China-Linked Hackers Exploit VMware ESXi Zero-Days to Escape Virtual Machines
Chinese-speaking threat actors are suspected to have leveraged a compromised SonicWall VPN appliance as an initial access vector to deploy a VMware ESXi exploit that may have been developed as far back as February 2024.
Cybersecurity firm Huntress, which observed the activity in December 2025 and stopped it before it could progress to the final stage, said it may have resulted in a ransomware
Russian APT28 Runs Credential-Stealing Campaign Targeting Energy and Policy Organizations
Russian state-sponsored threat actors have been linked to a fresh set of credential harvesting attacks targeting individuals associated with a Turkish energy and nuclear research agency, as well as staff affiliated with a European think tank and organizations in North Macedonia and Uzbekistan.
The activity has been attributed to APT28 (aka BlueDelta), which was attributed to a "sustained"
Cybersecurity Predictions 2026: The Hype We Can Ignore (And the Risks We Can't)
As organizations plan for 2026, cybersecurity predictions are everywhere. Yet many strategies are still shaped by headlines and speculation rather than evidence. The real challenge isn’t a lack of forecasts—it’s identifying which predictions reflect real, emerging risks and which can safely be ignored.
An upcoming webinar hosted by Bitdefender aims to cut through the noise with a data-driven
Trend Micro Apex Central RCE Flaw Scores 9.8 CVSS in On-Prem Windows Versions
Trend Micro has released security updates to address multiple security vulnerabilities impacting on-premise versions of Apex Central for Windows, including a critical bug that could result in arbitrary code execution.
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-69258, carries a CVSS score of 9.8 out of a maximum of 10.0. The vulnerability has been described as a case of remote code execution
CISA Retires 10 Emergency Cybersecurity Directives Issued Between 2019 and 2024
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Thursday said it's retiring 10 emergency directives (Eds) that were issued between 2019 and 2024.
The list of the directives now considered closed is as follows -
ED 19-01: Mitigate DNS Infrastructure Tampering
ED 20-02: Mitigate Windows Vulnerabilities from January 2020 Patch Tuesday
ED 20-03: Mitigate Windows DNS Server
FBI Warns North Korean Hackers Using Malicious QR Codes in Spear-Phishing
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday released an advisory warning of North Korean state-sponsored threat actors leveraging malicious QR codes in spear-phishing campaigns targeting entities in the country.
"As of 2025, Kimsuky actors have targeted think tanks, academic institutions, and both U.S. and foreign government entities with embedded malicious Quick Response (QR)
Chinese-speaking hackers exploited ESXi zero-days long before disclosure
Chinese-speaking attackers used a hacked SonicWall VPN to deploy ESXi zero-days that were likely exploited over a year before public disclosure. Chinese-speaking attackers were seen abusing a hacked SonicWall VPN to deliver a toolkit targeting VMware ESXi. The exploit chain included a sophisticated VM escape and appears to have been developed more than a year […]
Digital Threat Detection Tools & Best Practices
Threat intelligence practitioners from Global Payments, Adobe, and Superhuman reveal how mature CTI programs transform data overload into strategic business value. Learn proven approaches to automation, cross-functional collaboration, and executive communication.
Who Benefited from the Aisuru and Kimwolf Botnets?
Our first story of 2026 revealed how a destructive new botnet called Kimwolf rapidly grew to infect more than two million devices by mass-compromising a vast number of unofficial Android TV streaming boxes. Today, we'll dig through digital clues left behind by the hackers, network operators, and cybercrime services that appear to have benefitted from Kimwolf's spread.
Astaroth banking Trojan spreads in Brazil via WhatsApp worm
A WhatsApp worm spread the Astaroth banking trojan across Brazil by automatically sending malicious messages to victims’ contacts. Astaroth, a long-running Brazilian banking malware, has evolved in a new campaign dubbed Boto Cor-de-Rosa by abusing WhatsApp Web for propagation. The malware harvests the victim’s WhatsApp contact list and automatically sends malicious messages to each contact, […]
WhatsApp Worm Spreads Astaroth Banking Trojan Across Brazil via Contact Auto-Messaging
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new campaign that uses WhatsApp as a distribution vector for a Windows banking trojan called Astaroth in attacks targeting Brazil.
The campaign has been codenamed Boto Cor-de-Rosa by Acronis Threat Research Unit.
"The malware retrieves the victim's WhatsApp contact list and automatically sends malicious messages to each contact to fur
China-Linked UAT-7290 Targets Telecoms with Linux Malware and ORB Nodes
A China-nexus threat actor known as UAT-7290 has been attributed to espionage-focused intrusions against entities in South Asia and Southeastern Europe.
The activity cluster, which has been active since at least 2022, primarily focuses on extensive technical reconnaissance of target organizations before initiating attacks, ultimately leading to the deployment of malware families such as RushDrop
ThreatsDay Bulletin: RustFS Flaw, Iranian Ops, WebUI RCE, Cloud Leaks, and 12 More Stories
The internet never stays quiet. Every week, new hacks, scams, and security problems show up somewhere.
This week’s stories show how fast attackers change their tricks, how small mistakes turn into big risks, and how the same old tools keep finding new ways to break in.
Read on to catch up before the next wave hits.
Honeypot Traps Hackers
Hackers Fall for
The State of Trusted Open Source
Chainguard, the trusted source for open source, has a unique view into how modern organizations actually consume open source software and where they run into risk and operational burdens. Across a growing customer base and an extensive catalog of over 1800 container image projects, 148,000 versions, 290,000 images, and 100,000 language libraries, and almost half a billion builds, they can see
Cisco Patches ISE Security Vulnerability After Public PoC Exploit Release
Cisco has released updates to address a medium-severity security flaw in Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) with a public proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit.
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-20029 (CVSS score: 4.9), resides in the licensing feature and could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with administrative privileges to gain access to
Researchers Uncover NodeCordRAT Hidden in npm Bitcoin-Themed Packages
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered three malicious npm packages that are designed to deliver a previously undocumented malware called NodeCordRAT.
The names of the packages, all of which were taken down as of November 2025, are listed below. They were uploaded by a user named "wenmoonx."
bitcoin-main-lib (2,300 Downloads)
bitcoin-lib-js (193 Downloads)
bip40 (970 Downloads)
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Coolify Discloses 11 Critical Flaws Enabling Full Server Compromise on Self-Hosted Instances
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of multiple critical-severity security flaws affecting Coolify, an open-source, self-hosting platform, that could result in authentication bypass and remote code execution.
The list of vulnerabilities is as follows -
CVE-2025-66209 (CVSS score: 10.0) - A command injection vulnerability in the database backup functionality allows any authenticated
China-linked groups intensify attacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, NSB warns
Taiwan says China-linked cyberattacks on its energy sector rose tenfold in 2025, hitting critical infrastructure across nine sectors, with total incidents up 6%. Taiwan reports China-linked cyberattacks on its energy sector surged tenfold in 2025, targeting critical infrastructure across nine sectors, with total incidents up 6% YoY. Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) reports China launched […
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health with Isolated, Encrypted Health Data Controls
Artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI on Wednesday announced the launch of ChatGPT Health, a dedicated space that allows users to have conversations with the chatbot about their health.
To that end, the sandboxed experience offers users the optional ability to securely connect medical records and wellness apps, including Apple Health, Function, MyFitnessPal, Weight Watchers, AllTrails,
CISA Flags Microsoft Office and HPE OneView Bugs as Actively Exploited
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Wednesday added two security flaws impacting Microsoft Office and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) OneView to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, citing evidence of active exploitation.
The vulnerabilities are listed below -
CVE-2009-0556 (CVSS score: 8.8) - A code injection vulnerability in Microsoft Office