Category: Global Security News

HermeticReader is the name given to a recently disclosed vulnerability in the Adobe Acrobat PDF extension for Chrome, tracked as CVE-2026-48294. Researchers discovered the issue in early June 2026 and reported it to Adobe, which patched the flaw over a single weekend. They found that a single visit to a malicious website could turn Adobe’s…

Agentic AI Challenges Progress in Confidential Computing

July 23, 2026

Core issues that slowed down adoption of secure data vaults are being resolved by technology, but artificial intelligence poses new ones. Experts have some answers.

The best Wi-Fi routers of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

July 23, 2026

The best Wi-Fi routers provide a strong internet connection, rapid speeds, and plenty of coverage for working, streaming, gaming, and more.

Should you replace a traditional Wi-Fi router with mesh? I compared the two, and here’s my verdict

July 23, 2026

Choosing between one access point and full-home internet coverage? Here’s the verdict after extended testing.

Months-long breach exposes South Korean diplomats’ personal data

July 23, 2026

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has disclosed that attackers breached the Korea National Diplomatic Academy’s online education system, compromising personal data belonging to current and former ministry staff and diplomats stationed abroad. The Korea National Diplomatic Academy launched the online training platform in 2022 to support remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has…

We tested 15 Wi-Fi 7 routers in our lab – this one had the best coverage

July 23, 2026

ZDNET’s latest Lab Award goes to the Wi-Fi router with the widest coverage.

The organizations that got breached had strong identity programs

July 23, 2026

Machine identities were the gap. AI agents are widening it.

What the recent SharePoint bugs told us about the patch race

July 23, 2026

Patching still works – but it can’t handle the entire defense by itself.

Attackers exploit critical Check Point flaw to take over firewall management (CVE-2026-16232)

July 23, 2026

Attackers are exploiting a critical authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2026-16232) that affects Check Point Security Management and Multi-Domain Security Management, the management servers that push policy to Check Point security gateways (i.e., firewalls). “An unauthenticated attacker can obtain an application login token and use it to login via SmartConsole with full admin privileges and apply changes…

Chaos ransomware msaRAT hides its C2 channel inside a legitimate browser process

July 23, 2026

Cisco Talos has identified a Rust-based remote access trojan it attributes to the Chaos ransomware group, named msaRAT after four of the binding names left in the binary. The tool starts its own instance of Chrome or Edge on the victim machine and controls it through Chrome DevTools Protocol, a debugging interface built into both…

New TrickBot Variant Spotted Using DNS to Control Infected Windows PCs

July 23, 2026

Fortinet has found a new TrickBot variant hiding commands in DNS traffic and using scheduled tasks and added modules to maintain access on infected Windows PCs.

New Dolphin X Stealer Employs AI Profiling to Prioritize Targets

July 23, 2026

Dolphin X is a new infostealer that uses AI to sort and rank victims, giving cybercriminals a faster way to identify lucrative targets

10 Best Threat Intelligence Feeds for SOCs and MSSPs in 2026

July 23, 2026

Threat intelligence feeds give SOCs and MSSPs the data they need to detect malicious activity, enrich alerts, investigate threats, and respond faster. Depending on the platform, this may include malicious IPs, domains, URLs, file hashes, malware behavior, threat actor activity, vulnerabilities, phishing infrastructure, and geopolitical risk. This guide covers several commercial and open-source threat intelligence solutions used…

Wall Street Firms Already Trade Trump’s Truth Social Feed. Now They Can Pay to Be Faster.

July 23, 2026

Plus, the U.S. gives the president more muscular military options as he considers expanding the Iran war, and we go inside Taco Bell’s rush to contain cyclospora.

Google will let you upload a video selfie to recover your account – but should you?

July 23, 2026

Google’s new account recovery option prompts users to upload a selfie to prove their identity. Here’s what to know.

Chaos ransomware’s msaRAT: Living off the browser to build a covert C2 channel

July 23, 2026

Cisco Talos has discovered a new Rust-based remote access trojan (RAT) we call “msaRAT” attributed to the Chaos ransomware group. The name is derived from the binding names found in the binary: “msaOpen,” “msaClose,” “msaError,” and “msaMessage”. msaRAT is implemented using the Tokio asynchronous runtime, with primary capabilities of browser-leveraged remote code execution and covert…

Preview: Cisco Talos at Black Hat USA 2026

July 23, 2026

We’re looking forward to having some great conversations with those of you heading to the desert for Hacker Summer Camp 2026. We have a presence within the Cisco and Splunk booth (2633) during Black Hat where you can chat to us about our latest threat research, incident response, and how Talos powers the Cisco portfolio…

New msaRAT malware uses Chrome, Edge browsers to route C2 traffic

July 23, 2026

The Chaos ransomware gang is using a new backdoor dubbed msaRAT that hides command-and-control (C2) communication by routing it through the Chrome or Edge browsers. […]

Google Study Says AI Is Helping Workers, Not Replacing Them

July 23, 2026

The new research from the creator of Gemini comes amid rising concern over the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market.

ANCHOR-CI could fix 20 years of broken government-industry collaboration

July 23, 2026

On July 1, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) published a seven-page notice in the Federal Register that could fundamentally change how the U.S. government works with private companies to protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats and natural disasters. The notice, “Establishment of the Alliance of National Councils for Homeland Operational Resilience – Critical…

Google Adds Selfie Video Recovery for Users Locked Out of Their Accounts

July 23, 2026

Google on Thursday announced a new way for users to sign-in to their accounts by letting them take a selfie video. The selfie for sign-in, per the tech giant, is another option on top of existing recovery methods to log in to an account, including an email address or a phone number. The idea is…

PyPI hardens package security with new upload restrictions

July 23, 2026

The Python Package Index (PyPI) now rejects uploads of new files to releases older than 14 days to prevent attackers from poisoning long-stable releases if a project’s publishing tokens or release workflows are compromised. “This change will protect Python users and reduce the amount of “cleanup” work associated with project compromises for PyPI admins. This…

Google Has the Muscle to Overpower Spending Worries

July 23, 2026

AI investment and delays are concerns, but the company’s core businesses look strong.

Microsoft working to fix Exchange Online mailbox quarantine issue

July 23, 2026

Microsoft is working to resolve an ongoing Exchange Online issue that has been mistakenly quarantining customers’ mailboxes since Sunday. […]

Cohesity Taps Seb Fitzjohn to Lead Partner Sales, GTM in Europe

July 23, 2026

Data security and data management enterprise, Cohesity, has named Seb Fitzjohn as Vice President, Partner Channel Sales and GTM, Europe. Cohesity eyes data resiliency demand in EMEA Fitzjohn will be charged with expanding the organization’s partner ecosystem as data resiliency becomes a key priority for organizations. Working through the Cohesity Aspire Partner Program, Fitzjohn will…

Swiss rail manufacturer Stadler refuses to pay $12.3 million ransom after cyberattack

July 23, 2026

Cybercriminal group Everest is demanding 10 million Swiss francs ($12.3 million) from Swiss rail vehicle manufacturer Stadler after breaching a data exchange platform shared with one of its suppliers through compromised credentials. Stadler operates 16 production and component plants and eight engineering centers, backed by a global service network of more than 95 locations, and…

CMMC Compliance Uncertainty Expands MSP Opportunity

July 23, 2026

The Defense Department’s decision to pause the next phase of Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) implementation has added another layer of uncertainty for defense contractors. But while assessment timelines may have shifted, the need for cybersecurity preparation has not—creating a growing opportunity for managed service providers, security consultants, and compliance specialists to help customers navigate…

GitHub revamps bug bounty program with new VIP tier, payout changes

July 23, 2026

GitHub is changing its bug bounty program to reward higher-quality vulnerability reports and reduce low-effort submissions, including AI-generated reports. The changes will take effect on July 27, 2026. Reports submitted before that date will be honored under the previous bounty structure. “Alongside the growth in legitimate reports, we’ve seen a sharp increase in submissions that…

Check Point patches actively exploited SmartConsole authentication bypass flaw

July 23, 2026

Check Point addressed a critical authentication bypass flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-16232, in SmartConsole that is being actively exploited. Check Point has released security updates to fix multiple vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-16232 (CVSS score of 9.3), a critical authentication bypass flaw affecting Security Management and Multi-Domain Management (MDSM). The vulnerability, which is under active exploitation, allows unauthenticated…

Check Point warns of SmartConsole zero-day exploited in attacks

July 23, 2026

Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point Software has addressed an actively exploited zero-day flaw in the company’s SmartConsole graphical user interface (GUI) admin panel. […]

Nine-Year-Old RefluXFS Linux Flaw Gives Local Users Root on Default RHEL Installs

July 23, 2026

RefluXFS, a new Linux kernel flaw disclosed on July 22 and tracked as CVE-2026-64600, lets an unprivileged local user overwrite root-owned files on an XFS filesystem and gain persistent root access. Qualys said default installations of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and its derivatives, Fedora Server, and Amazon Linux can meet the conditions for exploitation. The…

Two-Thirds of Ransomware Victims Say AI Boosted Attack Effectiveness

July 23, 2026

A new study of organizations which have fallen victim to ransomware suggests the rise of AI-tools being used by hackers is making life harder for defenders

1-15 July 2026 Cyber Attacks Timeline Infographic

July 23, 2026

Cyber Crime dominated the first half of July 2026, driving 76.5% of all confirmed activity, with Malware the clear weapon of choice at 43.5% of attack techniques. Exploitation of public-facing applications (MITRE T1190) led initial access methods at 27.6%, while Information & Communication infrastructure bore the brunt of targeting, accounting for 32% of sector hits…

1-15 July 2026 Cyber Attacks Timeline

July 23, 2026

85 confirmed cyber incidents shaped the first half of July 2026, with cyber crime accounting for more than three-quarters of all attacks. Malware — spanning RATs, infostealers, spyware, and backdoors — was the dominant weapon, involved in 37 of 85 incidents (43.5%). Information & Communication infrastructure emerged as the hardest-hit sector, targeted in nearly 1…

Axonius expands Asset Cloud with Cyber Assets and Exposures enhancements

July 23, 2026

Axonius has announced new capabilities across the Axonius Asset Cloud to better address asset intelligence and exposure management use cases. The enhancements make it easier than ever to address CMDB visibility gaps and respond to vulnerabilities, while extending asset intelligence capabilities to IoT and OT devices. “Every security and IT leader we speak to has…

Brazilian Banking Trojan Actively Spreading in Portugal

July 23, 2026

Portuguese businesses operate in the same native language as Brazilian hackers, making those businesses easy targets.

Microsoft’s 3-day patching directive comes with added operational risk

July 23, 2026

Microsoft 365 Director Jeremy Chapman this month took to video to tell Windows admins that the days of delaying security patches are over. Complex enterprise systems and historic incidents involving patch problems have caused many admins to hold fire on immediately applying security patches, in many cases deferring patch rollouts for two to four weeks…

Check Point Patches Exploited SmartConsole Flaw Allowing Full Admin Access

July 23, 2026

Check Point has released security updates to address multiple vulnerabilities impacting Security Management and Multi-Domain Management (MDSM) products, including a critical flaw that has come under active exploitation in the wild. The security flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-16232 (CVSS score: 9.3), is an authentication bypass affecting the Check Point SmartConsole login process that allows an

Shadow AI is becoming enterprise security’s biggest blind spot

July 23, 2026

Artificial intelligence has moved from experimentation to everyday business operations with remarkable speed. Employees are using it to summarize documents, draft communications, analyze spreadsheets, write code, build automations, and create AI-powered workflows across nearly every business function. Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index found that employees often adopt AI faster than their organizations can adapt to…

Product Showcase: AppViewX Agent Identity Security

July 23, 2026

AI is multiplying enterprise identities as quantum computing reshapes the cryptographic trust that secures them, and enterprises need to solve both together. Traditional identity security was built for people with predictable, auditable access, not autonomous, short-lived agents that share credentials and break those patterns. Gartner predicts that by 2028, the average global Fortune 500 enterprise…

Plaud Now Works Inside ChatGPT: One‑Click Access to Meeting Intelligence Inside ChatGPT

July 23, 2026

Plaud has announced the launch of the Plaud ChatGPT App, a native integration available on web and mobile that allows users to connect their Plaud account directly inside…

How Frontier AI Is Changing the Cyber Threat Landscape

July 23, 2026

How is Acronis assessing and addressing the cybersecurity risks associated with advanced frontier AI models, like Mythos, that may be capable of identifying, generating, or…

Multi-patch vulnerability fixes can leave open source exposed

July 23, 2026

Vulnerability management runs on a shorthand. A CVE shows a linked patch, someone applies it, and the ticket moves to closed. That shorthand covers most open source fixes. A share work in a different way, arriving as a run of two or more commits where the first one leaves the flaw in place. Researchers at…

5 Key Takeaways from the Cofense 2026 Mid-Year Threat Report Webinar

July 23, 2026

Artificial intelligence continues to reshape the phishing landscape, enabling threat actors to launch campaigns that are faster, more scalable, and more adaptive than ever before. During the Cofense 2026 Mid-Year Threat Report webinar, experts from the Cofense Phishing Defense Center shared how attackers are evolving their tactics and why organizations must rethink how they detect…