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Showing posts with label CVE vulnerability. Show all posts

Fortinet Firewalls Targeted as Attackers Bypass Patch for Critical FortiGate Flaw

 

Critical vulnerabilities in FortiGate systems continue to be exploited, even after fixes were deployed, users now confirm. Though updates arrived aiming to correct the problem labeled CVE-2025-59718, they appear incomplete. Authentication safeguards can still be sidestepped by threat actors taking advantage of the gap. This suggests earlier remedies failed to close every loophole tied to the flaw. Confidence in the patch process is weakening as real-world attacks persist. 

Several admins report breaches on FortiGate units using FortiOS 7.4.9, along with systems updated to 7.4.10. While Fortinet claimed a fix arrived in December via version 7.4.9 - tied to CVE-2025-59718 - one user states internal confirmation showed the flaw persisted past that patch. Updates such as 7.4.11, 7.6.6, and 8.0.0 are said to be underway, aiming complete resolution. 

One case involved an administrator spotting a suspicious single sign-on attempt on a FortiGate system with FortiOS version 7.4.9. A security alert appeared after detection of a freshly added local admin profile, behavior seen before during prior attacks exploiting this flaw. Activity records indicated the new account emerged right after an SSO entry tied to the email cloud-init@mail.io. That access came from the IP 104.28.244.114, marking another point in the timeline. 

A few others using Fortinet noticed very similar incidents. Their firewall - running version 7.4.9 of FortiOS - logged an identical email and source IP during access attempts, followed by the addition of a privileged profile labeled “helpdesk.” Confirmation came afterward from Fortinet’s development group: the security flaw remained active even after update 7.4.10. 

Unexpectedly, the behavior aligns with earlier observations from Arctic Wolf, a cybersecurity company. In late 2025, they identified exploitation of vulnerability CVE-2025-59718 through manipulated SAML data. Instead of standard procedures, hackers leveraged flaws in FortiGate's FortiCloud login mechanism. Through this weakness, unauthorized users gained access to privileged administrator credentials. 

Nowhere in recent updates does Fortinet address the newest claims of system breaches, even after repeated outreach attempts. Without a complete fix available just yet, experts suggest pausing certain functions as a stopgap solution. Turning off the FortiCloud SSO capability stands out - especially when active - since attacks largely flow through that pathway. Earlier warnings from Fortinet pointed out that FortiCloud SSO stays inactive unless tied to a FortiCare registration - this setup naturally reduces exposure. 

Despite that, findings shared by Shadowserver in mid-December revealed over 25,000 such devices already running the feature publicly. Though efforts have protected most of them, around 11,000 still appear accessible across the web. Their security status remains uncertain. 

Faced with unpatched FortiOS versions, admins might consider revising login configurations while Fortinet works on fixes. Some could turn off unused single sign-on options as a precaution. Watching system records carefully may help spot odd behavior tied to admin access during this period.

Critical CVE-2025-66516 Exposes Apache Tika to XXE Attacks Across Core and Parser Modules

 

A newly disclosed vulnerability in Apache Tika has had the cybersecurity community seriously concerned because researchers have confirmed that it holds a maximum CVSS severity score of 10.0. Labeled as CVE-2025-66516, the vulnerability facilitates XXE attacks and may allow attackers to gain access to internal systems along with sensitive data by taking advantage of how Tika processes certain PDF files. 

Apache Tika is an open-source, highly-used framework for extracting text, metadata, and structured content from a wide array of file formats. It is commonly used within enterprise workflows including compliance systems, document ingestion pipelines, Elasticsearch and Apache Solr indexing, search engines, and automated content scanning processes. Because of its broad use, any severe issue within the platform has wide-ranging consequences.  

According to the advisory for the project, the vulnerability exists in several modules, such as tika-core, tika-parsers, and the tika-pdf-module, on different versions, from 1.13 to 3.2.1. The issue allows an attacker to embed malicious XFA -- a technology that enables XML Forms Architecture -- content inside PDF files. Upon processing, Tika may execute unwanted calls to embedded external XML entities, thus providing a way to fetch restricted files or gain access to internal resources.  

The advisory points out that CVE-2025-66516 concerns an issue that was previously disclosed as CVE-2025-54988, but its scope is considerably broader. Whereas the initial advisory indicated the bug was limited to the PDF parser, subsequent analysis indicated that the root cause of the bug-and therefore the fix-represented in tika-core, not solely its parser component. Consequently, any organization that has patched only the parser without updating tika-core to version 3.2.2 or newer remains vulnerable. 

Researchers also provided some clarification to note that earlier 1.x releases contained the vulnerable PDF parser in the tika-parsers module, so the number of affected systems is higher than initial reporting indicated. 

XXE vulnerabilities arise when software processes XML input without required restrictions, permitting an attacker to use external entities (these are references that can point to either remote URLs or local files). Successfully exploited, this can lead to unauthorized access, SSRF, disclosure of confidential files, or even an escalation of this attack chain into broader compromise. 

Project maintainers strongly recommend immediate updates for all deployments. As no temporary configuration workaround has been confirmed, one can only install patched versions.

Samsung Zero-Day Exploit “Landfall” Targeted Galaxy Devices Before April Patch

 

A recently disclosed zero-day vulnerability affecting several of Samsung’s flagship smartphones has raised renewed concerns around mobile device security. Researchers from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 revealed that attackers had been exploiting a flaw in Samsung’s image processing library, tracked as CVE-2025-21042, for months before a security fix was released. The vulnerability, which the researchers named “Landfall,” allowed threat actors to compromise devices using weaponized image files without requiring any interaction from the victim. 

The flaw impacted premium Samsung models across the Galaxy S22, S23, and S24 generations as well as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4. Unit 42 found that attackers could embed malicious data into DNG image files, disguising them with .jpeg extensions to appear legitimate and avoid suspicion. These files could be delivered through everyday communication channels such as WhatsApp, where users are accustomed to receiving shared photos. Because the exploit required no clicks and relied solely on the image being processed, even careful users were at risk. 

Once installed, spyware leveraging Landfall could obtain access to sensitive data stored on the device, including photos, contacts, and location information. It was also capable of recording audio and collecting call logs, giving attackers broad surveillance capabilities. The targeting appeared focused primarily on users in the Middle East, with infections detected in countries such as Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Morocco. Samsung was first alerted to the exploit in September 2024 and issued a patch in April, closing the zero-day vulnerability across affected devices.  

The seriousness of the flaw prompted the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to place CVE-2025-21042 in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, a list reserved for security issues actively abused in attacks. Federal agencies have been instructed to ensure that any vulnerable Samsung devices under their management are updated no later than December 1st, reflecting the urgency of mitigation efforts.  

For consumers, the incident underscores the importance of maintaining strong cybersecurity habits on mobile devices. Regularly updating the operating system is one of the most effective defenses against emerging exploits, as patches often include protections for newly discovered vulnerabilities. Users are also encouraged to be cautious regarding unsolicited content, including media files sent from unknown contacts, and to avoid clicking links or downloading attachments they cannot verify. 

Security experts additionally recommend using reputable mobile security tools alongside Google Play Protect to strengthen device defenses. Many modern Android antivirus apps offer supplementary safeguards such as phishing alerts, VPN access, and warnings about malicious websites. 

Zero-day attacks remain an unavoidable challenge in the smartphone landscape, as cybercriminals continually look for undiscovered flaws to exploit. But with proactive device updates and careful online behavior, users can significantly reduce their exposure to threats like Landfall and help ensure their personal data remains secure.

New runC Vulnerabilities Expose Docker and Kubernetes Environments to Potential Host Breakouts

 

Three newly uncovered vulnerabilities in the runC container runtime have raised significant concerns for organizations relying on Docker, Kubernetes, and other container-based systems. The flaws, identified as CVE-2025-31133, CVE-2025-52565, and CVE-2025-52881, were disclosed by SUSE engineer and Open Container Initiative board member Aleksa Sarai. Because runC serves as the core OCI reference implementation responsible for creating container processes, configuring namespaces, managing mounts, and orchestrating cgroups, weaknesses at this level have broad consequences for modern cloud and DevOps infrastructure. 

The issues stem from the way runC handles several low-level operations, which attackers could manipulate to escape the container boundary and obtain root-level write access on the underlying host system. All three vulnerabilities allow adversaries to redirect or tamper with mount operations or trigger writes to sensitive files, ultimately undoing the isolation that containers are designed to enforce. CVE-2025-31133 involves a flaw where runC attempts to “mask” system files by bind-mounting /dev/null. If an attacker replaces /dev/null with a symlink during initialization, runC can end up mounting an attacker-chosen location read-write inside the container, enabling potential writes to the /proc filesystem and allowing escape. 

CVE-2025-52565 presents a related problem involving races and symlink redirection. The bind mount intended for /dev/console can be manipulated so that runC unknowingly mounts an unintended target before full protections are in place. This again opens a window for writes to critical procfs entries, providing an attacker with a pathway out of the container. The third flaw, CVE-2025-52881, highlights how runC may be tricked into performing writes to /proc that get redirected to files controlled by the attacker. This behavior could bypass certain Linux Security Module relabel protections and turn routine runC operations into dangerous arbitrary writes, including to sensitive files such as /proc/sysrq-trigger. 

Two of the vulnerabilities—CVE-2025-31133 and CVE-2025-52881—affect all versions of runC, while CVE-2025-52565 impacts versions from 1.0.0-rc3 onward. Patches have been issued in runC versions 1.2.8, 1.3.3, 1.4.0-rc.3, and later. Security researchers at Sysdig noted that exploiting these flaws requires attackers to start containers with custom mount configurations, a condition that could be met via malicious Dockerfiles or harmful pre-built images. So far, there is no evidence of active exploitation, but the potential severity has prompted urgent guidance. Detection efforts should focus on monitoring suspicious symlink activity, according to Sysdig’s advisory. 

The runC team has also emphasized enabling user namespaces for all containers while avoiding mappings that equate the host’s root user with the container’s root. Doing so limits the scope of accessible files because user namespace restrictions prevent host-level file access. Security teams are further encouraged to adopt rootless containers where possible to minimize the blast radius of any successful attack. Even though traditional container isolation provides significant security benefits, these findings underscore the importance of layered defenses and continuous monitoring in containerized environments, especially as threat actors increasingly look for weaknesses at the infrastructure level.

Veeam Fixes Critical Remote Code Execution Bug in Backup & Replication Software

 

Veeam has issued new security patches to address multiple vulnerabilities in its Backup & Replication (VBR) software, including a severe remote code execution (RCE) flaw. Identified as CVE-2025-23121, this particular vulnerability was uncovered by researchers from watchTowr and CodeWhite and impacts only installations that are connected to a domain. 

According to Veeam’s advisory released on Tuesday, the vulnerability can be exploited by any authenticated domain user to execute code remotely on the backup server. The flaw requires minimal attack complexity and affects versions of Veeam Backup & Replication 12 and later. The issue has been resolved in version 12.3.2.3617, made available earlier today. 

Although the vulnerability is confined to domain-joined setups, it poses a significant risk due to the ease with which domain users can leverage it. Alarmingly, many organizations have connected their backup servers to Windows domains, going against Veeam’s own security recommendations. These guidelines suggest using a separate Active Directory Forest for backups and enforcing two-factor authentication on administrative accounts to reduce exposure. 

This is not the first time a serious RCE flaw has been found in Veeam’s software. In March 2025, another vulnerability (CVE-2025-23120) was patched that similarly affected domain-joined installations. Earlier, in September 2024, another VBR vulnerability (CVE-2024-40711) was exploited in the wild, eventually being used to deliver the Frag ransomware. That same flaw was later linked to Akira and Fog ransomware attacks starting in October. Cybercriminals have increasingly targeted Veeam Backup & Replication servers as part of their ransomware campaigns. 

These systems often store critical backups, making them ideal targets for attackers looking to maximize damage. Ransomware operators frequently aim to disable these systems before launching full-scale attacks, making recovery more difficult for the victim. Historically, ransomware groups such as Cuba, as well as financially motivated actors like FIN7—known for collaborating with major ransomware operations like REvil, Maze, Conti, and BlackBasta—have been seen exploiting VBR vulnerabilities. 

With over 550,000 organizations relying on Veeam’s solutions globally, including the majority of Fortune 500 companies and most of the Global 2000, the potential impact of such flaws is significant. These repeated discoveries of critical vulnerabilities highlight the urgent need for enterprises to follow recommended configurations and keep their backup software up to date.

Hackers Exploit End-of-Life SonicWall Devices Using Overstep Malware and Possible Zero-Day

 

Cybersecurity experts from Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) have uncovered a series of attacks targeting outdated SonicWall Secure Mobile Access (SMA) devices, which are widely used to manage secure remote access in enterprise environments. 

These appliances, although no longer supported with updates, remain in operation at many organizations, making them attractive to cybercriminals. The hacking group behind these intrusions has been named UNC6148 by Google. Despite being end-of-life, the devices still sit on the edge of sensitive networks, and their continued use has led to increased risk exposure. 

GTIG is urging all organizations that rely on these SMA appliances to examine them for signs of compromise. They recommend that firms collect complete disk images for forensic analysis, as the attackers are believed to be using rootkit-level tools to hide their tracks, potentially tampering with system logs. Assistance from SonicWall may be necessary for acquiring these disk images from physical devices. There is currently limited clarity around the technical specifics of these breaches. 

The attackers are leveraging leaked administrator credentials to gain access, though it remains unknown how those credentials were originally obtained. It’s also unclear what software vulnerabilities are being exploited to establish deeper control. One major obstacle to understanding the attacks is a custom backdoor malware called Overstep, which is capable of selectively deleting system logs to obscure its presence and activity. 

Security researchers believe the attackers might be using a zero-day vulnerability, or possibly exploiting known flaws like CVE-2021-20038 (a memory corruption bug enabling remote code execution), CVE-2024-38475 (a path traversal issue in Apache that exposes sensitive database files), or CVE-2021-20035 and CVE-2021-20039 (authenticated RCE vulnerabilities previously seen in the wild). There’s also mention of CVE-2025-32819, which could allow credential reset attacks through file deletion. 

GTIG, along with Mandiant and SonicWall’s internal response team, has not confirmed exactly how the attackers managed to deploy a reverse shell—something that should not be technically possible under normal device configurations. This shell provides a web-based interface that facilitates the installation of Overstep and potentially gives attackers full control over the compromised appliance. 

The motivations behind these breaches are still unclear. Since Overstep deletes key logs, detecting an infection is particularly difficult. However, Google has shared indicators of compromise to help organizations determine if they have been affected. Security teams are strongly advised to investigate the presence of these indicators and consider retiring unsupported hardware from critical infrastructure as part of a proactive defense strategy.

Trend Micro Patches Critical Remote Code Execution and Authentication Bypass Flaws in Apex Central and PolicyServer

Trend Micro has rolled out essential security updates to address a series of high-impact vulnerabilities discovered in two of its enterprise security solutions: Apex Central and the Endpoint Encryption (TMEE) PolicyServer. These newly disclosed issues, which include critical remote code execution (RCE) and authentication bypass bugs, could allow attackers to compromise systems without needing login credentials. 

Although there have been no confirmed cases of exploitation so far, Trend Micro strongly recommends immediate patching to mitigate any potential threats. The vulnerabilities are especially concerning for organizations operating in sensitive sectors, where data privacy and regulatory compliance are paramount. 

The Endpoint Encryption PolicyServer is a key management solution used to centrally control full disk and media encryption across Windows-based systems. Following the recent update, four critical issues in this product were fixed. Among them is CVE-2025-49212, a remote code execution bug that stems from insecure deserialization within PolicyValue Table Serialization Binder class. This flaw enables threat actors to run code with SYSTEM-level privileges without any authentication. 

Another serious issue, CVE-2025-49213, was found in the PolicyServerWindowsService class, also involving unsafe deserialization. This vulnerability similarly allows arbitrary code execution without requiring user credentials. An additional bug, CVE-2025-49216, enables attackers to bypass authentication entirely due to faulty logic in the DbAppDomain service. Lastly, CVE-2025-49217 presents another RCE risk, though slightly more complex to exploit, allowing code execution via the ValidateToken method. 

While Trend Micro categorized all four as critical, third-party advisory firm ZDI classified CVE-2025-49217 as high-severity. Besides these, the latest PolicyServer release also fixes multiple other high-severity vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection and privilege escalation flaws. The update applies to version 6.0.0.4013 (Patch 1 Update 6), and all earlier versions are affected. Notably, there are no workarounds available, making the patch essential for risk mitigation. 

Trend Micro also addressed separate issues in Apex Central, the company’s centralized console for managing its security tools. Two pre-authentication RCE vulnerabilities—CVE-2025-49219 and CVE-2025-49220—were identified and patched. Both flaws are caused by insecure deserialization and could allow attackers to execute code remotely as NETWORK SERVICE without authentication. 

These Apex Central vulnerabilities were resolved in Patch B7007 for the 2019 on-premise version. Customers using Apex Central as a Service will receive fixes automatically on the backend. 

Given the severity of these cybersecurity vulnerabilities, organizations using these Trend Micro products should prioritize updating their systems to maintain security and operational integrity.

Zero-Day Flaw in Chrome and Chromium Puts Windows and Linux Users at Data Risk

 

A newly revealed zero-day vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-4664 has triggered serious concerns for billions of Google Chrome and Chromium users. Security experts have warned that this flaw, which affects both Windows and Linux platforms, could be exploited to leak sensitive cross-origin data such as OAuth tokens and session identifiers—all without requiring any user action.  

The vulnerability has been discovered within the Loader component of Chrome and Chromium browsers. It is linked to how these browsers interpret the Link HTTP header for sub-resource requests such as images or scripts. While most mainstream browsers follow strict guidelines for handling such requests, Chrome’s unique behavior stands out. It continues to respect the referrer-policy directive even when loading sub-resources, which can unintentionally expose sensitive information. 

This default behavior can be manipulated by attackers. A malicious site could inject a loose policy like “unsafe-url,” which then forces the browser to reveal complete URLs—including potentially sensitive credentials or session data—to third-party servers. This results in a severe breach of user privacy and circumvents traditional browser security measures. Cybersecurity firm Wazuh has stated that their Vulnerability Detection module can identify and address this specific flaw. 

The module leverages information from their Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) service to monitor browser versions and trigger alerts when vulnerable builds are detected. In controlled testing using Wazuh OVA 4.12.0, researchers were able to scan systems running Windows 11 and Debian 11 to determine if they were running affected versions of Chrome or Chromium. According to Wazuh’s platform, users can search for the vulnerability by querying CVE-2025-4664. If vulnerable software is found, the module changes the system status from “Active” to “Solved” after the necessary fixes are applied, helping administrators track progress in real time. 

In response to the discovery, Google has issued an emergency patch for Chrome users on Windows and Gentoo Linux. It is strongly recommended that users on these operating systems update their browsers immediately to avoid exposure. However, users on Debian 11 who rely on Chromium remain at risk, as no updated version has been released for that platform. All Chromium builds up to version 120.0.6099.224 are still considered vulnerable. Until a patch is available, security professionals advise uninstalling Chromium on affected Debian systems as a precautionary measure. 

While these immediate actions are important, experts caution that relying solely on browser updates is not a comprehensive defense. The broader cybersecurity strategy must include the use of endpoint protection platforms, anti-malware systems, and modern antivirus tools. These security layers can help detect and neutralize threats that slip past browser-based defenses and provide a stronger safety net for users and enterprises alike. 

As browser-based zero-day threats continue to emerge, users must remain vigilant. Rapid patching combined with proactive cybersecurity tools offers the best chance of mitigating risks and maintaining a secure browsing environment.