds of false positives caused by authorization logic residing outside handler functions. The work demonstrates both the feasibility and current limitations of deterministic static detection for this vulnerability class.
Fuzzy Logic in Cybersecurity: Reducing Vulnerability Queue by 7.5 Times with CVSS, EPSS and FSTEC Comparison
An information security specialist has developed a fuzzy logic system that prioritizes vulnerabilities far more effectively than traditional scoring methods. The approach uses linguistic variables and membership functions to handle the inherent uncertainty in exploitability and impact assessments. By integrating EPSS probability data with CVSS impact scores and vulnerability age, the model reduces the actionable backlog by a factor of 7.5. The implementation relies on the Mamdani inference algorithm and trapezoidal membership functions to produce smooth, human-interpretable urgency ratings. Detailed coverage checks and rule-base validation ensure no gaps exist in the decision space. Real-world testing on CVE-2025-49113 in Roundcube Webmail demonstrated practical advantages over rigid threshold logic. The method is positioned as a practical enhancement rather than a replacement for existing standards.
VLC Media Player Hit by Two Memory Corruption Flaws Exploitable via Malicious PNG and Rogue RealRTSP Server
Two vulnerabilities have been discovered in the VLC media player that allow out-of-bounds memory access. The issues affect versions from 3.0.0 through 3.0.23. CVE-2026-56711, rated 8.6 on CVSS 4.0, stems from an integer overflow when calculating image buffer sizes in PNG files, enabling attackers to trigger writes beyond allocated memory simply by opening a crafted image or loading it from a playlist. CVE-2026-73324, scored 6.9, resides in the RealRTSP module and permits a malicious server to send an oversized response string that causes reads past the end of a buffer due to a missing null terminator. Both flaws are present in official VideoLAN builds, although some distributions may exclude the RealRTSP component. No special configuration or plugins are required to trigger the issues. Until patched releases appear, users are advised to avoid opening images or playlists from untrusted sources and to refrain from connecting to unknown RealRTSP streams.
September Windows 11 Security Update KB5124008 Breaks Always On VPN Certificate Authentication
The September security update KB5124008 for Windows 11 has introduced a regression that disables Always On VPN connections using certificate-based authentication. The issue affects devices running Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 that connect to Remote Routing and Access Service (RRAS) and Network Policy Server (NPS) instances on Windows Server 2019. VPN profiles deployed via Microsoft Intune are impacted, with the failure occurring during the certificate negotiation phase of the IPsec connection. Users confirm the problem is reproducible: the VPN works before the patch, stops after installation, and resumes after patch removal and reboot. Microsoft has not yet acknowledged the regression or released a fix, leaving administrators to pause deployment through WSUS or Intune and open support cases with client and NPS logs. A potential workaround involves switching profiles to EAP-TLS, though its reliability remains unconfirmed.
API Token Lifecycle: From Issuance to Revocation and Secure Management
The article provides a comprehensive examination of the full API token lifecycle in browser-based applications, emphasizing that signatures alone cannot prevent token theft. It details risks introduced at issuance, storage, transmission, and revocation stages, including improper OAuth grant types and long-lived tokens. Key recommendations include short-lived access tokens, atomic refresh token rotation, and the use of Authorization Code Flow with PKCE for public clients. Storage advice strongly discourages localStorage and sessionStorage in favor of HttpOnly cookies or a Backend-for-Frontend pattern that keeps real tokens on the server. The piece also covers CSRF protections, rate limiting on authorization endpoints, and the advantages of signed client assertions over static secrets. Overall, it stresses that token security depends on the entire lifecycle architecture rather than cryptographic strength alone.
PKCE Becomes Mandatory for OAuth Public Clients as RFC 9700 and OAuth 2.1 Close Authorization Code Interception Risks
PKCE, or Proof Key for Code Exchange, was introduced in RFC 7636 to prevent code interception attacks in OAuth 2.0 flows used by mobile and single-page applications. The mechanism generates a code_verifier and derives a code_challenge using S256 hashing to bind the authorization code to the original client session. Without PKCE, malicious apps on the same device can hijack custom URI schemes like myapp://callback and exchange stolen codes for access tokens. RFC 9700, published in January 2025, now mandates PKCE for public clients and recommends it for confidential ones while requiring S256 over the weaker plain method. The upcoming OAuth 2.1 draft further embeds PKCE into the core authorization code flow and removes implicit and resource owner password credentials grants. Major providers including Auth0, Okta, and Microsoft Entra ID show varying default support, highlighting the need for explicit S256 implementation. The standard also protects against code injection attacks even when client secrets are present.
Attackers Chain JFrog Artifactory CVEs for Rapid Admin Takeover and Backdoor Deployment
Real-world attacks against self-hosted JFrog Artifactory have chained multiple CVEs to escalate from unauthenticated requests to full administrative control. Attackers achieved persistence by installing malicious Groovy plugins, executing shell commands, and deploying Rust-based backdoors within minutes. The primary chain relies on CVE-2026-42018 and CVE-2026-42016, allowing anonymous token acquisition and privilege escalation without proper scope validation. A separate critical flaw, CVE-2026-82329 with CVSS 9.8, enables direct authentication bypass and admin token creation on default configurations. Patches are available across multiple 7.x branches, and defenders are urged to audit logs for anonymous admin actions and inspect for unauthorized plugins and binaries. The incidents highlight risks to software supply chains when artifact repositories are compromised.
Check Point Patches Two Critical VPN Vulnerabilities Allowing Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution
Check Point has released fixes for two critical vulnerabilities affecting its Security Gateway, Security Management Server, and locally managed Spark Firewall products. Both flaws received a CVSS score of 9.8 and enable remote code execution without requiring authentication. CVE-2026-85102 resides in certificate trust validation during VPN negotiation, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to force the process and execute arbitrary code. CVE-2026-85103 is a heap buffer overflow triggered while parsing the ASN.1 structure of VPN certificates. Affected versions include R81.20, R82, and R82.10 before the listed hotfixes, as well as unsupported R80.40 and R81 releases. R82.20 remains unaffected. The issues were discovered internally by Check Point researchers, with no active exploitation or public proof-of-concept observed as of the September 10 disclosure.
Positive Technologies Acquires Stake in CyberOK to Advance EASM and PentOps Technologies
Positive Technologies has acquired a stake in cybersecurity developer CyberOK, with the size of the investment and deal terms remaining undisclosed. The partnership will focus on developing External Attack Surface Management (EASM) solutions and PentOps technologies that identify overlooked external assets and validate whether attackers can exploit them. Collaboration between the companies began in 2026, with CyberOK technologies already integrated into PT EASM and the PT X cloud platform. In less than six months, pilot projects for PT EASM exceeded 70, and Positive Technologies expects 80 percent of successful trials to convert into deals by late 2026 or early 2027. The Russian EASM market is projected at 2-2.5 billion rubles by the end of 2026, potentially reaching 8 billion rubles by 2031 when combined with continuous security validation solutions. PentOps will provide continuous cloud-based penetration testing that automatically verifies exploitability of discovered issues, moving beyond simple vulnerability lists. In 96 percent of pilots, unaccounted IT assets with critical vulnerabilities were identified, and CyberOK continues to develop the Vulnum knowledge base along with AI agents and Offensive SOC capabilities.
Exploiting CVE-2025-55182 React2Shell Vulnerability on Hack The Box Reactor Machine
A detailed walkthrough demonstrates remote code execution against a seasonal Hack The Box machine named Reactor by abusing the critical Next.js deserialization flaw CVE-2025-55182, also known as React2Shell. The attack begins with Nmap reconnaissance revealing an exposed Next.js service on port 3000, followed by Wappalyzer identification of an outdated framework version. Public exploit code is used to obtain an initial reverse shell as the node user without authentication. Credential access is achieved by extracting password hashes from the reactor.db SQLite database and cracking the engineer account with Hashcat against rockyou.txt. Privilege escalation leverages an exposed Node.js Inspector debug port on 9229, allowing WebSocket interaction via websocat to set the SUID bit on /bin/bash and obtain root access. The article highlights both the impact of the unauthenticated RCE vulnerability and common misconfigurations such as forgotten debug ports on production systems.
CISA Adds MikroTik RouterOS Flaws CVE-2026-67277 and CVE-2026-86060 to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added two actively exploited vulnerabilities in MikroTik RouterOS to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. CVE-2026-86060 stems from improper sanitization of command argument delimiters and can lead to privilege escalation after an attacker gains access to the SSH login helper and alters trusted policy masks. CVE-2026-67277 involves missing authentication checks in critical RouterOS functions, allowing connections before authentication completes and potentially leaking kernel memory or causing denial-of-service conditions. CISA directed US federal agencies to apply mitigations by September 13 and specifically investigate any signs of compromise related to CVE-2026-86060. The agency noted that the flaws carry broader exploitation risk and urged all organizations using affected MikroTik products to take immediate action.