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Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed Go-based malware distributed via two Go Modules and two Terraform providers, marking the first time threat actors are using the centralized repository hosted by HashiCorp as a distribution vector for malicious payloads. According to Aikido , the list of Terraform providers and Go modules is below - gocommunity-io/dockerd (222 downloads) kreuzwenker/docker (1,449 downloads) gocommunity.io/orderedbtree gogets.dev/btreex The malware deployed through these packages demonstrates overlaps with Graphalgo , a campaign that was first documented by ReversingLabs earlier this February and attributed to North Korean (aka DPRK) threat actors. As part of this effort, prospective developers are approached via social platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, or through job offerings on forums by posing as non-existent Web3 companies, and then asked to complete a coding task by providing a benign GitHub repository that introduces the malicio...

A Windows malware called CLOSEDQUORUM is built to take orders from a vote of up to four AI models instead of an attacker's server, Cisco Talos said on September 22. The models can choose to steal Windows credentials, saved browser passwords, and crypto wallet data. Talos has not seen this setup work from start to finish, and the public version of the malware does not work as it is. Talos found the malware with  CAIRN , an open-source tool it released the same day to hunt for malware that uses AI services. The malware is at least three months old, because Talos's analysis of the code is dated June 17, 2026. The researchers did not describe how the malware would get onto a victim's computer. It said clues in the code tied the developer to criminal forum posts about carding, the trade in stolen card data, dating to 2025. How the AI Vote Works Malware usually takes orders from a command-and-control (C2) server that the attacker runs. CLOSEDQUORUM instead asks up t...

Unknown threat actors have managed to compromise two legitimate MemTensor packages across the npm and Python Package Index (PyPI) repositories to push a platform-specific Go-based implant dubbed sckit designed for Windows, Linux, and macOS. According to reports from Aikido , SafeDep , Socket , and StepSecurity , the libraries in question below - @memtensor/memos-cloud-openclaw-plugin versions 0.1.21, 0.1.23 and 0.1.25 (versions 0.1.22 and 0.1.24 are clean) MemoryOS version 2.0.34 (project currently quarantined on PyPI) The malicious npm package versions include a "hidden Go payload into a legitimate AI memory integration. Versions 0.1.21, 0.1.23, and 0.1.25 contain code that launches the payload when the agent gateway starts and whenever the plugin handles a memory-recall event," StepSecurity said. "The launcher passes the host process environment and, during recall, the user's prompt text directly to the malicious executable."

A Chinese threat actor codenamed UTA0565 has been observed exploiting the recently disclosed Google Chrome-Microsoft Windows exploit chain as zero-days through fake websites. The attacks, detected on September 3 and 4, 2026, involved the chaining of two vulnerabilities in Chrome (CVE-2026-85046, CVE-2026-87491) and one impacting Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call (CVE-2026-85880) to break out of the browser's sandbox and achieve remote code execution. "UTA0565 masqueraded as various entities including media organizations and a non-governmental organization (NGO)," Volexity researchers Damien Cash and Tom Lancaster said in an analysis published this week. "Notably, this threat actor's campaigns differed from previously documented attacks by using multiple fake websites to deceive victims." One such campaign targeted Asian government entities with Chinese- and English-language phishing emails that urged recipients to support Hong Kong activist Cho...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a malicious npm package named "tw-pkgprobe-7731" that masquerades as a security tool targeting developers integrating Twilio into their applications, while stealthily attempting to harvest sensitive data. The package, named "tw-pkgprobe-7731," was first uploaded to the npm registry in mid-August 2026 by an npm account named "twdepprobe7731." In total, 11 versions of the package were published in quick succession on the same day over an approximately 45-minute time period. The npm user account no longer exists as of writing. "The first version of tw-pkgprobe-7731 posed as an authorized security research probe," ReversingLabs researcher Lucija Valentić said in a report published today. "Comments inside the package describe it as an 'Authorized bug-bounty research probe (Twilio HackerOne program)' that 'runs only inside Twilio's serverless packager sandbox' and ...

A malicious npm package named "indexed-btree" has been observed hiding its malicious behavior within application code rather than using lifecycle scripts, indicating that threat actors are likely shifting tactics in response to recent security controls . "Indexed-btree is a malicious npm package mimicking the legit sorted-btree package, an ordinary B-tree/indexing utility," Checkmarx said . "Unlike the common attacks we've seen in the supply chain space, this package does not rely on preinstall / postinstall at all. Instead, it runs entirely from application code at runtime." The package and the associated GitHub repository are no longer available for download from npm. However, statistics show the package was first uploaded to the registry on June 18, 2026, by an npm user named " charlessadler25 ," amassing millions of downloads in a short span of time . To make matters worse, the campaign may have generated illicit profits for the...

The threat actor known as SideCopy has been observed using spear-phishing lures to target academic institutions in India, expanding their strategic focus beyond government entities. "SideCopy campaign operations typically initiate through spear-phishing campaigns that leverage the abuse of mshta.exe to execute malicious scripts and circumvent standard security protocols," Trellix researchers Boggavarapu R S S Srinivas Gupta and Ravishankar N C said in a technical report. "This delivery mechanism facilitates the deployment of a remote access trojan (RAT), which serves as the central pillar of their offensive infrastructure." Active since at least 2019, SideCopy (aka TAG-140) is an advanced persistent threat (APT) group that originates from Pakistan, and shares overlaps with the Transparent Tribe cluster. Historically, the threat actor has primarily targeted Indian defense forces and government officials. In a report published in June 2026, Seqrite Labs a...

A fake LastPass Authenticator installer offered on GitHub installs a Windows kernel driver that shuts off antivirus and other security software before a password stealer runs if a victim downloads and runs it, researchers at LastPass and Delphos Labs said on September 17. Microsoft's own hardware-compatibility program signs the driver, scored zero detections on VirusTotal when researchers checked it in August, and was not on Microsoft's list of blocked drivers. LastPass says none of its own systems, services, or customer vaults were touched, and that the attackers only borrowed its name. The lure is a fake GitHub page (github.com/LastPass-Authenticator) that ranks in search results for terms like "LastPass Authenticator download" and looks like a real LastPass product page. Clicking the download button sends the visitor through several GitHub pages to an attacker server, which serves a large ZIP file. The real LastPass Authenticator comes from lastpass.com and ...

The North Korean threat actors behind the Contagious Interview campaign have compromised at least 30,000 devices located in more than 100 countries and siphoned funds or account credentials from over 7,000 cryptocurrency wallets, according to a new joint cybersecurity advisory . The primary targets of the campaign are individual web designers, engineers, and specialists in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and Web3 technologies. In all, the threat actors are estimated to have plundered at least $10.71 million worth of cryptocurrency from victims. The alert comes courtesy of cybersecurity and intelligence agencies from Japan, the U.S., Australia, and Germany. The activity is tracked by the broader cybersecurity community under the monikers CL-STA-0240, DeceptiveDevelopment, DEV#POPPER, Famous Chollima, Gwisin Gang, PurpleBravo, Tenacious Pungsan, UNC5342, Void Dokkaebi, and WaterPlum. The cyber threat group "conducts cyber attacks by infiltrating unsuspecting job seekers' com...

A browser. A plugin. A package. A login screen. Normal stuff. That is basically the problem this week. The trouble keeps showing up inside things people already trust: code that takes a bad turn, old payloads coming back, exposed systems, weak checks, fake fixes, and attack paths that look almost too easy. Even the research side is getting messy, with more findings, more automation, and not always more clarity. Nothing here needs much drama. Just a lot of small doors left open. Here’s what happened. ⚡ Threat of the Week Cisco Warns of Actively Exploited ISE Auth Bypass — Cisco warned of a fresh maximum-severity security flaw impacting Identity Services Engine (ISE) that has come under active exploitation. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-76460 (CVSS score: 10.0), could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication. "This vulnerability is due to insufficient authentication control on an API endpoint," Cisco said. "An attacker could exp...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new campaign dubbed TASK#STOMP that delivers a PowerShell backdoor designed to harvest sensitive data from compromised hosts. The backdoor "automatically harvests and exfiltrates business documents, watches the filesystem for new files in real time, steals Wi-Fi passwords and clipboard contents, takes screenshots, and accepts arbitrary remote commands through two redundant, token-authenticated C2 servers," Securonix researchers Akshay Gaikwad and Aaron Beardslee said in a report shared with The Hacker News. The starting point of the infection chain is the use of "wscript.exe" to execute an encoded Visual Basic Script (VBScript) file staged on the victim's desktop ("95c9050t66.vbs"). The exact initial access pathway used to deliver the payload is unclear, although it's possible that it may have been via email-based phishing or social engineering. By giving it a completely random file nam...

Threat actors are leveraging ClickFix-like lures to deliver a previously undocumented remote access trojan (RAT) called ChainScript . "ChainScript has appeared under multiple build names, including ComponentTask33, UpdateDigital, HostShared, and OrchidViolet66, while presenting itself as Spotify, Zoom Workplace, and Microsoft Teams software," Blackpoint Adversary Pursuit Group (APG) researchers Sam Decker, Andi Ursry, and Nevan Beal said . Like many malware families observed in recent months, ChainScript employs an EtherHiding -style command-and-control (C2) discovery technique that makes use of a Polygon smart contract to locate its active WebSocket infrastructure. ChainScript is a full-featured RAT that provides extensive remote access to the operator, including interactive CMD and PowerShell, file operations, screenshot capture, payload deployment, cryptocurrency wallet enumeration (both desktop apps and browser extensions), and remote JavaScript execution. The...

The North Korean threat actor known as Jade Sleet has been attributed to the compromise of an India-based "much smaller organization" in the information technology (IT) services industry, once again highlighting how the adversary continues to target developers to breach target networks. Cybersecurity company SentinelOne, which disclosed details of the activity, said it involved the use of Apple macOS backdoors tracked as FLATROOF (aka Gaslight ) and ROOFDECK, both of which were previously observed in the March-April 2026 attack on KelpDAO's LayerZero bridge . Jade Sleet, also tracked under the monikers PUKCHONG, Slow Pisces, TraderTraitor, and UNC4899, has a history of targeting the Web3 sector for cryptocurrency heists. In early 2025, the hacking group was tied to the theft of about $1.5 billion from Bybit's cold wallet infrastructure following a supply chain compromise of Safe{Wallet}'s developer environment. "Jade Sleet mostly targets users as...

An attacker copied about 170 of CrowdSec's private GitHub repositories on May 22 using the account of an employee who had just left, CrowdSec said on September 18. The French security company had kept his GitHub access open. CrowdSec says his laptop was compromised in May's  supply chain attack on TanStack , in which malicious versions of TanStack's npm packages stole credentials from developers' machines. The code appeared on an online forum on September 16. Along with the source code, it contained the email addresses of 83 CrowdSec users and the names, email addresses, and investment context of 51 potential investors from 2020, the company said. CrowdSec says the account was used only to copy code, that its infrastructure and databases were not accessed, and that no code was changed. How the Code Was Taken On May 11, 84 malicious versions of 42 TanStack npm packages were published. The compromise is tracked as CVE-2026-45321 . Installing one of those versi...

The Pakistan-aligned threat group tracked as Transparent Tribe (aka APT36 and Earth Karkaddan) has been attributed to a fresh set of cyber attacks targeting government and defense entities in India and Afghanistan. The attacks, per Zscaler ThreatLabz, involve the use of previously undocumented tools called RUSTYSHADE, RUSTYMOVE, PSNATCH, and BASHNATCH. The activity has been codenamed Operation RapidRust . "APT36 has maintained a high operational tempo and updated their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) in continued attacks targeting government and defense organizations in India and Afghanistan," Sudeep Singh , senior manager of APT Research at Zscaler ThreatLabz, said in a technical report published this week. The discovery comes a little over a month after  Acronis Threat Research Unit (TRU) tied the long-running persistent threat group to another campaign aimed at Afghan telecom providers and South Asian critical infrastructure organizations using a backdo...

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a cluster of 13 npm packages that have been found to deliver a previously undocumented JavaScript stealer codenamed WeaselBiscuit . The new malware family, per OpenSourceMalware , exhibits functional overlaps with two malware strains associated with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) Contagious Interview campaign: BeaverTail and OtterCookie . "It's smaller, lighter, and stripped down, with many of the heavier functions removed entirely," security researcher Paul McCarty (aka 6mile) said. The names of the packages are below - @biz44/id10-client @biz44/id12-client @biz44/id44-client @biz44/id79-client @biz44/id95-client @biz44/id99-client @biz44/process-runtime-utils @biz44/runtime-utils engin1 id79-client process-lhpm process-mite process-tailwind "It's a stripped down stealer that borrows several functions from DPRK's BeaverTail and OtterCookie,...

A financially motivated threat actor has been linked to the development and distribution of a JavaScript (JS)-based information stealer known as PhantomRaven via the npm package registry. "The developer likely wrote the malware using a large language model (LLM), an assessment made with high confidence based on verbose comments, placeholder code, and statistical token-analysis patterns," CrowdStrike's Counter Adversary Operations said in an analysis published this week. PhantomRaven was first flagged by Koi Security and DCODX in late October 2025, calling attention to a slopsquatting and typosquatted campaign in which more than 100 malicious packages were uploaded to npm to steal authentication tokens, CI/CD secrets, and GitHub credentials from developers' machines. The software supply chain attack used these packages as a cover to retrieve a remote dynamic dependency (RDD) from an external server so that the libraries themselves are not flagged by security ...

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new Android malware called RatHat that's assessed to be operated by China-based threat actors and features an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system to navigate and control compromised devices. "Distributed primarily via targeted smishing (SMS/text phishing) and malvertising campaigns leading to deceptive third-party download portals, RatHat uses an automated multi-stage infection pipeline," Zimperium researchers Gianluca Braga, Vishnu Pratapagiri, and Fernando Ortega said . "Once deployed, it pairs Accessibility abuse with autonomous local ADB (Android Debug Bridge) self-pairing to break out of the standard Android application sandbox, staging independent native daemons that execute with shell-level privileges." RatHat is propagated via deceptive phishing sites promoted via malvertising, smishing campaigns, and third-party forums that trick unsuspecting users into installing malware-laced APKs. These pa...

Attackers keep finding new keys. The funny part is that defenders keep inventing where to store them. This week, those keys sit in AI tools, exposed services, old bugs, weak logins, and software sold like a monthly subscription. Some attacks use new tricks. Others just reuse what was already lying around. Both work often enough. So the threat landscape is not getting cleaner. It is just getting more places to make the same mistake. Here’s what showed up this week. The threats change every week. Subscribe, and we’ll alert you when each new ThreatsDay Bulletin is out.

The Iran-linked "hacktivist" persona known as Handala Hack has been attributed to a Telegram-based surveillance backdoor called HEAVYGRAM and a Delphi-based utility known as CRUDEEXCLUDE . "HEAVYGRAM offers builtin commands supporting remote command execution, system, network and process information discovery, data and Telegram session files exfiltration, screenshot capture, DLL sideloading, file cleanup, and persistence via Windows autorun registry keys," Group-IB said . On the other hand, CRUDEEXCLUDE is a Delphi-based Windows utility employed to prepare environments for the deployment of subsequent stages such as HEAVYGRAM. First observed in late July 2024, the malware is often disguised as a legitimate application with a graphical user interface (GUI), and configures Microsoft Defender exclusion paths for defense evasion. The findings build upon an alert the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) first issued in March 2026 and again earlier this wee...