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A set of 40 Mozilla Firefox extensions has been found to engage in cryptocurrency wallet theft by masquerading as OKX, Rabby Wallet, TronLink, and other Web3 products. According to the Socket Threat Research team, the extensions are part of a broader set of 77 browser add-ons that share source code and infrastructure overlaps. The campaign, dubbed Offside Wallet Theft Factory , is believed to have been active since March 2026. The activity has not been attributed to any known threat actor or group. "Extension-level analysis confirms 40 as malicious," security researcher Kirill Boychenko said . "Another 37 form a coordinated multi-sport score-shell operation. Their analyzed builds contain no confirmed credential- or wallet-stealing payloads, but their deceptive functionality, shared publishing artifacts, and version histories indicate malicious intent." Among those 40 extensions, seven use threat actor-controlled Supabase projects as remote switches to server ...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a critical flaw in the Elementor Pro WordPress plugin that, if successfully exploited, could lead to remote code execution. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-32475 , carries a CVSS score of 9.0 out of 10.0. It has been described as a case of unrestricted upload of a file with a dangerous type. "The flaw lives in the Forms module's File Upload field, where the extension check and the file-move step run in two separate loops with different handling of empty file entries," Patchstack said . "By submitting two file parts for the same field, an unauthenticated attacker skips the extension blocklist entirely and writes a PHP file into a public directory." This discrepancy in how it validates the file's extension and moves the uploaded file to a public directory when empty file entries are processed turns a restricted file-upload field into an unauthenticated remote code execution primitive. Succes...

A previously unreported cyber espionage operation dubbed SilkParasite has been observed targeting government bodies in Central Asia. The intrusion set makes use of seven remote access tool (RAT) families, five of which have never been previously documented: DriveSilkRAT, CookiETagRAT, NomadRAT, GoginRAT, and NodeEdgeRAT. SilkParasite, first discovered in late 2025, is assessed to be a China-nexus threat cluster with medium confidence. "What makes SilkParasite interesting is the traces of AI-assisted development running through otherwise expert code, which is a different thing from AI-generated malware," Bitdefender Labs said in a technical report shared with The Hacker News. Unlike other operations that rely on AI-generated malware, SilkParasite's arsenal exhibits all hallmarks typically associated with professional espionage tooling that's developed by a team of human operators while AI is likely used to streamline the process. The Romanian cybersecurity v...

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a global cybercrime operation that abuses thousands of hacked WordPress websites as infrastructure to disseminate malware, commandeer infected hosts, store stolen documents, screenshots, and activity logs created to track the status of the activity. "The operation doesn't rely on a single piece of malware, but on a whole toolkit of criminal software working together – some components encrypt files, others silently steal documents or lock the screen, and another acts as a live chat between the attackers and their victims," Check Point Research's Jaromír Hořejší said . The large-scale campaign is being tracked by the cybersecurity company under the moniker StopAndProtect after discovering a ransomware family of the same name in mid-May 2026. The infection chain begins with a ClickFix social engineering attack, resulting in the execution of a PowerShell command that leads to the deployment of additional .NET downloaders and l...

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Tuesday added four critical vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities ( KEV ) catalog, stating they are being exploited in the wild. The shortcomings added to the KEV catalog are listed below - CVE-2026-65400 (CVSS score: 9.8) - An improper authentication vulnerability impacting Apple macOS that could allow an attacker on the network to authenticate to Screen Sharing without valid credentials. CVE-2026-55040 (CVSS score: 9.1) - A weak authentication vulnerability impacting Microsoft SharePoint that could allow an unauthorized attacker to bypass a security feature over a network. CVE-2026-59310 (CVSS score: 9.8) - A path traversal vulnerability in Broadcom VMware vCenter that could allow a threat actor with network access to vCenter to execute arbitrary code. CVE-2026-33824 (CVSS score: 9.8) - A double free vulnerability in  Microsoft Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Service Extensions ...

Microsoft Defender Experts have linked more than 30 web domains to MacSync Stealer, a macOS-focused information stealer, after correlating recurring endpoint and network behaviors across changing infrastructure, tracing the malware from payload retrieval through data collection, staging, and exfiltration. The tech giant said it required multiple endpoint and network behaviors to align before treating a domain as connected, including process ancestry, command-line patterns, request paths, headers, and upload parameters.  Microsoft did not disclose a victim count or attribute the activity to a named threat actor in the report published Tuesday. "The investigation also confirmed active data exfiltration, not just beaconing," the company said. According to the analysis , observed execution began from an interactive zsh Terminal session consistent with ClickFix social engineering, followed by curl retrieving attacker-controlled content over a recurring /curl/ path and na...

A JavaServer Pages (JSP) web shell deployed following the exploitation of a critical security flaw in PTC Windchill and FlexPLM servers is specifically designed for the enterprise Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software, according to new findings from ReliaQuest. The cybersecurity company characterized the web shell as a fully equipped extortion platform capable of mapping sensitive vault data, decrypting every credential in the Windchill keystore, and running additional code by means of a custom Java class loader, turning the tool into a backdoor for remote access and post-exploitation activity, such as lateral movement, ransomware, or persistence. While threat actors are typically known to deploy lightweight web shells (or reuse open-source variants like Behinder or China Chopper) as a way to maintain remote access to compromised systems and enable basic command execution capabilities, the latest development signals the use of a bespoke web shell that's tailored to the ...

Security researchers at Anthropic and Switzerland's EPFL have demonstrated that self-propagating payloads can spread from one artificial intelligence (AI) agent to the next through the editable system prompt files that autonomous agent harnesses use to carry state between sessions. The work, released as a preprint on August 10, 2026, tests the technique in a simulated six-agent coding collaboration and in a chain of paired agents modeled on OpenClaw , the open-source autonomous assistant formerly known as Clawdbot and Moltbot . There is no evidence that the technique has spread successfully in the wild, and the same paper reports that a review of archived posts from Moltbook, the social network for AI agents, found no successful agent-to-agent propagation despite several attempts. A one-paragraph warning added to an agent's system prompt reduced spread to near zero across the payloads tested. Fifteen generations of adversarial optimization run against that warning on C...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a previously undocumented Python implant framework dubbed TWINLOOT . "TWINLOOT is a modular, PyArmor-hardened Python implant designed to operate its entire command-and-control infrastructure inside trusted Microsoft services," Ontinue said in a technical report shared with The Hacker News. "Tasking flows through SharePoint Online file dead-drops via the Microsoft Graph API. Interactive operator access routes through WebRTC DataChannels relayed by Microsoft Teams TURN servers." Traffic to and from the Graph API is driven by means of a headless instance of the victim's own Edge browser, thereby making it virtually indistinguishable from legitimate network activity. The implant is equipped to harvest Windows credentials using pixel-perfect fake lock screens, offer a reverse SOCKS5 pivot into victim networks, execute arbitrary commands, and establish persistence on the host. Ontinue's Cyber Defense Cen...

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new typosquatting campaign targeting RubyGems users with a Windows-based information stealer. OpenSourceMalware, which discovered the activity on August 15, 2026, is tracking the threat under the moniker StubMaker . The complete list of packages published as part of the campaign is below - ubnuler ubnlder ri18nr reaker rakier orakw joxn ise18n ioe18n ie18u iai8n i1l8n i18om activesupmport brumdler brundlef "This new malware harvests browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, seed phrases, and Telegram data," security researcher Paul McCarty (aka 6mile) said. "All of the malicious RubyGems packages appear to be typosquats of popular Ruby dependencies, but rather than the clever SEO-fueled typosquats we've seen from other threat actors (e.g., events-channel imitating the popular Node.js events module), they're all clumsy typos." The 16 gems have been published...

Cybersecurity researchers have traced the continued evolution of the Cavern (aka Cav3rn) command-and-control (C2) framework used by Iranian nation-state hackers in attacks targeting entities in Israel. Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky said its ongoing monitoring of the threat activity cluster since December 2025 has led to the discovery of previously unreported components that expand the toolkit's communication capabilities. "The main finding is a complex C2 module that uses DNS A-record responses to choose between direct HTTPS and a Google Apps Script relay for each transaction," Kaspersky said in an analysis. "The same DNS infrastructure can validate and replace the relay deployment ID, allowing the operator to rotate the Google channel." Cavern, first publicly documented by Check Point Research in early July 2026, consists of multiple moving parts, including an Agent and an assortment of modules, that work in tandem to enable mission-specific...

The expensive attacks are not always the clever ones. This week had plenty of proof. Exposed services got hit, old bugs found fresh use, browser sessions became attack paths, and supply-chain problems kept spreading farther than the original compromise. A lot of it came down to access that was already there and defenses that assumed nobody would look too closely. So, nothing magical. Just a lot of small openings turning into bigger problems. Here’s what stood out. ⚡ Threat of the Week Suspected China APT Behind Exploitation of New VMware Flaw — A suspected China-nexus APT is assessed to be behind the exploitation of a newly patched security flaw in VMware vCenter. The attacks involve the exploitation of CVE-2026-59310 (CVSS score: 9.8), a severe directory-traversal vulnerability in the VMware vCenter server that could be weaponized by a malicious actor to execute arbitrary code. In at least one compromised instance, the attacks led to the deployment of a backdoor and. a rever...

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a previously undocumented Linux botnet family dubbed Evooo1Bot that derives its core functionality from the Mirai botnet source code and is equipped to turn internet-facing devices into SOCKS proxies. "While the malware reuses the DDoS engine from the publicly leaked Mirai source code, it extends the original framework with numerous capabilities, including encrypted C2 communications, an SSH brute-force scanner, a SOCKS relay module, a credential sniffer, and an integrated exploit arsenal targeting multiple known vulnerabilities," Fortinet FortiGuard Labs said . Evidence indicates that the botnet has been active in the wild since July 2026, exploiting known vulnerabilities in publicly-accessible devices to deliver the malware. Some of the security flaws weaponized by the botnet are below - CVE-2007-3010 - Alcatel OmniPCX Enterprise Remote Code Execution Vulnerability CVE-2016-6277 - NETGEAR Multiple Routers Remote Code Ex...

A recently patched security flaw in Apple macOS has come under active exploitation in the wild to deploy a cryptocurrency miner, the Netherlands National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NL) has warned . The vulnerability in question is CVE-2026-65400 (CVSS score: 9.8), a critical authentication issue impacting the Screen Sharing component that could allow an attacker already on the network to authenticate to the built-in remote desktop feature service without valid credentials. The updates released by Apple improve state management mechanisms to enforce correct credential validation and prevent unauthorized authentication attempts. The shortcoming was addressed as part of an emergency update in macOS Tahoe 26.6.1 , macOS Sequoia 15.7.9 , and macOS Sonoma 14.8.9 earlier this month. "An authentication issue was addressed with improved state management," Apple said in an advisory released on August 6, 2026. It credited security researcher Alfredo Pesoli of Bynario for disco...

Threat actors are acquiring expired domains to inherit website traffic and reputation to redirect victims to scams and malware on a large scale. DNS threat intelligence firm Infoblox has given the name dropcatch domains to those that get a second chance, where an expired domain becomes available for registration and is then snapped up by another party. During the first half of 2026, 50,400 dropcatch domains were re-registered each day in the generic top-level domains (gTLDs) like ".com" alone, a figure that jumps to around 65,000 when country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) are taken into consideration. These account for nearly 20% of all daily gTLD and ccTLD registrations, meaning one out of five newly registered domains is a dropcatch domain. "These domains can be particularly interesting, even dangerous, because they inherit reputation and sometimes connections from their previous life," Infoblox said in an exhaustive three-part report shared with The Ha...

The threat actor known as HoneyMyte (aka  Mustang Panda ) has been observed deploying an updated version of the CoolClient backdoor with a signed Windows kernel-mode rootkit that can hide and protect malicious processes, files, registry objects, and command-and-control (C2) network information. Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky said it identified victims in Myanmar, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Russia, including confirmed government entities, with CoolClient consistently deployed as a secondary backdoor following a  PlugX  infection. The kernel component is deployed when CoolClient has full access to the Service Control Manager (SCM) and the SeTcbPrivilege privilege. If those conditions are not met, the malware skips driver deployment and proceeds to the final-stage implant. Kaspersky has also published file hashes, paths, and C2 domains as indicators of compromise (IoCs). "Our analysis confirms that the investigated malware is a new CoolClient variant ...

A new White House memo signed by U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed the National Coordination Center (NCC) to establish a program that would allow private sector companies to take advantage of their "innovative capabilities" to break into foreign Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and disrupt them. "By partnering with vetted United States companies subject to the direction and oversight of the Federal Government, we will enhance our ability to counter TCO threats and combat transnational cybercrime, fraud, and other predatory schemes against American citizens," the memo reads . To that end, the NCC has been tasked with setting up a program within 60 days that allows authorized companies to conduct two types of operations against TCOs upon obtaining approval: cyber surveillance operations, which can access sensitive data without authorization from the owner or operator, and cyber effects operations, which can result in disruption, denial, degrad...

The China-linked threat actor known as Jewelbug has been observed carrying out cyber espionage operations targeting governments and militaries, while simultaneously engaging in cryptocurrency fraud. "Both missions are administered from a single control panel, XG-Web , a browser-centric remote-access and information-stealing framework that turns a victim's browser into a full remote-control channel and reaches from there into the host and the internal network behind it," Broadcom's Symantec and Carbon Black Threat Hunter Team said . Jewelbug is assessed to be a China-based hackers-for-hire group that runs parallel operations, including espionage against governments and militaries across the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South Asia, and a for-profit cryptocurrency fraud business. "The group has developed five generations of command-and-control (C&C) code and a family of implants spanning browsers, Windows endpoints, Linux servers and network devices,...

Some weeks have one big security story. Others bring many smaller updates that are easy to miss but still matter. This week has plenty of them, covering cloud services, AI tools, malware, data breaches, scams, and new attack methods. The latest ThreatsDay Bulletin puts all of these short updates in one place, so you can quickly catch up on what happened, what changed, and what security teams should know. The threats change every week. Subscribe, and we’ll alert you when each new ThreatsDay Bulletin is out.

Afghan telecom providers and South Asian critical infrastructure organizations have emerged as the target of a new ongoing campaign that delivers a previously undocumented backdoor called PATCHCORD . According to Acronis Threat Research Unit (TRU) , the backdoor is a compiled C/C++ implant delivered by means of sector-specific lures, including fake VPN installers impersonating Afghan Telecom (AFTEL) and telecom management tools. An analysis of the threat actor's infrastructure has also led to the discovery of another Go-based backdoor dubbed SHEETCORD that uses Google Sheets for command-and-control (C2) communications. The malware has been found to be delivered via a domain impersonating India's National Informatics Center (NIC). "The campaign's infrastructure centers on a single C2 server with multiple associated domains, including domains impersonating Afghan telecom operators and a hijacked legitimate healthcare domain," researchers Darrel Virtusio, San...