Cloud security | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Big companies are getting smaller, and their CEOs want everyone to know it . Wells Fargo has cut its workforce by 23% over five years, Bank of America has shed 88,000 employees since 2010, and Verizon's CEO recently boasted that headcount is "going down all the time." What was once a sign of corporate distress has become a badge of honor, with executives celebrating lean operations and AI-driven efficiency. But while C-suite leaders tout "doing more with less," CISOs are left with fewer resources, while every preventable security incident becomes exponentially costlier. With security teams already stretched thin and developer-to-security ratios reaching unsustainable levels, these workforce reductions push already distressed teams past their breaking point. Against this backdrop of workforce optimization, hardcoded secrets represent a particularly dangerous blind spot that can no longer be managed through manual processes and reactive firefighting. The Number...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new botnet that customers can rent access to conduct distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against targets of interest. The ShadowV2 botnet, according to Darktrace, predominantly targets misconfigured Docker containers on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud servers to deploy a Go-based malware that turns infected systems into attack nodes and co-opt them into a larger DDoS botnet. The cybersecurity company said it detected the malware targeting its honeypots on June 24, 2025. "At the center of this campaign is a Python-based command-and-control (C2) framework hosted on GitHub Codespaces," security researcher Nathaniel Bill said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "What sets this campaign apart is the sophistication of its attack toolkit. The threat actors employ advanced methods such as HTTP/2 Rapid Reset , a Cloudflare under attack mode ( UAM ) bypass, and large-scale HTTP floods, demonstrating a capabi...

The security landscape now moves at a pace no patch cycle can match. Attackers aren't waiting for quarterly updates or monthly fixes—they adapt within hours, blending fresh techniques with old, forgotten flaws to create new openings. A vulnerability closed yesterday can become the blueprint for tomorrow's breach. This week's recap explores the trends driving that constant churn: how threat actors reuse proven tactics in unexpected ways, how emerging technologies widen the attack surface, and what defenders can learn before the next pivot. Read on to see not just what happened, but what it means—so you can stay ahead instead of scrambling to catch up. ⚡ Threat of the Week Google Patches Actively Exploited Chrome 0-Day — Google released security updates for the Chrome web browser to address four vulnerabilities, including one that it said has been exploited in the wild. The zero-day vulnerability, CVE-2025-10585, has been described as a type confusion issue in the V8 JavaScript ...

We hear this a lot: "We've got hundreds of service accounts and AI agents running in the background. We didn't create most of them. We don't know who owns them. How are we supposed to secure them?" Every enterprise today runs on more than users. Behind the scenes, thousands of non-human identities, from service accounts to API tokens to AI agents, access systems, move data, and execute tasks around the clock. They're not new. But they're multiplying fast. And most weren't built with security in mind. Traditional identity tools assume intent, context, and ownership. Non-human identities have none of those. They don't log in and out. They don't get offboarded. And with the rise of autonomous agents, they're beginning to make their own decisions, often with broad permissions and little oversight. It's already creating new blind spots. But we're only at the beginning. In this post, we'll look at how non-human identity risk is evolving, where most organizations are still exposed, and...

A critical token validation failure in Microsoft Entra ID (previously Azure Active Directory) could have allowed attackers to impersonate any user, including Global Administrators, across any tenant. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-55241 , has been assigned the maximum CVSS score of 10.0. It has been described by Microsoft as a privilege escalation flaw in Azure Entra. There is no indication that the issue was exploited in the wild. It has been addressed by the Windows maker as of July 17, 2025, requiring no customer action. Security researcher Dirk-jan Mollema, who discovered and reported the shortcoming on July 14, said the shortcoming made it possible to compromise every Entra ID tenant in the world, with the likely exception of national cloud deployments . The problem stems from a combination of two components: the use of service-to-service (S2S) actor tokens issued by the Access Control Service (ACS) and a fatal flaw in the legacy Azure AD Graph API (graph.windows.n...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed a zero-click flaw in OpenAI ChatGPT's Deep Research agent that could allow an attacker to leak sensitive Gmail inbox data with a single crafted email without any user action. The new class of attack has been codenamed ShadowLeak by Radware. Following responsible disclosure on June 18, 2025, the issue was addressed by OpenAI in early August. "The attack utilizes an indirect prompt injection that can be hidden in email HTML (tiny fonts, white-on-white text, layout tricks) so the user never notices the commands, but the agent still reads and obeys them," security researchers Zvika Babo, Gabi Nakibly, and Maor Uziel said . "Unlike prior research that relied on client-side image rendering to trigger the leak, this attack leaks data directly from OpenAI's cloud infrastructure, making it invisible to local or enterprise defenses." Launched by OpenAI in February 2025, Deep Research is an agentic capability built into ...

An Iran-nexus cyber espionage group known as UNC1549 has been attributed to a new campaign targeting European telecommunications companies, successfully infiltrating 34 devices across 11 organizations as part of a recruitment-themed activity on LinkedIn. Swiss cybersecurity company PRODAFT is tracking the cluster under the name Subtle Snail . It's assessed to be affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The targeted 11 companies are located in Canada, France, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. "The group operates by posing as HR representatives from legitimate entities to engage employees, then compromises them through deployment of a MINIBIKE backdoor variant that communicates with command-and-control (C2) infrastructure proxied through Azure cloud services to bypass detection," the company said in a report shared with The Hacker News. UNC1549 (aka TA455), believed to be active since at least June 2022, ...

A proxy network known as REM Proxy is powered by malware known as SystemBC , offering about 80% of the botnet to its users, according to new findings from the Black Lotus Labs team at Lumen Technologies. "REM Proxy is a sizeable network, which also markets a pool of 20,000 Mikrotik routers and a variety of open proxies it finds freely available online," the company said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "This service has been a favorite for several actors such as those behind TransferLoader , which has ties to the Morpheus ransomware group." SystemBC is a C-based malware that turns infected computers into SOCKS5 proxies, allowing infected hosts to communicate with a command-and-control (C2) server and download additional payloads. First documented by Proofpoint in 2019, it's capable of targeting both Windows and Linux systems . In a report earlier this January, ANY.RUN revealed that the Linux variant of SystemBC proxy implant is potentially desi...

SonicWall is urging customers to reset credentials after their firewall configuration backup files were exposed in a security breach impacting MySonicWall accounts. The company said it recently detected suspicious activity targeting the cloud backup service for firewalls, and that unknown threat actors accessed backup firewall preference files stored in the cloud for less than 5% of its customers. "While credentials within the files were encrypted, the files also included information that could make it easier for attackers to potentially exploit the related firewall," the company said . The network security company said it's not aware of any of these files being leaked online by the threat actors, adding it was not a ransomware event targeting its network. "Rather this was a series of brute-force attacks aimed at gaining access to the preference files stored in backup for potential further use by threat actors," it noted. It's currently not known who is...

Cybersecurity researchers have tied a fresh round of cyber attacks targeting financial services to the notorious cybercrime group known as Scattered Spider , casting doubt on their claims of going "dark." Threat intelligence firm ReliaQuest said it has observed indications that the threat actor has shifted their focus to the financial sector. This is supported by an increase in lookalike domains potentially linked to the group that are geared towards the industry vertical, as well as a recently identified targeted intrusion against an unnamed U.S. banking organization. "Scattered Spider gained initial access by socially engineering an executive's account and resetting their password via Azure Active Directory Self-Service Password Management," the company said . "From there, they accessed sensitive IT and security documents, moved laterally through the Citrix environment and VPN, and compromised VMware ESXi infrastructure to dump credentials and furthe...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed multiple critical security vulnerabilities in Chaos Mesh that, if successfully exploited, could lead to cluster takeover in Kubernetes environments. "Attackers need only minimal in-cluster network access to exploit these vulnerabilities, execute the platform's fault injections (such as shutting down pods or disrupting network communications), and perform further malicious actions, including stealing privileged service account tokens," JFrog said in a report shared with The Hacker News. Chaos Mesh is an open-source cloud-native Chaos Engineering platform that offers various types of fault simulation and simulates various abnormalities that might occur during the software development lifecycle. The issues, collectively called Chaotic Deputy, are listed below - CVE-2025-59358 (CVSS score: 7.5) - The Chaos Controller Manager in Chaos Mesh exposes a GraphQL debugging server without authentication to the entire Kubernetes clus...

AI agents are rapidly becoming a core part of the enterprise, being embedded across enterprise workflows, operating with autonomy, and making decisions about which systems to access and how to use them. But as agents grow in power and autonomy, so do the risks and threats.  Recent studies show 80% of companies have already experienced unintended AI agent actions, from unauthorized system access to data leaks. These incidents aren't edge cases. They are the inevitable outcome of deploying AI agents at scale without purpose-built security mechanisms. Traditional IAM wasn't designed for this. Agents move too fast, operate 24/7, while relying on non-human identities (NHIs) to define precisely what they can and can't do. How can organizations possibly secure what they cannot see or control? To address this challenge, a new approach is needed—one that enables secure-by-design AI agent deployment across the enterprise. Enter: Astrix's Agent Control Plane (ACP) Astrix's AI Agent Cont...

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a fresh software supply chain attack targeting the npm registry that has affected more than 40 packages that belong to multiple maintainers. "The compromised versions include a function (NpmModule.updatePackage) that downloads a package tarball, modifies package.json, injects a local script (bundle.js), repacks the archive, and republishes it, enabling automatic trojanization of downstream packages," supply chain security company Socket said . The end goal of the campaign is to search developer machines for secrets using TruffleHog's credential scanner and transmit them to an external server under the attacker's control. The attack is capable of targeting both Windows and Linux systems. The following packages have been identified as impacted by the incident - angulartics2@14.1.2 @ctrl/deluge@7.2.2 @ctrl/golang-template@1.4.3 @ctrl/magnet-link@4.0.4 @ctrl/ngx-codemirror@7.0.2 @ctrl/ngx-csv@6.0.2 @ctrl/ngx-emoji-mart@...

In a world where threats are persistent, the modern CISO's real job isn't just to secure technology—it's to preserve institutional trust and ensure business continuity. This week, we saw a clear pattern: adversaries are targeting the complex relationships that hold businesses together, from supply chains to strategic partnerships. With new regulations and the rise of AI-driven attacks, the decisions you make now will shape your organization's resilience for years to come. This isn't just a threat roundup; it's the strategic context you need to lead effectively. Here's your full weekly recap, packed with the intelligence to keep you ahead. ⚡ Threat of the Week New HybridPetya Ransomware Bypasses UEFI Secure Boot — A copycat version of the infamous Petya/NotPetya malware dubbed HybridPetya has been spotted. But no telemetry exists to suggest HybridPetya has been deployed in the wild yet. It also differs in one key respect: It can compromise the secure boot featu...

The security landscape for cloud-native applications is undergoing a profound transformation. Containers, Kubernetes, and serverless technologies are now the default for modern enterprises, accelerating delivery but also expanding the attack surface in ways traditional security models can't keep up with. As adoption grows, so does complexity. Security teams are asked to monitor sprawling hybrid environments, sift through thousands of alerts, and protect dynamic applications that evolve multiple times per day. The question isn't just how to detect risks earlier — it's how to prioritize and respond to what really matters in real time. That's where cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPPs) come into play. These platforms consolidate visibility, compliance, detection, and response into a unified system. But in 2025, one capability is proving indispensable: runtime visibility. The New Center of Gravity: Runtime For years, cloud security has leaned heavily on preventative c...

Microsoft on Tuesday addressed a set of 80 security flaws in its software, including one vulnerability that has been disclosed as publicly known at the time of release. Of the 80 vulnerabilities, eight are rated Critical and 72 are rated Important in severity. None of the shortcomings has been exploited in the wild as a zero-day. Like last month , 38 of the disclosed flaws are related to privilege escalation, followed by remote code execution (22), information disclosure (14), and denial-of-service (3). "For the third time this year, Microsoft patched more elevation of privilege vulnerabilities than remote code execution flaws," Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at Tenable, said. "Nearly 50% (47.5%) of all bugs this month are privilege escalation vulnerabilities." The patches are in addition to 12 vulnerabilities addressed in Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge browser since the release of August 2025's Patch Tuesday update, including a securit...

Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) platforms keep evolving, giving attackers faster and cheaper ways to break into corporate accounts. Now, researchers at ANY.RUN has uncovered a new entrant: Salty2FA , a phishing kit designed to bypass multiple two-factor authentication methods and slip past traditional defenses.  Already spotted in campaigns across the US and EU, Salty2FA puts enterprises at risk by targeting industries from finance to energy. Its multi-stage execution chain, evasive infrastructure, and ability to intercept credentials and 2FA codes make it one of the most dangerous PhaaS frameworks seen this year. Why Salty2FA Raises the Stakes for Enterprises Salty2FA's ability to bypass push, SMS, and voice-based 2FA means stolen credentials can lead directly to account takeover. Already aimed at finance, energy, and telecom sectors, the kit turns common phishing emails into high-impact breaches.  Who is Being Targeted? ANY.RUN analysts mapped Salty2FA campaigns and fo...