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Windows Notepad Markdown feature opens door to RCE (CVE-2026-20841)

Among the many security fixes released by Microsoft on February 2026 Patch Tuesday is one for CVE-2026-20841, a command injection vulnerability in Notepad that could be exploited by attackers to achieve remote code execution on targets’ Windows system. About CVE-2026-20841 For many, many years, Windows Notepad was a simple text editor and a staple tool…

Apple fixes zero-day flaw exploited in targeted attacks (CVE-2026-20700)

Apple has released fixes for a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-20700) exploited in targeted attacks last year. CVE-2026-20700 is a memory corruption issue in dyld, the Dynamic Link Editor component of Apple’s operating systems, and may allow attackers with memory write capability to execute arbitrary code. “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have…

When security decisions come too late, and attackers know it

In this Help Net Security, Chris O’Ferrell, CEO at CodeHunter, talks about why malware keeps succeeding, where attackers insert malicious code in the SDLC, and how CI/CD pipelines can become a quiet entry point. He also breaks down the difference between behavioral detection and behavioral intent analysis, and why explainable results matter for security teams.…

Ivanti EPMM exploitation: Researchers warn of “sleeper” webshells

A massive wave of exploitation attempts has followed the disclosure of CVE-2026-1281, a critical pre-authentication Ivanti EPMM vulnerability, the Shadowserver Foundation has warned. Some of it is automated scanning for vulnerable systems, but according to Greynoise and Defused, a suspected initial access broker has been prepping unpatched instances with a “sleeper” webshell for follow-on exploitation…

Microsoft Patch Tuesday: 6 exploited zero-days fixed in February 2026

Microsoft has plugged 50+ security holes on February 2026 Patch Tuesday, including six zero-day vulnerabilities exploited by attackers in the wild. The “security feature bypass” zero-days Among the zero-days fixed are three vulnerabilities that allow attackers to bypass a security feature. CVE-2026-21513 affects the MSHTML/Trident browser engine for the Microsoft Windows version of Internet Explorer,…

That “summarize with AI” button might be manipulating you

Microsoft security researchers discovered a growing trend of AI memory poisoning attacks used for promotional purposes, referred to as AI Recommendation Poisoning. The MITRE ATLAS knowledge base classifies this behavior as AML.T0080: Memory Poisoning. The activity focuses on shaping future recommendations by inserting prompts that cause an assistant to treat specific companies, websites, or services…

Groupe Rocher CISO on strengthening a modern retail cybersecurity strategy

Global retail and beauty brands manage a unique cybersecurity balancing act. They depend on consumer trust, massive volumes of personal data, and a sprawling network of vendors, while also managing thousands of physical locations and dynamic digital growth. In this Help Net Security interview, Jérôme Etienne, Group CISO, Groupe Rocher shares practical insights on closing…

Singapore telcos breached in China-linked cyber espionage campaign

Singapore’s four major telecommunications companies were hit by a coordinated cyber espionage campaign last year, the country’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA) has revealed. An advanced persistent threat group known as UNC3886 has probed deep into the networks of M1, SIMBA Telecom, Singtel, and StarHub, spurring Singapore’s security agencies to mount a large cyber defence operation.…

Unpatched SolarWinds WHD instances under active attack

Internet‑exposed and vulnerable SolarWinds Web Help Desk (WHD) instances are under attack by threat actors looking to gain an initial foothold into target organizations’ networks, Microsoft and Huntress researchers have warned. Once inside, the attackers are deploying legitimate remote access and digital forensics and incident response tools, using living-off-the-land techniques, setting up a reverse SSH…

How AI is reshaping attack path analysis

Cybersecurity teams are overwhelmed with data and short on clarity, while adversaries use AI to move faster and operate at unprecedented scale. Most organizations collect enormous volumes of findings: vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, penetration test results, detection gaps, threat intelligence, and control assessments. Individually, these data points may be accurate, but they don’t always reflect the big…

What happens when cybersecurity knowledge walks out the door

In this Help Net Security interview, Andrew Northern, Principal Security Researcher at Censys, explains why mentorship matters and what organizations risk losing when senior staff disengage. He argues that institutional memory and judgment under pressure are difficult to rebuild once they disappear. Northern also pushes back on the idea that mentoring makes someone replaceable, saying…

Ransomware group breached SmarterTools via flaw in its SmarterMail deployment

SmarterTools, the company behind the popular Microsoft Exchange alternative SmarterMail, has been breached by a ransomware-wielding group that leveraged a recently fixed vulnerability in that solution. How did the SmarterTools breach happen? Derek Curtis, the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, said that the breach happened on January 29, 2026. “Prior to the breach, we had approximately…

Ransomware group breached SmarterTools via flaw in its SmarterMail deployment

SmarterTools, the company behind the popular Microsoft Exchange alternative SmarterMail, has been breached by a ransomware-wielding group that leveraged a recently fixed vulnerability in that solution. How did the SmarterTools breach happen? Derek Curtis, the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, said that the breach happened on January 29, 2026. “Prior to the breach, we had approximately…

European Commission hit by cyberattackers targeting mobile management platform

The European Commission’s mobile device management platform was hacked but the incident was swiftly contained and no compromise of mobile devices was detected, EU’s executive branch announced on Friday. The intrusion was detected on January 30, 2026, by CERT-EU, the cybersecurity team protecting all European Union institutions, bodies, and agencies. “The Commission’s swift response ensured…

European Commission hit by cyberattackers targeting mobile management platform

The European Commission’s mobile device management platform was hacked but the incident was swiftly contained and no compromise of mobile devices was detected, EU’s executive branch announced on Friday. The intrusion was detected on January 30, 2026, by CERT-EU, the cybersecurity team protecting all European Union institutions, bodies, and agencies. “The Commission’s swift response ensured…

BeyondTrust fixes easy-to-exploit pre-auth RCE vulnerability in remote access tools (CVE-2026-1731)

BeyondTrust fixed a critical remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2026-1731) in its Remote Support (RS) and Privileged Remote Access (PRA) solutions and is urging self-hosted customers to apply the patch as soon a possible. Unlike the Remote Support zero-day (CVE-2024-12356) that was flagged after having been exploited by China-nexus threat actors to breach the US Treasury…

BeyondTrust fixes easy-to-exploit pre-auth RCE vulnerability in remote access tools (CVE-2026-1731)

BeyondTrust fixed a critical remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2026-1731) in its Remote Support (RS) and Privileged Remote Access (PRA) solutions and is urging self-hosted customers to apply the patch as soon a possible. Unlike the Remote Support zero-day (CVE-2024-12356) that was flagged after having been exploited by China-nexus threat actors to breach the US Treasury…

United Airlines CISO on building resilience when disruption is inevitable

Aviation runs on complex digital systems built for stability, safety, and long lifecycles. That reality creates a unique cybersecurity challenge for airlines, where disruption can quickly become an operational and public trust crisis. In this Help Net Security interview, Deneen DeFiore, VP and CISO at United Airlines, explains how the company approaches modernization without compromising…

United Airlines CISO on building resilience when disruption is inevitable

Aviation runs on complex digital systems built for stability, safety, and long lifecycles. That reality creates a unique cybersecurity challenge for airlines, where disruption can quickly become an operational and public trust crisis. In this Help Net Security interview, Deneen DeFiore, VP and CISO at United Airlines, explains how the company approaches modernization without compromising…

State-backed phishing attacks targeting military officials and journalists on Signal

German security authorities are warning that a likely state-backed hacking group is engaged in attempts at phishing senior political figures, military officials, diplomats, and investigative journalists across Germany and Europe via Signal. The authorities also noted that while these attacks are likely perpetrated by a state-controlled cyber actor, there’s nothing stopping non-state actors and financially…

CISA orders US federal agencies to replace unsupported edge devices

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a new binding operational directive aimed at reducing a long-standing cyber risk across federal networks: outdated “edge devices” that are not longer supported by vendors and aren’t receiving timely security updates. By “edge devices”, CISA means load balancers, firewalls, routers, switches, wireless access points, network security…

Ransomware attackers are exploiting critical SmarterMail vulnerability (CVE-2026-24423)

For the third time in two weeks, CISA added a vulnerability (CVE-2026-24423) affecting SmarterTools’ SmarterMail email and collaboration server to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and this one is being exploited in ransomware attacks. A glut of SmarterMail vulnerabilities On January 26, the US cybersecurity agency listed CVE-2025-52691 (a unrestricted upload of file with dangerous…

February 2026 Patch Tuesday forecast: Lots of OOB love this month

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and Microsoft has been giving us a lot of love with a non-stop supply of patches starting with January 2026 Patch Tuesday. The January releases addressed 92 vulnerabilities in Windows 11 and Server2025, as well as 79 vulnerabilities for Windows 10 and its associated servers. We also saw…

CISA confirms exploitation of VMware ESXi flaw by ransomware attackers

CVE-2025-22225, a VMware ESXi arbitrary write vulnerability, is being used in ransomware campaigns, CISA confirmed on Wednesday by updating the vulnerability’s entry in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Researchers linked VMware ESXi zero-day trio to single exploit toolkit Broadcom fixed CVE-2025-22225, CVE-2025-22224 (a heap overflow vulnerability) and CVE-2025-22226 (an information disclosure flaw) in VMware…

Why a decade-old EnCase driver still works as an EDR killer

Attackers are leaning on a new EDR killer malware that can shut down 59 widely used endpoint security products by misusing a kernel driver that once shipped with Guidance Software’s EnCase digital forensics tool, Huntress researchers warn. This particular driver is legitimate but its certificate expired and was revoked more than ten years ago. Even…

Smart glasses are back, privacy issues included

AI smart glasses are the latest addition to fashion, and they include a camera, a microphone, AI, and privacy risks. After Google Glass failed to gain traction more than a decade ago, the category is seeing renewed interest as companies redesign the technology to look like ordinary eyewear. Meta and privacy The most popular model…