Vulnerabilities & Exploits
Cybersecurity news in this category

Windows 11 May Silently Remove Discrete GPU Drivers Due to Eco Mode on Gaming Laptops

CISA Adds Actively Exploited Zimbra CVE-2026-73570 to KEV Catalog with Immediate Patching Deadline

CISA Adds Zimbra Collaboration Suite CVE-2026-73570 to KEV Catalog After Confirmed Exploitation
IBM Patches 191 Vulnerabilities in AIX and PowerVM VIOS Including Critical Remote Command Execution Flaws
IBM disclosed a large set of security vulnerabilities affecting its UNIX-based AIX operating system and the PowerVM VIOS virtualization component. The company addressed a total of 191 CVEs through multiple updated releases for both products. Thirty-five of the issues received CVSS base scores of 9.0 or higher, with three OS command injection vulnerabilities rated at 9.9 that allow remote attackers to execute commands with low privileges. IBM provided specific Technology Level and Service Pack updates for AIX 7.3 and 7.2 branches along with corresponding fixes for PowerVM VIOS versions 4.1.x. The advisory covers both IBM-developed code and third-party software components integrated into the platforms. All listed CVEs are now resolved in the recommended maintenance levels released on August 15.
Vulnaware Bridges Vulnerability Scanners and ITSM Systems to Improve Critical Flaw Prioritization
A new open-source tool called Vulnaware has been developed to address the persistent gap between vulnerability discovery and remediation in enterprise environments. The project focuses on intelligent prioritization rather than attempting to fix every reported CVE, recognizing that fewer than 10 percent of published vulnerabilities are ever exploited. It integrates outputs from MaxPatrol VM, Nessus Pro, and Greenbone/OpenVAS, then applies scoring based on CISA KEV catalog presence, public exploit availability from Vulncheck feeds, and trend data. Prioritized issues are automatically converted into tickets in Jira Service Management, GLPI, Znuny, and osTicket, while also delivering alerts via Telegram and email. The approach aligns with the updated CISA BOD 26-04 framework that replaced flat 15- and 25-day deadlines with risk-based timelines of 3, 14, or 60 days. By treating vulnerability remediation as a managed change or service request under ITIL4 principles, Vulnaware ensures that critical issues reach the correct engineering teams with proper SLA tracking.
PostgreSQL Releases Security Update Fixing 28 Vulnerabilities and Over 110 Bugs
The PostgreSQL development team issued a major security update on August 13, 2026, addressing 28 vulnerabilities along with more than 110 bugs. While no issues reached a CVSSv3.1 base score of 9.0 or higher, 18 vulnerabilities scored 7.0 or above, with 14 rated at 8.8. Several flaws enable arbitrary code execution, including heap buffer overflows in regular expression processing and the to_char function. Additional fixes cover heap buffer overflows in pg_stat_statements and pg_dump, type confusion issues, and an SQL injection vulnerability. The update resolves specific CVEs such as CVE-2026-14664, CVE-2026-14669, CVE-2026-14670, CVE-2026-16238, CVE-2026-16239, and CVE-2026-15741.
Vulnerability in Docker go-archive Library Allows File Creation and Overwrite Outside Target Directory
A vulnerability has been identified in the go-archive archive processing library used by Docker and related software. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-17106, affects the Unpack, UnpackLayer, and Untar functions and permits files to be created or overwritten outside the intended extraction directory. The issue stems from a mismatch between the path string validated by the code and the actual path resolved by the operating system. Docker rated the vulnerability 7.1 under CVSS v4.0 and classified it as High severity. A proof-of-concept exploit has already been published for macOS and Linux. The fix was implemented in go-archive 0.3.0 and shipped in Docker Engine 29.7.0, Docker CLI 29.7.0, and Docker Desktop 4.86.0.
Microsoft Defender Zero-Day ShieldBreak Enables SYSTEM Privilege Escalation, Bypassing July Rogue Planet Patch
Security researcher Nightmare Eclipse has publicly disclosed a new zero-day vulnerability named ShieldBreak in Microsoft Defender that allows any standard Windows account to escalate privileges directly to SYSTEM level. The flaw exploits a TOCTOU race condition in Defender's file scanning API callbacks, enabling attackers to swap file contents during the brief window when the scanner reads the file. Although linked to the earlier Rogue Planet vulnerability (CVE-2026-50656), the July patch did not fully address the attack surface, and an adjusted proof-of-concept continues to work on patched systems. Defender's high privileges and trusted status in enterprise environments amplify the risk, as compromised processes can execute malicious actions that appear legitimate in logs. Public disclosure without prior private reporting leaves a window of exposure until Microsoft issues an official fix. Blue teams are advised to enforce strict local permissions, monitor for anomalous Defender process behavior such as unusual child processes or repeated file handle operations, and implement layered defenses including application whitelisting and network segmentation.
CISA Adds Two Remotely Exploitable TrueConf Server Vulnerabilities to KEV Catalog
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added two critical vulnerabilities affecting TrueConf Server to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. CVE-2026-72529 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary scripts due to missing authentication in a critical function. CVE-2026-72530 is a code injection flaw that enables attackers to run arbitrary code on the underlying host system by escaping the sandboxed environment. Both issues can be exploited over TCP port 4307 without requiring authentication. Kaspersky assigned CVSS v3.1 base scores of 9.8 and 9.0 respectively, rating both as Critical. US federal agencies must apply mitigations for the first vulnerability by August 23 and for the second by September 3.
Zombie Card Attack Revives Expired Visa Cards for Contactless NFC Payments
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst have demonstrated the Zombie Card attack, which enables contactless payments with certain expired Visa cards over NFC without breaking cryptography or cloning the card. The technique exploits inconsistencies in how payment terminals and issuing banks validate card expiration dates within the EMV protocol. By deploying two Android smartphones as a relay between the expired card and the terminal, the researchers intercepted the EMV field containing the expiration date and substituted a future date during the transaction. The terminal accepted the locally validated payment while the cryptographic data remained valid because Visa EMV Kernel 3 does not always bind the expiration field to the protected cryptogram. Testing showed varying bank responses: one issuer approved transactions of different amounts at multiple merchants, while another consistently declined them. The attack failed against Mastercard, American Express, and Discover due to stricter cross-checks or cryptographic protection of the expiration data. The method requires an active account and valid keys on the expired card, making it more complex than traditional skimming.
Critical Unauthenticated File Upload Flaw in Elementor Pro Allows Remote Code Execution on WordPress Sites
A critical vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-32475 has been discovered in the Elementor Pro plugin for WordPress, enabling unauthenticated attackers to upload and execute arbitrary PHP code. The flaw resides in the file upload module where validation and saving processes handle empty filenames inconsistently across multipart requests. Attackers can bypass checks by sending one part with an empty filename and another containing a PHP backdoor, which gets stored in the publicly accessible wp-content/uploads/elementor/forms/ directory. Exploitation requires a published Elementor Pro form with the multiple-file upload option enabled, a setting that is disabled by default. The free version of Elementor remains unaffected, while the issue was resolved in Elementor Pro 4.2.2. Administrators are urged to update immediately and scan upload directories for unauthorized PHP files, as no active exploitation has been observed yet but public disclosure increases the risk.
Claude Discovers Vulnerabilities Across 16 SAML Projects in One Month, Exposing Maintenance Gaps
Security researcher Eric Chiang used Anthropic's Claude Opus model to identify vulnerabilities in 16 SAML implementations over roughly one month of evening work. The effort uncovered four full authentication bypasses in projects including Authentik, lightsaml, OneUptime, and saml-client, plus twelve additional signature bypass issues affecting secondary protocol messages. A notable finding was CVE-2026-57580 in Authentik, independently reported by eight researchers, which allowed XML comment injection in the NameID field to hijack accounts under specific configuration settings. Chiang built a two-phase agent pipeline that first searched for behavioral anomalies in libraries and then combined them into working exploits, without needing to train the model on prior SAML vulnerabilities. Many maintainers either ignored reports or struggled to distinguish real issues from AI-generated noise, with one project requiring three iterations of fixes before the patches held. The researcher concluded that while discovering SAML flaws has become inexpensive, patching them remains costly and under-resourced, reinforcing his long-standing recommendation to avoid custom SAML code in favor of established libraries or OpenID Connect.
Mind Games: 30 Years of Hacking and Securing Game Consoles
The article traces the evolution of security mechanisms in home game consoles from the unprotected Atari 2600 in 1977 through hardware locks, optical media protections, and cryptographic boot chains up to the seventh generation. Early systems like the NES relied on the 10NES/CIC chip for mutual authentication using identical Sharp SM590 microcontrollers, which was quickly defeated by Tengen's Rabbit clone and physical pin-clipping attacks. PlayStation introduced SCEx regional signals on discs, leading to widespread modchip installations and swap tricks that bypassed all code verification. Microsoftโs original Xbox implemented a full cryptographic chain of trust starting from the MCPX southbridge, yet it fell to HyperTransport bus sniffing by bunnie Huang and buffer overflows in titles such as MechAssault. Nintendo Wiiโs Twilight Hack exploited a stack overflow via an excessively long horse name in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, enabling unsigned code execution. The piece highlights recurring lessons about the limits of security-through-obscurity and the necessity of protecting both boot chains and runtime memory handling.
Oracle Issues Emergency Patches for Critical Remotely Exploitable WebLogic Server Vulnerabilities
Oracle released an emergency security update on August 18 containing 943 new patches across dozens of enterprise product families. The update addresses multiple high-severity flaws in Oracle WebLogic Server that can be exploited remotely without authentication over IIOP, T3, and RMI protocols. Four vulnerabilitiesโCVE-2026-60698, CVE-2026-60672, CVE-2026-60696, and CVE-2026-60977โreceived CVSS scores of 9.8 and can impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected servers. A separate critical issue, CVE-2026-61241, was disclosed in the LDAP server component of Oracle Internet Directory with a maximum CVSS score of 10.0 and affects versions 12.2.1.4.0 and 14.1.2.1.0. Oracle urges customers to maintain supported releases and apply patches promptly, noting prior incidents where unpatched systems were targeted after fixes became available. Organizations are advised to validate patches in test environments before production deployment to minimize operational risk.
Google Patches Two Critical Memory Corruption Flaws in Chrome WebGL and Dawn Components
Google has issued a security update for Chrome that addresses 15 vulnerabilities, two of which are rated critical. The flaws, tracked as CVE-2026-76034 and CVE-2026-76036, involve buffer overflow conditions that can lead to out-of-bounds memory writes. CVE-2026-76034 affects the WebGL component used for 2D and 3D graphics rendering on web pages, while CVE-2026-76036 impacts Dawn, the Chromium implementation of WebGPU. Both issues were discovered internally and could result in crashes or remote code execution in certain scenarios. Updated versions are now available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, and users are strongly advised to apply the patches immediately.
Oracle Releases August 2026 Monthly Security Patches Fixing 943 Vulnerabilities
Oracle has published its monthly Critical Security Patch Update on August 18, 2026, addressing a total of 943 vulnerabilities across a wide range of products. This release supplements the company's quarterly Critical Patch Update and includes fixes for third-party software issues, resulting in 925 unique CVEs after removing duplicates. Of these, 710 vulnerabilities received CVSSv3 base scores of 7.0 or higher, with 154 scoring 9.0 or above, including three at the maximum 10.0. A total of 467 flaws can be exploited remotely without authentication. Major products affected include Oracle Fusion Middleware with 262 patches, Oracle E-Business Suite with 120 fixes, and Oracle Database Server with six updates. The next monthly update is scheduled for September 15, 2026, followed by the quarterly release on October 20.
PoC Exploit Released for Android CVE-2026-0075 Allowing Contact Theft Without READ_CONTACTS Permission
A researcher has published a proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2026-0075 affecting Android 14, 15, 16 and 16 QPR2. The flaw resided in the ContactsProvider2 component and enabled local applications to extract contact database entries through SQL injection and verbose SQLite error responses, bypassing the need for any user-granted permissions. Google rated the issue high severity and addressed it in the June 2026 security bulletin by stripping detailed JSON error information from responses to unprivileged apps. The publicly available PoC on GitHub deliberately avoids requesting READ_CONTACTS or WRITE_CONTACTS and is intended strictly for lab comparison of patched versus vulnerable builds. No confirmed in-the-wild exploitation has been observed yet, but the release of working code increases risk for devices running older firmware. Users are advised to verify that their devices have received the security patch dated 5 June 2026 or later.
Critical Authentication Bypass and Buffer Overflow Flaws Patched in NetScaler ADC and Gateway
Cloud Software Group disclosed two critical vulnerabilities affecting NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway products. CVE-2026-19490 permits authentication bypass via an alternate path when the appliances operate as SSL VPN, ICA proxy, CVPN, or RDP proxy gateways, or when configured as authentication, authorization, and auditing virtual servers. CVE-2026-19489 is a buffer overflow in LSN groups with SIP ALG enabled that can lead to unexpected behavior or denial of service. Both issues received CVSS v4.0 base scores of 9.3 and 8.8 respectively. Fixed builds 14.1-73.32 and 13.1-63.21 are now available along with corresponding FIPS and NDcPP updates.
Microsoft Releases Fix for Windows Defender Crashes During Quick and Full Scans
Microsoft has issued a security intelligence update to resolve a crash in Windows Defender that occurred during quick or full system scans on affected Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices. The bug, introduced after a recent set of patches, caused the antivirus service to terminate unexpectedly with the message "Threat service has stopped. Restart it" and access violation error 0xc0000005. Some users misinterpreted the repeated failures as malware infection or severe system damage, leading them to reinstall Windows entirely. Administrators were able to reproduce the issue consistently across multiple machines simply by initiating a quick scan, confirming the root cause lay in Defender itself rather than individual endpoints. The fix is included in security intelligence version 1.457.236.0 and all subsequent releases, with Microsoft advising users to ensure automatic updates are applied via Windows Update or manually through the Windows Security interface.
Critical Vulnerability in Forminator Forms WordPress Plugin Enables Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution
A critical vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-15748 with a CVSS score of 9.8 has been identified in the Forminator Forms plugin for WordPress. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to upload malicious PHP files by manipulating the Select field alongside a File Upload field on published forms. This bypasses extension blocking and file type validation, potentially leading to full server compromise including web shell installation and database access. The plugin, which has more than 600,000 active installations, is affected in all versions up to and including 1.56.1. The issue was resolved in version 1.56.2 released at the end of July, with later updates including 1.57.0 now available.
CISA Adds Four Exploited Vulnerabilities to KEV Catalog Including Critical macOS Authentication Bypass
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added four newly exploited vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The flaws affect Apple macOS, Microsoft SharePoint, and VMware vCenter among other products. One of the vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2026-65400, allows network-based authentication bypass in macOS Screen Sharing without valid credentials. The issue received a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 and is rated Critical. Apple addressed the flaw in macOS Tahoe 26.6.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.9, and macOS Sonoma 14.8.9 released on August 6. Federal agencies have been instructed to apply mitigations within three days.
Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 Fixing 28 Vulnerabilities Including Kernel Flaws
Apple has issued macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, addressing a total of 28 security vulnerabilities tracked under CVE identifiers. The update resolves three kernel-level issues, among them a Use After Free flaw tracked as CVE-2026-65343, an out-of-bounds memory read in CVE-2026-65349, and a memory corruption problem in CVE-2026-65330. Twenty-one of the fixed vulnerabilities affect the WebKit engine, with additional patches applied to Audio, ImageIO, and IOGPUFamily components. The release incorporates fixes that were previously tested in the macOS Golden Gate 27 beta. On the following day, Apple also shipped Safari 26.6.1 for macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia, eliminating the same set of 21 WebKit vulnerabilities.
Google Releases Chrome Security Update Fixing 15 Vulnerabilities Including Two Critical Flaws
Google has issued a security update for its Chrome browser that addresses 15 vulnerabilities, two of which are rated critical. The update covers Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms with specific version numbers released on August 18, 2026. Among the fixes are buffer overflow issues in WebGL and Dawn that were reported by Google since mid-July. Thirteen high-severity vulnerabilities were also resolved, including type confusion and calculation errors in the V8 engine, Use After Free flaws in Browser and WebGL, buffer overflows in ANGLE, and information leaks in Skia. Additional problems fixed involve CORS implementation weaknesses, CredentialProvider link handling, USB race conditions, and uninitialized GPU resources. The patches are being rolled out gradually over the coming days and weeks.
Snowflake GitHub Actions Workflow Flaw Enabled Command Injection and Jira Token Theft
A vulnerability in Snowflake's GitHub Actions workflow in the snowflakedb/snowflake-connector-net repository allowed any user to execute arbitrary commands on a runner by creating a specially crafted issue in a public repository. The flaw stemmed from unsanitized insertion of issue titles and content directly into shell commands, combined with a failed access control check that relied on a non-existent pull request property during issue events. During authorized testing, an autonomous security agent exploited the issue to extract a Jira API token from the pipeline environment variables. This credential granted read access to internal engineering, security compliance, and bug bounty projects. The vulnerability was active from June 18 to June 23, 2026. Snowflake patched the workflow on the day the report was received and rotated the compromised token the following day. The vulnerable code appeared in a pull request that involved GitHub Copilot, though available history does not confirm the AI generated the insecure lines.
The Tale of Active Directory Domain Sabotage: Architect Plants DNS-Killing Task on Departing Branch Controllers
A detailed case study from a former Windows Server 2003 Active Directory environment describes how an architect embedded a monitoring script on branch domain controllers to detect prolonged loss of VPN connectivity to headquarters. The script incremented a hidden registry counter each time the head office IP failed to respond and triggered a net stop dns command once the threshold was exceeded, effectively collapsing the AD domain for the departing branches. The architect later cleaned up traces by reassigning tasks and ownership to the SYSTEM account. A network engineer eventually noticed the repeated DNS service stops, restarted the service multiple times, and eventually contacted the architect. The story illustrates both the critical dependency of Active Directory on DNS and the inherent risk posed by highly privileged administrators who can weaponize that dependency. Two main conclusions are drawn: DNS failure immediately renders an AD domain unusable, and every domain administrator represents the primary threat to domain integrity.
Apple Patches CVE-2026-43760 Screen Sharing Flaw Granting Root Access on macOS
A vulnerability in the macOS Screen Sharing feature allows remote attackers to execute commands with root privileges under specific configurations. Identified as CVE-2026-43760 and tied to the screensharingd service, the flaw affects systems with Screen Sharing or Remote Management enabled alongside the legacy VNC password option. Attackers who know the VNC password can exploit unauthenticated account binding to retrieve protected files such as /etc/sudoers or write policies into /private/etc/sudoers.d. This grants non-privileged accounts passwordless sudo rights. The issue stems from VNC-authenticated connections not being mapped to specific macOS accounts while file-transfer components retain root privileges. Apple addressed the vulnerability in macOS Tahoe 26.6 and macOS Sonoma 14.8.8, both released on July 27, 2026.
CISA Adds Ray AI Framework Flaw CVE-2025-62593 to KEV Catalog After Confirmed Exploitation
US authorities have issued a warning that a critical vulnerability in the Ray framework for scaling AI and Python applications is being actively exploited in real-world attacks. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-62593, allows remote code execution through browsers such as Firefox and Safari, potentially enabling attackers to run malicious code simply by displaying an ad on a compromised page. CISA added the issue to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on August 17, 2026, and directed federal agencies to apply mitigations by August 20. Originally disclosed in November 2025 and fixed in Ray version 2.52.0, the vulnerability carries a CVSS v4.0 base score of 9.4 and is rated Critical. Developers using Ray in environments that also run Firefox or Safari face additional risk from DNS rebinding attacks that can lead to code injection. Organizations relying on Ray are urged to verify patch status and monitor for signs of compromise.
GitLab Issues Critical Security Updates Fixing Unauthenticated Project Modification Flaws
GitLab has released security updates for its Community Edition and Enterprise Edition platforms to address two vulnerabilities, including one rated critical. The flaws were reported through the company's bug bounty program and affect multiple supported versions. CVE-2026-19478 is a code injection issue that allows remote attackers to tamper with or delete public projects and user data via GraphQL directives without authentication under certain conditions. CVE-2026-19650 is a CSRF vulnerability stemming from insufficient validation in GraphQL multiplexed query handling, enabling mutation execution through GET requests. Both CVEs received high CVSS scores, prompting GitLab to urge immediate upgrades to versions 19.2.4, 19.1.6, 19.0.8, and 18.11.11.
VoLTE Video Call Vulnerability Grants Kernel Access on Unisoc Android Chips
Researchers from SSD Secure Disclosure have disclosed a two-stage attack chain that achieves remote kernel access on Android devices powered by Unisoc chipsets. The exploit begins with a remote code execution flaw in the modem firmware that is triggered by a specially crafted VoLTE video call. Once code executes on the modem, a second privilege-escalation issue abuses shared physical memory between the modem and application processor to reach Android kernel memory. The attack requires an attacker-controlled 4G network and VoLTE infrastructure, and the victim must answer the incoming video call. Vulnerable chip families include T606, T612 and T7250, found in devices such as the Motorola E13, Realme C33 and Xiaomi Redmi A5. No patch or CVE identifier has been issued by Unisoc, and the August Android security bulletin does not address the issue.
SAP Commerce Cloud CVE-2026-58231 Critical Flaw Exploited in the Wild Just Three Days After Patch
SAP Commerce Cloud has been hit by a maximum-severity vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-58231 that carries a CVSS score of 10.0. The flaw resides in the Data Hub Adapter component and allows unauthenticated remote code execution via a single crafted HTTP request. SAP released the official patch on 11 August, yet honeypots recorded the first exploitation attempts only three days later on 14 August. More than 4,200 internet-facing SAP Commerce Cloud instances have been identified worldwide, primarily in Europe and North America. Researchers note that AI-assisted patch analysis enabled attackers to weaponize the fix at unprecedented speed. Organizations are urged to apply the updates to versions 2211.55 or 2211-jdk21.17 immediately and restrict access to the affected endpoints in the meantime.
WordPress Login Page Exposed to Critical XSS2Shell Flaw CVE-2026-64638: Over 11,000 Sites Attacked Across 67 Countries
WordPress core login page vulnerability CVE-2026-64638 enables unauthenticated attackers to trigger reflected XSS that can escalate to full server compromise. The flaw stems from mismatched HTML sanitization between two filtering layers on the wp-login.php page, allowing malicious payloads to execute in the site origin. Imperva observed automated campaigns hitting more than 11,000 sites with hundreds of thousands of requests, predominantly affecting U.S. targets in gaming, education, and finance sectors. Successful exploitation chains the XSS into WordPress REST API and application password creation when an administrator is logged in, ultimately allowing malicious plugin uploads. Official patches are available in WordPress 7.0.3 and backported releases down to 4.7; administrators are urged to verify versions, audit user accounts, and inspect plugin directories immediately.
WireGuard Kernel Module Silently Overwrites AllowedIPs in Trie, Breaking Peer Routing Without Errors
The WireGuard kernel module stores AllowedIPs in a single prefix trie per device rather than per peer, causing exact-match insertions of identical CIDR prefixes to reassign nodes and remove them from the previous peer's list. This behavior silently drops routing for affected peers while handshakes and inbound traffic continue, leading to one-way connectivity failures and frame errors. The issue affects road-warrior setups using 0.0.0.0/0, mesh networks, Kubernetes CNI plugins such as Cilium and Calico, and network operating systems including VyOS and OPNsense. No warning is emitted by wg, wg-quick, or the kernel on overwrite, and the longest-prefix-match lookup ensures only equal-length prefixes collide. The root cause resides in allowedips.c where rcu_assign_pointer redirects the trie node and list_move_tail detaches it from the original peer. The same logic appears across Linux, wireguard-go, wireguard-nt, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD implementations.
RCQ Messenger Duress PIN Flaw Gave Full Access to Real Database on Android
RCQ developers discovered that their duress PIN feature on Android used the same dataKey for both real and decoy accounts, allowing anyone entering the panic code to unlock the entire message history. The original design aimed to present a believable second account but resulted in the decoy PIN acting as a master key rather than a protective boundary. On iOS the implementation was cryptographically separate yet suffered from contact wiping that made the decoy mode look suspiciously empty. After review the team switched both platforms to independent random keys, generated realistic conversation histories, and disabled network features in decoy mode to avoid server-side linkage. Legacy slots created before the fix remain marked as such and require users to set a new decoy PIN. The post-mortem also covers desktop Argon2id vault encryption, notification leakage risks, and why short PINs remain vulnerable to offline brute-force even with strong KDF parameters.
Multiple Critical Vulnerabilities Patched in IBM Db2 Mirror for i
IBM has disclosed 18 vulnerabilities affecting the graphical user interface of its Db2 Mirror for i database synchronization product, which replicates Db2 for i databases across multiple systems. The most severe issue, CVE-2026-17186, carries a CVSSv3.1 base score of 9.9 and allows remote execution of arbitrary CL commands due to improper neutralization of specific elements within commands. Additional high-severity flaws include CVE-2026-17184 (CVSS 9.8) enabling arbitrary code execution through external file and path control, and CVE-2026-17182 (CVSS 9.8) permitting authentication bypass via URI path validation failures to access or modify sensitive data. Further issues encompass path traversal for writing files to arbitrary locations (CVE-2026-17181, CVSS 9.3) and an authorization bypass (CVE-2026-16879, CVSS 8.8). The vulnerabilities impact versions 7.6, 7.5, and 7.4, with fixes released in the August 11 security advisory.
Top Cybersecurity Stories of the Week: WordPress XSS Flaw, Microsoft Patch Tuesday, Cisco Zero-Day and More
Security NEXT has published its weekly ranking of the most viewed articles between August 9 and August 15 2026. The list is dominated by critical vulnerabilities affecting widely deployed platforms including WordPress, Microsoft products, Cisco networking gear and Fortinet FortiOS. A cross-site scripting issue in the WordPress login screen and a remote code execution flaw in WordPress 7.0.4 both received immediate patches. Microsoft released updates addressing more than 400 vulnerabilities, while Cisco disclosed a zero-day denial-of-service flaw in its SSL VPN implementation. Additional high-impact issues were reported in FortiOS, Google Chrome, Zoom and Jenkins, prompting urgent remediation guidance from vendors.
Critical Vulnerability CVE-2026-8715 Discovered in HashiCorp Vault Secrets Operator
HashiCorp has disclosed a critical vulnerability in its Vault Secrets Operator product that affects the AppRole authentication mechanism introduced in version 1.3.0. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-8715, stems from insufficient path validation in the secretIDPath field, allowing authenticated Kubernetes users to read arbitrary files from Pod filesystems. With a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.6, the issue is rated Critical and can lead to credential theft by exfiltrating secrets to attacker-controlled endpoints. Exploitation requires specific permissions to create or retrieve VaultAuth, VaultConnection, and VaultStaticSecret resources. HashiCorp recommends immediate migration to version 1.5.0, which removes the vulnerable secretIDPath field entirely.
What Is an Exploit: How a Flaw in Someone Else's Code Becomes Unauthorized Access to Your Server
The article explains the critical distinction between a vulnerability and an exploit using the Log4Shell incident as the primary example. It breaks down how Log4j's JNDI lookup flaw allowed remote code execution simply by logging a crafted string, leading to CVE-2021-44228 with a maximum CVSS score. The piece covers the full lifecycle from vulnerability discovery to payload delivery, including memory corruption, injection flaws, and logical errors. It details defensive mechanisms such as stack canaries, DEP, ASLR, and CFG, along with attacker responses like ROP chains. Real-world cases including Zerologon, Heartbleed, Stuxnet, and WannaCry illustrate the progression from single bugs to multi-stage exploit chains. The text also addresses zero-day economics, exploit kits, bug bounty programs, and practical mitigation strategies centered on KEV catalogs and EPSS scoring.
AMD Memory Controller PoC Bypasses Hardware Isolation on Family 16h Processors
Security researcher Christopher Domas released a proof-of-concept project named skitter-creek-bath-salts that demonstrates a bypass of hardware memory protections on AMD Family 16h processors. The technique manipulates DRAM controller settings to access regions that should remain inaccessible even to the operating system, kernel, and ring-0 code. By altering a single register after upstream protections have acted, the controller remaps addresses, creating an alias that leads to the same DRAM cells through an alternative path. The PoC uses linear algebra and the Z3 SMT solver to locate alias addresses and carefully manages interrupts, cache, and page tables to avoid system crashes during the brief remapping window. Demonstrations include potential access to the AMD Platform Security Processor, fTPM data, System Management Mode regions, C6 processor states, and microcode storage, with the possibility of modifying microcode patches. The research was validated only on AMD Family 16h; no similar issues have been reported for newer AMD, Intel, ARM, or RISC-V platforms.
Critical GeoServer Vulnerability CVE-2024-36401 Actively Exploited for Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution
The CVE-2024-36401 flaw in GeoServer and its GeoTools library allows attackers to achieve remote code execution without authentication by abusing property name expressions interpreted as XPath. Active exploitation has already led to confirmed intrusions involving initial access, lateral movement, and persistence with tools such as China Chopper web shells. Multiple OGC endpoints including WFS GetFeature, WMS GetMap, and WPS Execute are affected when exposed to the internet. Patches are available in GeoServer versions 2.22.6, 2.23.6, 2.24.4, and 2.25.2. Organizations unable to patch immediately can mitigate risk by removing the gt-complex JAR file, though this may break functionality. Additional defenses include restricting internet exposure through IP allowlisting, VPNs, and reverse proxies while monitoring logs for anomalous requests. Any previously exposed instances should be treated as potentially compromised, with full incident response including credential rotation and host forensics recommended.
Critical GeoServer Vulnerability CVE-2024-36401 Actively Exploited for Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution
The vulnerability CVE-2024-36401 in GeoServer is already being exploited in real-world attacks and enables remote code execution without authentication. The flaw stems from how GeoServer and its GeoTools library interpret certain property names, allowing malicious XPath expressions via commons-jxpath in default configurations. Attackers can abuse multiple OGC endpoints including WFS GetFeature and GetPropertyValue, WMS GetMap, GetFeatureInfo and GetLegendGraphic, plus WPS Execute to gain initial access. Observed intrusions follow a familiar pattern of reconnaissance, lateral movement and persistence with web shells such as China Chopper. Patches are available in GeoServer 2.22.6, 2.23.6, 2.24.4 and 2.25.2, while a temporary mitigation involves removing the gt-complex jar file. Organizations are urged to apply updates immediately, restrict internet exposure and hunt for indicators of compromise in logs and on hosts.
Fortinet Patches Critical Authentication Bypass in FortiWeb Allowing Login with Random Credentials
Fortinet has released security updates addressing multiple vulnerabilities across FortiWeb, FortiManager, and FortiClient products. The most severe issue, tracked as CVE-2026-26035, affects FortiWeb and carries a CVSS score of 8.8. The flaw occurs when administrative accounts configured with remote RADIUS authentication use the wildcard option, which is disabled by default. Under these conditions, an unauthenticated remote attacker can gain administrative access to the web application firewall by supplying arbitrary usernames and passwords. Successful exploitation grants full control over the FortiWeb instance, potentially compromising web application security. The vulnerability impacts FortiWeb versions 8.0, 7.6, 7.4, 7.2, and 7.0, with fixes available in versions 8.0.3, 7.6.7, 7.4.12, and 7.2.13. No active exploitation of the authentication bypass flaws has been observed so far, but the risk of remote administrative access makes immediate patching essential for exposed appliances.
Microsoft Patches Seven Exchange Server Vulnerabilities Including Critical Remote Code Execution Flaw
Microsoft has addressed seven vulnerabilities in Exchange Server that enable remote code execution, privilege escalation, denial of service, content spoofing, and security feature bypass. The most severe issue, CVE-2026-62913, carries a CVSS score of 8.8 and involves a heap buffer overflow that can be exploited remotely by a low-privileged attacker without any user interaction. Successful exploitation grants code execution on the server, facilitating email theft, persistence mechanisms, lateral movement, and ransomware deployment. CVE-2026-62911, demonstrated at Pwn2Own Berlin with a CVSS score of 8.0, allows authentication bypass through capture and replay of credentials. Additional fixes cover SSRF-based privilege escalation, remote deserialization crashes, content spoofing, and authorization bypasses. Patches are available for Exchange Server Subscription Edition, while 2016 and 2019 versions receive updates only through the Extended Security Update program.
Cisco Pre-Announces Security Advisories for Nine Product Families on August 19
Cisco Systems has issued an advance notice that it will publish security advisories for multiple products on August 19, 2026. The company released the pre-notification on August 12, confirming that nine distinct product groups will receive updates addressing security issues. No specific CVE identifiers, vulnerability descriptions, severity ratings, or affected versions were disclosed in the initial announcement. Cisco strongly recommends that customers apply the forthcoming fixes once they become available. The affected product families span collaboration, networking, contact center, and security platforms. Organizations using any of the listed solutions are advised to prepare for the upcoming patches and monitor Ciscoโs official channels for detailed advisories.
Nginx Leaves Dynamic Tables Unused in HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 Responses
Nginx implements one-way header compression for both HTTP/2 and HTTP/3: clients compress repeated headers using HPACK or QPACK dynamic tables, but the server never writes to its own dynamic table when sending responses. Code analysis of release-1.31.3 shows every call to ngx_http_v3_encode_field_ri and ngx_http_v3_encode_field_lri passes dynamic=0, and the server encoder stream (NGX_HTTP_V3_STREAM_SERVER_ENCODER) is never created. The same pattern exists in the HPACK filter module, which explicitly sends a table-size update of zero and never calls ngx_http_v2_hpack_t structures. The receiving side fully supports dynamic tables up to the default 4096-byte limit and correctly processes insertions from clients such as aioquic. This asymmetry is permitted by RFC 9204 ยง4.2 yet removes the compression benefit the binary protocols were designed to provide. The unused encoder path contributed to a use-after-free vulnerability (CVSS 9.2) discovered earlier this year in the QPACK decoder.
JetBrains TeamCity CVE-2026-63077 Actively Exploited in the Wild, JPCERT Urges Immediate Patching and Breach Investigation
A critical deserialization vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-63077 has been discovered in JetBrains TeamCity, allowing unauthenticated remote code execution through the agent polling protocol. The flaw was privately reported to JetBrains on July 10, 2026, and publicly disclosed on July 27 with patches released in TeamCity 2026.1.3 and 2025.11.7. Following disclosure, active exploitation was confirmed, prompting CISA to add the vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog on August 5 and mandate federal agencies to remediate by August 8. JetBrains issued its own exploitation warning on August 7. JPCERT/CC has verified that affected versions remain in use within Japan and notes that public exploit code is now available, recommending organizations verify their deployments, apply updates promptly, and conduct compromise assessments.
Attackers Actively Exploit Critical SharePoint Authentication Bypass CVE-2026-55040 After Public PoC Release
Active exploitation of CVE-2026-55040, a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Microsoft SharePoint Server, has intensified following the public release of a proof-of-concept exploit. The flaw, which carries a CVSS score of 9.1, stems from multiple defects in the JWT token validation pipeline and allows remote attackers to impersonate any user, including administrators, without valid credentials. Affected versions include SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, SharePoint Server 2019, and SharePoint Server 2016, with heightened risk for instances exposed to the internet. Microsoft released patches in July 2026, and organizations are urged to apply them immediately while restricting external access and monitoring IIS logs for anomalous administrative activity. The vulnerability has already been chained with other flaws in real-world incidents involving persistence, data theft, and credential rotation responses.
Microsoft Patches High-Severity Outlook Flaw Allowing Remote Code Execution
Microsoft has addressed a high-severity vulnerability in Outlook tracked as CVE-2026-70329 with a CVSS score of 8.8. The flaw stems from an integer overflow during data processing that can trigger memory corruption and alter the application's execution flow. Exploitation occurs over the network without requiring authentication or privileges, though some user interaction is necessary to process the malicious content. Successful attacks grant code execution under the privileges of the logged-in user, potentially enabling malware installation, file access, data theft, or lateral movement. The issue impacts Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, Office 2019, Office LTSC 2021, Office LTSC 2024, and Outlook 2016 on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. A dedicated patch KB5002755 updates Outlook 2016 to build 16.0.5565.1000, while Click-to-Run versions receive fixes through standard Microsoft update channels.
Malicious SIM Card Commands Hijack EV Chargers and IoT Modules via Legacy AT Interface
Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Fuzzware demonstrated that a single malicious SIM card can issue proactive commands forcing cellular modules to execute arbitrary AT instructions. Testing of 26 devices revealed nine vulnerable units, including six out of eight cellular modules from Quectel used in EV chargers, industrial routers, and automotive T-Box systems. The attack leverages the long-standardized RUN AT proactive command introduced in 1981, which allows the SIM to instruct the modem and, in many cases, the application processor running Linux. Concrete exploits were shown on an Autel MAXI US AC W12-L-4G charger, an OPPO Reno 14 F 5G phone locked to 2G, and a Quectel EG25-G module enabling file exfiltration. Five vendors were notified in March 2026 yet none have issued public advisories as of August; the issues are tracked as CVE-2026-57550 and CVD-2026-0122. High Qualcomm-based modules remain widely deployed in critical infrastructure with no centralized visibility or uniform disablement mechanism.
SAP Releases August 2026 Security Patch Day Advisories Including Four Critical Vulnerabilities
SAP published 28 new security advisories on August 11, 2026, aligned with the monthly Patch Tuesday schedule. Four of these received the highest severity rating of Critical. The most severe issue affects SAP Commerce Cloud Data Hub Adapter with an authorization bypass flaw rated CVSS 10.0. Two code injection vulnerabilities were disclosed in SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence with CVSS scores of 9.9 and 9.1. A memory corruption vulnerability impacting SAP NetWeaver and ABAP Platform received a CVSS score of 9.8. The release also incorporates one GitHub advisory and two updates to previously published advisories.
WordPress 7.0.4 Released to Patch High-Severity RCE Vulnerability CVE-2026-65640
The WordPress development team has issued version 7.0.4 to address a remote code execution vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-65640. The flaw affects installations that use the Imagick and Ghostscript image-processing components and grants code execution to users with Author privileges or higher. An attacker can upload a specially crafted PostScript file to trigger arbitrary code execution on the server. The vulnerability received a CVSS v3.0 base score of 8.8 and is rated High severity. Administrators are urged to update immediately, either manually through the dashboard or via automatic background updates. Backported fixes for the 4.7 branch are also in preparation and will be released soon.
AI Uncovers Zoom Vulnerabilities Allowing Silent Device Takeover via Screen Sharing Annotations
Researchers at A Security identified multiple vulnerabilities in Zoom that enabled attackers to compromise participant devices during video calls without any user interaction. The flaws resided in the shared annotations protocol used for drawing and marking on shared screens. Victims only needed to join a meeting where screen sharing was active, affecting both regular participants and meeting organizers. The discovery was notable because it relied on publicly available AI models, requiring fewer than 20 prompts to locate the issues and build a working exploit prototype. The vulnerabilities impacted Zoom clients across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Zoom addressed the problems through security bulletin ZSB-26015 with server-side and client patches. The research highlights how AI can dramatically accelerate vulnerability discovery compared to traditional manual analysis.
Attackers Exploit Critical CVE-2026-59310 in VMware vCenter for Persistent Remote Access
A critical vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-59310 in Broadcom VMware vCenter Server is being actively exploited in the wild against internet-exposed instances. The flaw resides in the Syslog server component and enables remote code execution through a path traversal weakness, carrying a CVSS score of 9.8. Attackers have been observed deploying malicious cron jobs and the reverse_ssh tool to establish persistent outbound command-and-control channels since early August 2026. The campaign has impacted 361 unique IP addresses across 47 countries, with notable concentrations in Germany, the United States, Turkey, Iran, and France. Broadcom has released patches under advisory VMSA-2026-0006.1, which also addresses the related CVE-2026-59309, and strongly recommends immediate updates along with network segmentation and log reviews. No workarounds exist, making prompt patching the only effective mitigation.
SAP Releases August Security Update Patching 28 Vulnerabilities Including Critical CVSS 10 Flaw
SAP has issued a broad security update to address multiple critical vulnerabilities that could enable code injection, memory corruption, and privilege escalation across enterprise systems. The August package includes 28 new security notes along with a GitHub advisory and two prior fix updates. The highest-severity issue, CVE-2026-58231, carries a maximum CVSS score of 10 and affects the Data Hub Adapter in SAP Commerce Cloud versions 2211 and 2211-JDK21, allowing remote exploitation without user interaction due to improper authorization. Another critical flaw, CVE-2026-44772 rated 9.9, impacts SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence 15.4 and 15.5, permitting malicious code injection into industrial process monitoring systems. Additional vulnerabilities rated 9.1 and lower cover directory traversal, SQL injection, XSS, XXE, hardcoded credentials, and OS command injection across various corporate components. Administrators are advised to identify affected systems and prioritize installation of the critical patches first.
Zoom Patches Zoomsday Vulnerability Enabling Remote Code Execution in Meetings
Zoom has addressed four vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to compromise meeting participants, including flaws leading to remote code execution without any victim interaction. The most severe issue, CVE-2026-53413, rated 8.3 and nicknamed Zoomsday, resides in the annotation feature used for drawing, highlighting, or adding text during screen sharing. This component processes network data using fixed 128-byte buffers without proper size validation, enabling memory corruption that alters program execution flow. Researchers demonstrated the attack on macOS by silently launching Safari on the victim's machine. The flaws affect Zoom Workplace, Zoom Rooms, Meeting SDK, and VDI clients. Users must update to patched versions such as Workplace 7.1.5 or 7.0.6, and Zoom Rooms or Meeting SDK 7.1.5 to mitigate annotation-related risks. No active exploitation has been observed publicly, yet centralized enterprise deployments require priority updates since attacks can occur during live meetings.
Agent, Scan or Beyond: Modern Methods for Comprehensive Infrastructure Vulnerability Scanning
The eighth installment in the Vulnerability Management for Beginners series explains why traditional scanning approaches no longer cover today's dynamic environments. It details three classic methodsโHost Discovery, Pentest, and Auditโalongside agent-based scanning, cloud snapshot techniques, passive traffic analysis, container and SCA tools, and integrations with existing IT systems. The guide stresses that agents from Tenable and Qualys complement but do not replace network scanning, while Orca Security and Wiz pioneered disk snapshot analysis for short-lived cloud instances. It also covers container image scanning with Trivy and Grype before deployment, passive monitoring for OT environments, and the importance of combining multiple data sources to eliminate blind spots. Practical recommendations include scanning frequency by asset type and six post-scan steps for effective remediation.
CVE-2026-20349: Cisco ASA and FTD Firewalls Face Remote DoS in SSL VPN, Already Exploited
Cisco has disclosed a high-severity denial-of-service vulnerability affecting its Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance and Secure Firewall Threat Defense products. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-20349, resides in the SSL VPN component and allows unauthenticated remote attackers to trigger device reboots by sending specially crafted HTTP requests. The issue also impacts FTD deployments using Zero Trust Network Access. With a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6, the vulnerability has already been observed in active exploitation campaigns since August 2026. Cisco released hotfixes for both affected platforms and strongly urges immediate updates, while confirming that Secure Firewall Management Center remains unaffected.
Adobe Releases Third Emergency Patch for Campaign Classic in Two Weeks, Fixing Critical RCE Vulnerabilities
Adobe has issued another urgent security update for Adobe Campaign Classic after discovering multiple critical vulnerabilities that affect the previous patches released on July 29 and August 3. The new advisory, published on August 11, 2026, addresses three CVEs rated Critical, including two remote code execution flaws with CVSSv3.1 base scores of 10.0. These authorization bypass issues allow unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely. The affected versions include 7.4.3 build 9398 and build 9399, which were themselves emergency fixes issued only days earlier. Adobe urges all customers to apply the latest update immediately due to the high risk of exploitation. This marks the third high-severity patch for the product within a two-week period.
SonicWall Global Management System Hit by Critical RCE and Path Traversal Vulnerabilities
SonicWall has disclosed six vulnerabilities in its SonicWall Global Management System (GMS) management product, with the highest-severity issues rated Critical. The most severe flaw, CVE-2026-66147, resides in the Dispatcher Service and allows unauthenticated remote code execution through crafted requests that inject commands. A second critical issue, CVE-2026-66145, stems from improper handling of zip archive extraction and enables path traversal attacks that can read sensitive data or write arbitrary files without authentication. Both vulnerabilities received CVSSv3 base scores above 9.0. The flaws affect both the virtual appliance and Windows versions of GMS. SonicWall released an advisory on August 11 urging immediate application of the available updates.
Adobe Issues Critical Security Updates for ColdFusion with Multiple High-Severity Vulnerabilities
Adobe has released security updates for Adobe ColdFusion to address 15 vulnerabilities disclosed in a security advisory on August 11, 2026. Among them, CVE-2026-48362 is an OS command injection flaw that allows arbitrary code execution and carries the maximum CVSSv3.1 base score of 10.0. Two additional issues, CVE-2026-48273 involving dynamic code evaluation and CVE-2026-71384 related to authorization bypass leading to denial of service, received scores of 9.9 and 9.6 respectively. Eight further vulnerabilities were rated Critical, prompting Adobe to urge immediate patching. The advisory highlights risks across multiple attack vectors and emphasizes rapid remediation to prevent potential exploitation.
Compromised SIM Cards Exploit Proactive SIM to Steal Files, Execute Code and Force 2G on Smartphones and IoT Devices
Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Fuzzware have demonstrated that a compromised SIM card can issue commands to smartphones and IoT devices by abusing the standard Proactive SIM feature. The attack leverages the RUN AT command to force the modem to execute AT commands, creating a direct channel from the SIM to the device hardware. Using their CATana toolkit, the team tested 18 smartphones and eight cellular IoT devices, finding the AT command interface exposed on two phones and seven IoT units. Four vulnerabilities were identified, enabling code execution, file theft, denial of service and persistent downgrade to 2G. Affected devices include the OPPO Reno14 F 5G and Quectel-based modules such as the EC25-AFX and EG25-G. Manufacturers have released some patches, and GSMA has registered the issue as CVD-2026-0122, though researchers recommend removing the RUN AT function entirely from firmware.
Russian Researchers Patent Detector Blinding Protection for Quantum Key Distribution Systems
Engineers from SFB Lab and the Center for Quantum Technologies at Moscow State University have developed a new method to protect quantum key distribution systems against detector blinding attacks. The technique not only detects the attack but also preserves the secure portion of the generated key instead of discarding the entire key after an alarm. The approach works by randomly varying the quantum efficiency of single-photon detectors at the receiver side, forcing an attacker to leave detectable traces such as erroneous or double clicks. These statistical anomalies allow the system to estimate the number of potentially compromised bits and remove them during privacy amplification. The solution has been granted Russian patent RU 2 856 208 C1 and accepted for publication in Physical Review Applied. It was validated on commercial off-the-shelf detectors and requires no changes to the optical scheme, making it compatible with a wide range of existing QKD hardware.
5 NetworkPolicy Mistakes That Leave Kubernetes Clusters Completely Unprotected
A detailed analysis from OTUS highlights five frequent configuration errors in Kubernetes NetworkPolicy that allow unrestricted traffic despite policies appearing active in the cluster. The article explains that Kubernetes itself does not enforce NetworkPolicy objects; enforcement depends entirely on the CNI plugin such as Calico, Cilium, or Weave Net, while Flannel and kubenet ignore them entirely. Common pitfalls include blocking DNS resolution when applying default-deny egress rules, incorrect use of namespaceSelector versus podSelector leading to overly permissive access, and confusing the top-level podSelector with selectors inside ingress or egress blocks. Additional issues arise when policies fail to account for ingress controllers, hostNetwork pods, or inter-container localhost communication within the same pod. The piece stresses the importance of traffic-based validation rather than relying on kubectl output and recommends testing with deny-all policies plus continuous monitoring during rollout.
AI System iFinder Uncovers 84 Zero-Day Vulnerabilities in 4G and 5G Networks, 23 CVEs Still Unpatched
Researchers from Nanyang Technological University deployed the AI-driven system iFinder against software managing 4G and 5G networks, discovering 84 previously unknown vulnerabilities. Developers confirmed 83 of the findings, with 81 receiving CVE identifiers. Only 58 issues have been patched so far, leaving 23 confirmed vulnerabilities with CVE numbers awaiting fixes. The most severe flaw enables session hijacking by injecting a network rule that reuses an existing identifier but carries a higher priority, bypassing uniqueness checks and redirecting subscriber traffic to the attacker. The attack was fully reproduced on OpenAirInterface and validated in two commercial 5G networks, with one vendor releasing a patch for CVE-2026-8233. iFinder operates through three coordinated AI agents that identify unvalidated inputs, cross-reference 3GPP standards, and iteratively develop working exploits, though manual verification remains necessary due to false positives. Open5GS, SD-Core, and free5GC have begun remediation, while three of seven tested projects have issued no patches.
Researchers Expose GPON Optical Network Eavesdropping via Modified ONU Devices at DEF CON
At DEF CON 34, two researchers demonstrated how inexpensive hardware modifications allow interception of downstream traffic in GPON fiber networks shared among multiple subscribers. The passive optical design means all clients connected to the same splitter receive identical data streams, with separation handled only at the ONU level through 12-bit GEM port identifiers. By acquiring Realtek RTL960x-based SFP modules and systematically bypassing built-in restrictions on GEM port reassignment, VLAN tagging, switch forwarding, and checksum validation, the team achieved access to traffic intended for up to 128 neighboring users. Exposed data includes DNS queries that can reveal occupancy patterns, unencrypted SIP voice traffic, and in some cases traffic from nearby cellular base stations. The researchers also identified exploitable vulnerabilities in the VSOL G100S OLT device that could grant root-level control and compromise provider routers. Additional coverage in the same Kaspersky report examined Head Mare's compromise of TrueConf servers, EvilFontTool font-based evasion, an OpenAI presentation on an accidental AI attack against Hugging Face, and the SCTPhantom Linux kernel flaw present for 18 years.
WordPress Patches High-Severity XSS2Shell Flaw Enabling Remote Code Execution (CVE-2026-64638)
WordPress has released a fix for a high-severity vulnerability in its core that can turn a malicious login attempt into remote PHP code execution on the server. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-64638 and rated 8.9 on CVSS, is named XSS2Shell and begins as a reflected cross-site scripting issue on the authentication screen. An unauthenticated attacker can submit a specially crafted username that bypasses sanitization mechanisms due to differences in how PHP and WordPress interpret certain characters, allowing controlled HTML elements to be injected into the login page. This leads to JavaScript execution in the site domain, and when an authenticated administrator visits a prepared page, the attacker can abuse the existing session to authorize application credentials and upload arbitrary PHP code. The patch is included in WordPress 7.0.3 released on August 6, with backports available for branches as old as 4.7. No public exploitation has been confirmed yet, but the technical details make immediate updating a priority for site administrators.
Google Releases Chrome 151 Fixing 41 Vulnerabilities Including Six Critical Flaws
Google has issued Chrome 151 to address 41 security vulnerabilities, six of which are rated critical and could lead to memory corruption, browser crashes, and remote code execution. The update covers Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms with versions 151.0.7922.108 and 151.0.7922.109. Two use-after-free flaws in the WebGL component, tracked as CVE-2026-19137 and CVE-2026-19170, allow continued memory access after deallocation. Additional critical issues affect the Aura, Skia, Views, and ANGLE components under CVE-2026-19149, CVE-2026-19154, CVE-2026-19172, and CVE-2026-19157. Google has withheld technical details and proof-of-concept code for several flaws to limit exploitation while the rollout completes. Users are advised to check for updates immediately through the browser's About section.
Dell Fixes 70 Vulnerabilities in VSI for VMware vSphere Including Two Critical Flaws
Dell has released an update addressing 70 vulnerabilities in Dell Virtual Storage Integrator for VMware vSphere Client, two of which are product-specific and rated critical. The advisory published on August 6, 2026, covers both native issues and flaws inherited from third-party components. CVE-2026-67261 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands with root privileges via the IAPI component. CVE-2026-54489 enables session hijacking by exposing active session credentials without authentication. The product integrates Dell storage arrays with VMware vSphere environments and is widely used in enterprise virtualization deployments. Administrators are urged to apply the latest version immediately to mitigate the risks of full system compromise and unauthorized administrative access.
Top 10 Security Stories: WordPress XSS Flaw, PHP Vulnerabilities, and VMware ESX Issues Lead Weekly Roundup
Security NEXT has published its weekly ranking of the most viewed articles for the period from August 2 to August 8, 2026. The list highlights critical vulnerabilities affecting widely used platforms including WordPress, PHP, pgAdmin 4, VMware ESX, and Chrome. Several entries focus on newly released security updates and ongoing exploitation warnings issued by US authorities. The ranking also includes real-world incidents such as credit card skimming by employees and data leaks caused by phishing attacks. This weekly overview reflects the topics that drew the highest attention from the Japanese cybersecurity community during the specified week.
CISA Adds Progress Kemp LoadMaster Command Injection Flaw CVE-2026-8037 to KEV Catalog After Confirmed Exploitation
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added a known command injection vulnerability in Progress Software's Kemp LoadMaster application delivery product to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-8037, allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected devices because input values are not properly sanitized. CISA issued the addition on August 7, 2026, and directed federal agencies to apply mitigations by August 10, 2026. The same product was previously targeted through another flaw, CVE-2024-1212, which was also added to the KEV list after exploitation. Security researchers note that the vulnerability poses a broad risk because it requires no authentication and can be leveraged to compromise load balancers and related infrastructure. Organizations using Progress Kemp LoadMaster are urged to review vendor advisories and implement available patches without delay.
RCE Vulnerability in AI Code Editors Cursor, VS Code and Google Antigravity Threatens 50 Million Developers
Researchers at AISLE discovered a critical remote code execution vulnerability affecting the AI-powered code editors Cursor, Microsoft Visual Studio Code and Google Antigravity. The flaw allowed attackers to achieve RCE simply by tricking a developer into opening a specially crafted link embedded in a Git commit message. Successful exploitation granted full access to API keys, local files, and the ability to install persistent malware without any visible indicators. The issue stemmed from shared architectural components inherited from the Visual Studio Code codebase, which Cursor and Google Antigravity both adopted. All three vendors have released patches, yet the incident highlights systemic supply-chain risks in the rapidly growing AI-IDE ecosystem. Approximately 50 million developers were potentially exposed before fixes were deployed.
NEOMSA APIM 4.6.0 Eliminates All Critical and High Vulnerabilities Registered in FSTEC BDU
Neoflex has released NEOMSA APIM 4.6.0 with a primary focus on strengthening the security of the platform's supply chain. The team generated an SBOM in CycloneDX format, scanned components and dependencies using Grype, and cross-referenced findings against the FSTEC BDU database. This process reduced total registered vulnerabilities from 57 to 7, completely removing all 10 Critical and 24 High issues. The platform now meets the formal Security Gate criterion requiring zero Critical or High vulnerabilities from the FSTEC database in the final build. Remaining Medium findings are documented and tracked for future updates. The release provides customers with a verified, transparent component inventory that simplifies compliance and integration reviews.
Cisco Publishes 12 Security Advisories Fixing Critical Flaws in Catalyst SD-WAN and IOS XE
Cisco Systems released 12 new security advisories on August 5, 2026, disclosing a total of 23 vulnerabilities across multiple products. Two advisories covering Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Software and Cisco IOS XE Software received the highest Critical severity rating. The SD-WAN advisory addresses five issues, including CVE-2026-20303, CVE-2026-20304, and CVE-2026-20310, each scoring 9.9 on CVSSv3.1. The IOS XE advisory details seven vulnerabilities, with CVE-2026-20272 rated 9.8 and CVE-2026-20267 rated 9.0. Additional advisories cover flaws in Integrated Management Controller, RoomOS, and Terminal Services Agent. Organizations are urged to apply the hardening releases immediately to mitigate remote exploitation risks.
Head Mare Hackers Exploit TrueConf Servers to Distribute PhantomCore and PhantomGraph Backdoors
Russian organizations have been targeted in a new campaign by the Head Mare group, which compromises unpatched TrueConf servers to deliver backdoors. Attackers chain vulnerabilities KLCERT-26-057 and KLCERT-26-058 to execute arbitrary code with maximum privileges on affected servers. They then replace a server file with a web shell to explore the victim's infrastructure, access the TrueConf database, and substitute the client installer. Victims are tricked via social engineering into downloading the malicious client during video conferences without any suspicious emails. The campaign affects TrueConf Server versions 5.3.X through 5.3.9, 5.4.X through 5.4.9, 5.5.X through 5.5.5, and earlier releases. Kaspersky researchers recommend immediate updates to patched versions 5.3.9, 5.4.9, and 5.5.5 released on 18 June 2026. The threat extends beyond direct TrueConf users, as any employee invited to a compromised server can inadvertently install the backdoor.
Zapscape Flaw in KVM Breaks Nested Virtualization Isolation Allowing L1 Guest Root Code Execution on Linux Host
The Zapscape vulnerability (CVE-2026-64561) affects KVM/x86 in the Linux kernel and enables an attacker with kernel privileges inside an L1 virtual machine to escape to the host and execute code as root. The flaw occurs in the shadow MMU when handling page faults for nested guests, specifically due to an incorrect order of stale root condition checks that leads to a use-after-free condition. This weakens the isolation between the host and L1 guests precisely when nested virtualization is enabled for potentially untrusted tenants. A public proof-of-concept demonstrates the escape by creating a file named /Zapscape owned by root on the host. The issue impacts Linux kernels starting from version 5.9, with fixes already merged into stable branches including 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6 and 7.2 rc5. On Intel systems the attack requires EPT page walk lengths 4 and 5 to be exposed to the L1 guest, while no equivalent condition is documented for AMD. Organizations are advised to apply patches promptly or disable nested virtualization for untrusted workloads.
Cisco Patches Seven Critical IOS XE Vulnerabilities Including CVSS 9.8 Command Injection Flaw
Cisco has released security updates to address seven vulnerabilities in IOS XE, the operating system powering routers, switches, wireless controllers, and other enterprise network devices. The highest-severity issue, tracked as CVE-2026-20272 with a CVSS score of 9.8, stems from improper handling of special elements in commands and could enable remote command injection, unauthorized operations, and full device compromise over the network. Additional flaws impact memory management, resource lifecycle, numeric calculations, execution flow, and input validation, potentially leading to buffer overflows, out-of-bounds writes, crashes, infinite loops, and directory traversal. The vulnerabilities affect IOS XE versions 17.9, 17.12, 17.15, 17.18, and 26.1 in both standalone and controller modes regardless of configuration. Fixed releases include 17.9.10, 17.12.8, 17.15.6, 17.18.4, 17.18.4a, and 26.1.2, with no available workarounds. The issues were discovered during internal testing that incorporated advanced AI models, and no evidence of public exploitation has been observed.
WordPress 7.0.3 Addresses 12 Vulnerabilities Including Reflected XSS Leading to PHP Execution
WordPress has released version 7.0.3 to fix multiple security issues discovered in the content management system. The update, announced on August 6, 2026, resolves 12 vulnerabilities covering cross-site scripting, privilege escalation, information disclosure, and server-side request forgery. One issue tracked as CVE-2026-64638 is a reflected XSS flaw on the login page that can be exploited without authentication. Under specific conditions the vulnerability allows an attacker to execute PHP code on the affected site. The flaw received a CVSS v4.0 base score of 8.9 and is rated High severity. Administrators are urged to apply the update immediately.
Google Releases Chrome Security Update Fixing 41 Vulnerabilities Including Six Critical Flaws
Google has issued a major security update for its Chrome browser addressing 41 vulnerabilities, six of which are rated Critical. The update covers Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms with new builds 151.0.7922.109 and 151.0.7922.108. Among the critical issues resolved is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in ANGLE tracked as CVE-2026-19157. Five additional Critical Use After Free flaws were patched in WebGL, Aura, Skia, and Views components. The remaining 35 vulnerabilities received a High severity rating. Google plans a gradual rollout of the update over the coming days and weeks.
SQL Injection in Oracle Escalates to SYSTEM Execution on Windows via Embedded Java Compilation
A real-world intrusion chain demonstrates how a basic SQL injection can lead to command execution on Windows with SYSTEM privileges. Attackers leveraged Oracle Database's ability to load, compile, and run Java code inside the database engine itself. After gaining initial database access through an internet-exposed application, the threat actors introduced Java source code, converted it into schema objects, and compiled it directly on the server. This technique, tracked under the artifact name khunt and linked to Huntress telemetry, minimizes reliance on traditional disk binaries and shifts tooling into the less-monitored database engine. When the Oracle process runs with elevated rights on Windows, the chained execution inherits high privileges up to SYSTEM level. The incident underscores the need for parameterized queries, disabling unnecessary Java functionality in Oracle, and monitoring specific DDL events such as CREATE JAVA SOURCE and CREATE JAVA CLASS.
Critical Django Vulnerability CVE-2026-15307 Enables Remote Code Execution via GDALRaster Spatial Queries
The Django project has released versions 6.0.8 and 5.2.17 to address four vulnerabilities that could result in arbitrary file writes, unauthorized requests, denial of service, and cross-site scripting attacks. The most severe issue, tracked as CVE-2026-15307, impacts spatial queries that process raster data through the GDALRaster interface. Attackers can supply specially crafted values that cause the Django process to write files or initiate external connections under its own permissions, potentially leading to remote code execution in certain configurations. Exploitation is also possible through the Django admin panel when a staff user has view permissions on models containing geographic fields. The patches have been backported to the 5.2 and 6.0 branches as well as the upcoming 6.1 release candidate. In addition to fixing the flaw, the updates alter query behavior to reject dictionaries and strings that do not represent valid geometries.
Certificate Transparency Logs Fail to Block Rogue CA Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
A detailed technical analysis reveals that Certificate Transparency logs do not effectively protect users from man-in-the-middle attacks carried out with certificates issued by compromised or sloppy certificate authorities. The author attempted to verify SCT entries from real browser certificates using public CT log APIs such as get-proof-by-hash but consistently received 404 Not Found responses. Tools including Windows certutil also reported every SCT as not found in the logs. A practical proof-of-concept attack was then constructed by creating a self-signed CA that exactly replicated the certificate chain of habr.com and serving it through nginx with matching extensions and attributes. The resulting MITM connection was accepted by browsers without warnings despite HSTS, because the pre-certificate in the log differs from the presented certificate only in public key bytes. A publicly accessible demonstration was deployed on Yandex Cloud allowing anyone to test the bypass by overriding DNS for habr.com.
Progress MarkLogic Server Patched for 10 Vulnerabilities Including Seven Critical Issues
Progress Software has released security updates for its MarkLogic Server database product after disclosing ten vulnerabilities, seven of which carry CVSS v3.1 base scores of 9.0 or higher. Three flaws, tracked as CVE-2026-7329, CVE-2026-8709, and CVE-2026-9193, were each rated 9.9 and allow low-privileged users to escalate rights or access restricted data. CVE-2026-7329 enables a user holding only a REST role to obtain administrator privileges through crafted queries, granting unauthorized operations on the database. CVE-2026-8709 stems from improper handling of REST document patches and similarly permits privilege escalation, while CVE-2026-9193 arises from insufficient access controls in the Hadoop integration feature. The advisory was published on 5 August 2026 and urges immediate application of the available patches.
Critical Vulnerabilities Disclosed in NVIDIA Dynamo with Remote Attack Risks
NVIDIA has released a security advisory detailing multiple vulnerabilities affecting its Dynamo software for Linux, which provides multimodal data serving capabilities. A total of 15 CVEs were identified across different versions, with the most severe being CVE-2026-24254 rated at CVSS 9.8 as Critical due to an out-of-bounds write in multimodal serving topology that allows unauthenticated remote attacks. Additional high-severity issues include CVE-2026-24253, which can cause denial of service through out-of-bounds memory writes, and CVE-2026-47623, which stems from deserialization of untrusted data leading to potential denial of service or data tampering, both scoring 8.2. The advisory notes a possible inconsistency between the reported CVSS base score and vector string that may be corrected later. Patches have been made available, and users are urged to update immediately to mitigate the risks.
CISA Adds JetBrains TeamCity CVE-2026-63077 to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog After Active Attacks
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added a critical vulnerability in JetBrains TeamCity to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog due to confirmed exploitation in the wild. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-63077, stems from unsafe deserialization of untrusted data over the agent polling protocol and permits unauthenticated remote code execution. TeamCity is widely used for automating software build, test, and deployment pipelines in development environments. CISA directed all US federal agencies to apply vendor mitigations within three days, by August 8, 2026. Organizations running the continuous integration server are urged to review exposure and implement the recommended fixes immediately to prevent further compromise.
DLL Sideloading via version.dll in WinSCP: Search Order Exploitation, Rust Proxy and Payload Interception
WinSCP loads version.dll from its own directory because Windows searches for DLLs in a specific order starting with the application folder. Researchers demonstrated how to identify this library through the import table, Known DLLs exclusion, and Procmon monitoring to observe the loader attempting the AppDir path before falling back to SysWOW64. The same technique was recently used in campaigns targeting FileZilla via a fake domain and CPUID supply-chain compromises involving cryptbase.dll. A Rust-based proxy DLL forwards 14 exports via linker-level redirection while implementing three hijacked functions that trigger a MessageBox payload immediately upon WinSCP startup. The PoC was built for 32-bit WinSCP on Windows 11 using cargo and a generated .def file that adapts to x86 or x64 targets. This attack remains effective because version.dll is not listed in KnownDLLs and is directly imported by WinSCP, guaranteeing early execution before the main application window appears.
VK Introduces Security Gate: Internal AppSec Platform for Code, Dependency and Container Security
VK has detailed its internal Security Gate platform, which combines SAST, SCA, secret detection and container scanning to identify security issues across more than 40,000 repositories. The system applies custom prioritization rules, dynamic metadata analysis and an LLM-based triage module called VK Triage to reduce false positives and focus developer attention on exploitable findings. Security Gate integrates directly with corporate GitLab for automatic project onboarding, badge reporting and merge-request checks via the Fast Scanner service. It also monitors open-source dependencies for protestware, malware and reachable vulnerable methods, while supporting a wide range of languages including Python, Go, Java and Swift. Additional features include Jira linking, cross-branch triage, SBOM export and automated alerts through VK WorkSpace bots.
2.2 Million Line Vulnerability Report: What Happens After Discovery and How to Turn Findings Into Action
A massive vulnerability scan produced an 1,819-page report and a 2.2-million-row Excel file that exceeded spreadsheet limits, highlighting the gap between detection and remediation. The article explains that finding vulnerabilities accounts for only 10 percent of the work, while the remaining 90 percent involves prioritization, remediation, verification, and ensuring issues do not reappear. Research from BI.ZONE, Sber, Qualys, Cyentia Institute, Kenna Security, and Hadrian shows that organizations can typically remediate only one in ten open vulnerabilities per month and that Time-to-Exploit has dropped dramatically, with many edge-device flaws exploited on the day of disclosure. The piece stresses that continuous scanning, full infrastructure coverage including shadow IT, and separate high-frequency perimeter scans are essential because 85 percent of KEV-vulnerable assets remain unpatched at disclosure time. It recommends replacing bulky reports with concise, role-specific registries that answer four questions: what to do, where to do it, by when, and the consequences of inaction. Three legitimate outcomes for every vulnerability are outlined: patching, compensating controls, or formal risk acceptance with defined review dates, while false positives such as orphaned OpenSSL libraries must be cleaned rather than ignored.
Prepare for Summer Vacation: Patch Tuesday Overlaps with Obon Holiday Week Raises Risks
As August approaches and organizations enter summer vacation season, many will face a challenging overlap between Microsoft's Patch Tuesday and Japan's Obon holiday week in 2026. System administrators and security teams are often unavailable during extended breaks, leading to slower detection, reporting, and remediation of threats. Ransomware campaigns frequently target periods such as evenings, weekends, and consecutive holidays when response times are delayed. Experts recommend completing software updates on servers, network devices, and endpoints before departure to close known vulnerabilities. Security product definition files should be refreshed, unused systems powered down after risk assessment, and basic controls verified in advance. The advisory from Security NEXT highlights that dispersed vacation schedules in some organizations still leave concentrated risk windows for others.
Critical Remote Code Execution Flaw Patched in Veeam ONE Backup Management Product
Veeam Software disclosed six vulnerabilities in its backup environment operations management product Veeam ONE on July 29, 2026. The most severe issue, tracked as CVE-2026-64633, permits unauthenticated remote code execution on the agent host and received a maximum CVSS v4.0 base score of 10.0, rated Critical. A second flaw, CVE-2026-58075, allows unauthenticated arbitrary file reads that can lead to local privilege escalation and carries a CVSS score of 8.7. The vendor released updated versions addressing all six issues in Veeam ONE 13.1. Security researchers and administrators are urged to apply the patches immediately given the high severity and lack of authentication requirements for the critical vulnerability.
CISA Adds Three Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities to KEV Catalog Affecting Langflow, Apache Tomcat and N-central
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added three known exploited vulnerabilities to its KEV catalog, urging federal agencies to apply patches by August 7, 2026. CVE-2026-9198 affects the AI application development platform Langflow and allows unauthenticated attackers to chain API calls, obtain tokens, and execute arbitrary code. CVE-2026-34486 impacts Apache Tomcat and enables bypass of the EncryptInterceptor, leaving cluster node communications unencrypted. CVE-2026-18556 in N-able N-central permits authentication bypass through alternate channels, while an incomplete fix introduced CVE-2026-18577, which was added to the catalog one day earlier. All three issues have confirmed exploitation in the wild.
Web Application Vulnerabilities Surge as Rapid Development Outpaces Security Reviews
The number of vulnerabilities in web applications continues to rise each quarter with no signs of slowing. Frequent releases, lean teams, and pressure for speed are pushing systems into production with flaws that should have been caught earlier. Vibe Coding is accelerating the problem by enabling anyone to launch applications in days and push dozens of updates daily without integrating cybersecurity into the process. Most new software reaches production without any security review, and attackers are already exploiting the common weaknesses these applications share. Companies face data leaks, service disruptions, and customer exposure from issues that a single test could have identified. The recommended response is AI-driven pentesting that simulates real attacker behavior instead of relying on known patterns. Launching web applications without security testing is becoming an increasingly expensive decision as incident costs far exceed preventive measures.
Critical Stack Buffer Overflow in TP-Link TL-WR940N Enables Remote Code Execution
A high-severity vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-12935 with a CVSS score of 8.7 affects the TP-Link TL-WR940N router on hardware version V6. The flaw resides in the RTSP connection tracking module responsible for managing audio and video streaming sessions over the network. It is caused by a stack-based buffer overflow that allows oversized data to corrupt kernel memory, potentially leading to device crashes or full remote code execution. No administrative credentials are required for exploitation, though the attack depends on an RTSP connection initiated by a device already present on the local network. Successful compromise grants attackers the ability to alter router settings, modify DNS servers, intercept traffic, redirect users to malicious sites, and pivot to other connected devices. Users are advised to verify the hardware revision on the device label and apply the region-specific firmware update released by TP-Link.
N-able Releases Hotfix for Exploited N-central Authentication Bypass Flaw CVE-2026-18577
N-able has published a hotfix addressing a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in its N-central IT operations management platform. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-18577, allows attackers to bypass authentication through alternative paths or channels and potentially take over user accounts. It affects N-central 2026.1 and earlier versions and stems from an incomplete fix for the earlier CVE-2026-18556 issue. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v4.0 base score of 8.2 and is rated High severity. Exploitation has already been observed in the wild, with Indicators of Compromise including related IP addresses now publicly available. N-able released N-central 2026.3 Hotfix 1 (build 2026.3.1.7) on August 2, 2026, and urges customers to apply the update while also recommending agent updates where possible.
Adobe Releases Emergency Update for Campaign Classic Fixing Multiple Critical Vulnerabilities
Adobe has issued an urgent security update for Adobe Campaign Classic to address seven critical vulnerabilities, including several with a maximum CVSSv3.1 base score of 10.0. The flaws affect on-premises deployments on Windows and Linux as well as the on-premises components of hybrid setups. Notably, the newly released fixes also impact the previous emergency update from July 29, version 7.4.3 build 9398, requiring users to apply the latest patch immediately. Among the most severe issues are a server-side request forgery vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-48331, an input handling flaw in the template engine identified as CVE-2026-48323, and an SQL injection vulnerability labeled CVE-2026-48330. Adobe published the corresponding security advisory on August 3, 2026, urging rapid remediation despite the short interval since the prior update.
Dark Patterns in Vulnerability Management: How Metrics Undermine Real Security
Vulnerability management programs often fail not due to lack of scanners but because of poorly chosen metrics that prioritize reporting over actual risk reduction. Teams focus on closing easy vulnerabilities, meeting CVSS-based deadlines, and improving dashboard numbers while attackers exploit the shortest path to critical assets. The article examines five common traps including total vulnerability counts, context-free SLAs, closure rate targets, static dashboards, and claims of no critical findings. It argues that these metrics create a false sense of security and distort team behavior according to Goodhart's Law. Instead, organizations should adopt attack path metrics, exposure management approaches such as CTEM, and measurements that track real reduction in attacker reachability. The piece highlights MaxPatrol Carbon as an example of tools that model attacker paths rather than isolated CVEs.
MongoDB Server Patches 24 Vulnerabilities Including Critical Flaw in mongod Compute Mode
MongoDB has released updates addressing 24 vulnerabilities in MongoDB Server, with one rated critical. The patches cover multiple branches and include fixes for CVE-2026-13072, which carries a CVSSv3.1 base score of 9.2. The critical issue affects standalone mongod instances with compute mode enabled and stems from insufficient validation of external input that can lead to memory corruption. Additional fixes resolve 16 high-severity issues, seven medium, and one low, including CVE-2026-13059 that could allow unauthorized read-write actions by low-privileged authenticated users. Updated versions MongoDB 8.3.7, 8.2.12, 8.0.28, and 7.0.39 are now available. The company published the updates on July 22, 2026, and urges immediate application to maintain system integrity.
Weekly Roundup: Critical Vulnerabilities Hit VMware ESX, FortiOS, Chrome, fastjson, Cisco FMC and Ruby on Rails
Security NEXT published its list of the ten most-read articles for the week of July 26 to August 1, 2026. The ranking is dominated by high-severity vulnerabilities affecting widely deployed enterprise platforms. VMware released fixes for serious flaws in ESX and vCenter, while Fortinet confirmed active exploitation of vulnerabilities in FortiOS and VeloCloud Orchestrator. Google patched 370 security issues in Chrome, and a data-conversion library fastjson was found vulnerable with observed attacks. Apple shipped iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 containing fixes for 87 vulnerabilities, and Cisco warned that its Firewall Management Center is already being exploited. Additional patches addressed OpenAM, Node.js, and a critical flaw dubbed KindaRails2Shell in Ruby on Rails. The list also includes a breach at an ANA Group e-commerce site that may have exposed customer data.
pgAdmin 4 Issues Critical Security Update Addressing Seven Vulnerabilities Including Prior Patch Failures
The pgAdmin 4 development team has released version 9.17 to resolve seven vulnerabilities in the popular PostgreSQL database management tool. The update covers two newly discovered issues rated Critical, one Critical flaw stemming from incomplete remediation in the previous 9.16 release, and four additional vulnerabilities. Among the new flaws is CVE-2026-17566, an OS command injection vulnerability in the query-based data export feature caused by insufficient SQL validation. Another Critical issue, CVE-2026-17349, allows duplication of shared servers to inadvertently copy stored database credentials belonging to other users. The incomplete fix for CVE-2026-12045 led to CVE-2026-17351, which bypasses the read-only restrictions of the AI Assistant due to differing string literal interpretations between the SQL parsing library and PostgreSQL.
Dangerous C++ Traps: Memory Safety Issues, Undefined Behavior, and Code That Betrays Developers
Around 70% of vulnerabilities assigned CVE numbers by Microsoft each year stem from memory safety errors, with Chromium reporting a similar pattern for serious Chrome bugs. The article examines how C++ deliberately permits low-level memory access for performance but demands strict discipline to avoid undefined behavior (UB). It details real-world cases including Heartbleed (CVE-2014-0160) in OpenSSL, use-after-free errors, buffer overflows, and data races. Modern tools such as AddressSanitizer, UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer, and ThreadSanitizer are presented as essential for detection, alongside recommendations for RAII, std::span, and smart pointers. The piece also discusses C++26 changes introducing erroneous behavior for uninitialized variables and advises when to consider memory-safe languages like Rust for new components. Practical migration steps and compiler warning strategies are outlined to reduce risk in existing codebases.
Critical CosmosEscape Flaw Breaks Customer Isolation in Azure Cosmos DB
A critical vulnerability named CosmosEscape allowed attackers to escape the restricted Gremlin API environment and execute arbitrary code on the DB Gateway component of Azure Cosmos DB. The flaw exploited weaknesses in .NET reflection protections, enabling file read/write operations and command execution that ultimately yielded the Cosmos Master Key. With this global signing key, an attacker could retrieve the primary key for any customer account and gain full read/write access. The exploit also exposed the Config Store containing account names, subscription identifiers, tenant details, and network rules. Even network-isolated and private instances remained vulnerable because the DB Gateway itself enforced those restrictions. Internal Microsoft services including Entra ID, Teams, and Copilot rely on Cosmos DB, amplifying the potential impact of the issue.
Critical RCE Vulnerability CVE-2026-66066 Affects Ruby on Rails Active Storage with libvips
A severe vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-66066 has been identified in the Ruby on Rails web application framework. The flaw, also referred to as KindaRails2Shell by researchers, impacts applications that use Active Storage with the libvips image processing engine. Attackers can exploit the issue by uploading specially crafted files to read arbitrary files without authentication. This exposure may lead to theft of environment variables, secret keys, and external service credentials, enabling remote code execution or further attacks. The vulnerability stems from unsafe operations in the dependent libvips library. It carries a CVSS v4.0 base score of 9.5 and is rated Critical. JPCERT/CC has issued an advisory urging immediate updates.