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Showing posts with label Vulnerabilities and Exploits. Show all posts
Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Linux Systems OpenSSH SSHole Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Hackers Exploit OpenSSH SSHole Flaw Within Hours

 

A newly disclosed OpenSSH vulnerability, nicknamed SSHole, is already being exploited in the wild. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-123158 and carrying a CVSS score of 8.1, lets unauthenticated attackers log in to certain Linux accounts that have no usable password set. Security firm Previdian observed the first exploitation attempt less than nine hours after the vulnerability was published, and confirmed successful root access on an Alpine Linux honeypot. 

The issue affects Linux systems running OpenSSH on the musl C library with Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) disabled. Alpine Linux’s default OpenSSH server configuration is among the affected setups. An attacker can send an oversized password—between 257 and 1,024 bytes—to trigger the bug and gain access to accounts configured with an asterisk (*) as their password hash. This means attackers do not need to steal SSH keys or valid credentials to obtain access. 

SSHole stems from password-handling behavior linked to a 2016 patch for CVE-2016-6210, a username-enumeration flaw. Under the specific conditions, OpenSSH mistakenly treats a failed password-hashing operation as successful authentication because it produces the same asterisk value used to mark password-disabled accounts. The SSH daemon then compares that value with the account’s stored password field and allows the login. Importantly, the flaw does not bypass passwords on accounts that have valid password hashes. 

The consequences depend heavily on the privileges of the compromised account. A successful attack grants the attacker the permissions already held by that account, which could include access to deployment credentials, application secrets, and connected infrastructure. From there, intruders may move laterally across systems or disrupt services. The vulnerability does not affect Dropbear, glibc-based Linux distributions, non-Linux systems, or systems that authenticate passwords through PAM.

Administrators should act quickly by installing OpenSSH 10.6p2 or their distribution’s patched package and restarting the sshd service. Alpine also advises reviewing /var/log/messages for “Accepted password for” entries involving accounts that should not accept password logins, including root, Alpine, or key-only users. Administrators should inspect recent users, files, authorized keys, and doas usage; if a suspicious login cannot be ruled out, the system should be treated as compromised.
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WordPress Core
CISA Security Patch Vulnerabilities and Exploits WordPress Core

CISA Warns of Actively Exploited WordPress RCE Flaw

 

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has warned that attackers are actively exploiting a recently patched, high-severity vulnerability in WordPress Core. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-119977, can allow unauthenticated remote attackers to execute code on affected servers. CISA added the vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog and ordered federal civilian agencies to address it by Friday under Binding Operational Directive 26-04. The warning highlights how quickly attackers move from public patch information to real-world exploitation. 

The vulnerability is caused by a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in WordPress’s upgrade process. It was reported by Picus Security researcher Umut Bayram and relates to predictable, web-accessible staging paths used during full-package core upgrades. During the upgrade window, an attacker may be able to interfere with the process and achieve remote code execution. Although exploitation is described as high-complexity, the potential impact is serious because successful attacks do not require prior privileges on the server. 

WordPress released version 7.1.4 on October 28 to fix the issue, urging administrators to update their sites immediately because it was a security release. CISA later confirmed evidence of active exploitation and emphasized that such vulnerabilities are a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors, posing significant risks to the federal enterprise. While the federal directive applies only to U.S. federal agencies, CISA also urged private-sector organizations and other network defenders to prioritize patching their WordPress installations. 

The scale of attempted attacks appears substantial. According to WordPress security firm Wordfence, it blocked 13,095 attacks targeting the vulnerability within a 24-hour period. CISA has not publicly disclosed detailed information about the threat actors, targets, or post-exploitation activity. Even so, the volume of blocked attacks suggests that adversaries are scanning broadly for vulnerable WordPress sites rather than focusing on a small number of high-value targets. 

The incident follows earlier WordPress security concerns, including the “wp2shell” vulnerability chain patched in July. That chain combined a REST API batch-route confusion flaw and an SQL injection vulnerability to deploy webshells and take over unpatched servers. Public exploit code appeared shortly after the fix, and attackers later used the technique to install malicious plugins and steal database records. Together, these cases reinforce an essential lesson for site owners: apply WordPress core and plugin updates promptly, restrict administrative access, monitor upgrade activity, and maintain reliable backups to reduce the impact of exploitation.
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Webshell Attacks
Active Cyberattacks Critical security flaw CVE-2026-58115 IOT Security Linux Bot Malware Node-RED Vulnerability Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities and Exploits Webshell Attacks

Attackers Leverage Critical Node-RED Flaw to Gain Unauthorized Access


There is an active exploit of a critical security vulnerability in Node-RED by threat actors to install malicious Linux bots and webshells on vulnerable systems. It is believed that the attacks, detected by cybersecurity firm VulnCheck, could result in compromised instances and industrial environments being exposed to remote command execution and unauthorized access. 

Tracked as CVE-2026-58115, the vulnerability has a CVSS severity rating of 10.0. Node-RED HTTP interface does not contain authentication, allowing remote attackers to access programming functions and execute system commands on the underlying server if unauthenticated remote attackers are not authenticated. 

A browser-based editor enables users to build event-driven applications using Node-RED, an open-source, flow-based programming tool. It is widely used in industries including manufacturing, healthcare, home automation, and industrial control systems. A number of Siemens IoT2050 Advanced devices have been integrated with the platform, including Siemens SIMATIC IoT2050 Advanced devices.

Siemens disclosed the vulnerability on August 11, 2026, after identifying the issue with SIMATIC IoT2050 Advanced devices running Industrial OS with Node-RED installed. In order to take advantage of this vulnerability, attackers could create malicious programming flows and execute arbitrary code with maximum privileges if it is successfully exploited.

A fix for the vulnerability is available in Siemens SIMATIC IoT2050 Advanced version 4.3.4.1 and later. Although security updates have been available, attackers continue to target vulnerable instances. A malicious request containing a complete exploit was captured by one of VulnCheck's monitoring systems on October 30, when it was detected as successful exploitation. This attack deployed a Node-RED flow, triggered its execution automatically, and downloaded a binary from a server controlled by the attacker. 

A malicious execution flow was initiated using Node-RED components, including the inject and execute nodes, without requiring additional interaction from the attacker. There has been no indication of the exact purpose of the downloaded binary, identified as bot-linux-amd64, which was stored under a hidden filename in a memory-backed location and executed in the background. 

Researchers were unable to retrieve the binary for further examination. During the exploitation campaign conducted between October 30 and November 1, repeated attempts were made from the same IP address. The attack vectors used by VulnCheck are 16 attempts to exploit CVE-2026-58115, with attackers delivering a variety of payloads across multiple requests. 

The address used by the attackers originates from Microsoft's AS8075 network, which is located in Brazil. A researcher cautioned that the use of cloud providers' networks does not necessarily identify threat actors, since such infrastructure may include virtual machines rented or compromised by cloud providers. Other attempts were made to install webshells, which gave attackers access to compromised servers and the ability to execute commands remotely, in addition to deploying Linux bots.

In some instances, additional shell scripts and files appeared to be legitimate Linux kernel processes. As opposed to the originally observed bot, which was stored in memory and could be removed when the system was rebooted, the webshells provided a more persistent method of access. In addition to identifying broader scanning activity from the same IP address, VulnCheck also recorded 125 requests targeted at eight different vulnerabilities affecting Apache Solr, Camunda, Gitea, MLflow, Traefik, and Joomla. 

A survey of Node-RED installations indicates opportunistic mass scanning rather than activity concentrating exclusively on Node-RED installations Security experts have expressed concerns about the vulnerability of industrial environments through poorly secured Node-RED deployments. 

Industrial controllers are often integrated with databases, messaging systems and cloud services through this platform, allowing the platform to hold credentials for multiple connected systems. Consequently, a compromised instance could give attackers access beyond the initial server and facilitate movement across networks in the areas of information technology and operational technology. It is also important to note that Node-RED deployments are not always managed by dedicated IT security teams, increasing the risk. 

It is common for engineers and operational staff to configure Node-RED installations directly, thus preventing regular asset inventories and security monitoring. Additionally, scheduled maintenance requirements can delay firmware updates in industrial environments, resulting in vulnerable devices remaining exposed even after patches have been released.

CVE-2026-58115 has been added to VulnCheck's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog in response to the observed attacks. When reported, this vulnerability was not listed in CISA's KEV catalog. It is recommended that organizations using Node-RED apply security updates, enable authentication via the adminAuth setting, and restrict external network access to the editor. 

The security team should also examine deployed flows for unanticipated executable nodes, unauthorized HTTP endpoints, and suspicious file modifications. It is equally important to examine system logs and outbound network connections for signs of compromise, as installing patches alone may not remove webshells or other malicious components already present on the system.

Node-RED deployments exposed to industrial environments may pose security risks resulting from the active exploitation of CVE-2026-58115. It is recommended that organizations prioritize patching, enforce authentication, limit access to the editor and investigate for signs of compromise. In light of the possibility of existing webshells remaining after updates have been applied, security checks should accompany remediation efforts as well.
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Bitcoin Cerber CVE Ransomware South Korea Synology Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Synology NAS Owners Hit by C3RB3R Ransomware as Old Vulnerability Gets New Life

 



A ransomware strain called C3RB3R is actively hitting Synology network-attached storage devices, locking files and demanding bitcoin payments from victims who, in many cases, were running software patched nearly two years ago.

Synology confirmed the attacks on October 29, pointing to CVE-2024-10441, a critical remote code execution flaw in its DiskStation Manager operating system rated 9.8 out of 10 on the CVSS scale. The vulnerability was found at Pwn2Own 2024 by DEVCORE researchers Pumpkin Chang and Orange Tsai, and Synology patched it by December 2024 under security advisory SA-24:20. The patch has been available ever since. The fact that attackers are still finding success with it tells you something about how many users never applied it.

Once attackers get into a device, C3RB3R goes to work quickly. The ransomware skips 27 system directories and a handful of file types, then recursively encrypts everything else. Each file receives its own 256-bit encryption key generated on the fly, locked with ChaCha8 and then wrapped with RSA-2048, which means there is no way to crack it without the attacker's private key. The malware drops a ransom note called read-me3.txt into every affected folder, containing a six-digit victim ID and a Tor address. Files come out the other side with a .L0CK3D extension. Backups stored on the same NAS are not spared.

The ransom demand starts at 0.036960 bitcoin, which works out to roughly $2,952 at current rates. Victims who miss the five-day deadline see that figure double to 0.073920 BTC, or about $5,904. No free decryptor exists, and Synology has offered none. Affected users who do not have off-site backups are, for practical purposes, out of options.

Reports first surfaced in South Korea around October 28. Victims filed complaints with KISA, the country's internet security agency, but KISA declined to say how many devices were affected, what caused the intrusions, or what it was doing about them. Synology has similarly not disclosed how many users were hit, which device models were targeted, or when it first became aware of the campaign. A Taiwanese NAS research group that compiled damage cases found a common thread: in every instance they reviewed, the device's management interface was reachable directly from the internet, whether through router port forwarding, UPnP, QuickConnect, or a reverse proxy.

The attack timing is not coincidental. On October 25, four days before Synology issued its statement, a public proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2024-10441 appeared on GitHub. That kind of public PoC typically compresses the window between disclosure and active exploitation to days, sometimes hours. Security researchers at 360 Security Team and Solar Emergency Response Team, who both published analysis on October 29, noted that the campaign appears to have kicked into gear almost immediately after the PoC dropped.

There is, however, a complication in Synology's explanation. The Solar team examined one affected device running DSM 7.4.1-90080 Update 1, a build that does not fit neatly into the SA-24:20 vulnerability timeline. The researchers have not ruled out other entry points, including vulnerable third-party packages, container services, or stolen credentials. No zero-day has been confirmed, but the mismatch has not been fully explained either.

Adding another layer, the 360 Security Team's analysis points to a different set of flaws entirely: CVE-2026-13639 and CVE-2026-13684, both scored 9.8, patched by Synology on September 18, 2026. Under 360's reading, these are "1-day" exploits built on patches that were barely a month old when the attacks began. If 360 is right, devices that only applied the 2024 patch would still be exposed.

Separately, Synology disclosed two more critical vulnerabilities in its PHP infrastructure, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, affecting packages including Web Station, WordPress, Joomla, and phpMyAdmin. Synology says these flaws are not the C3RB3R entry point, but has advised users to patch them regardless. Security firm Genians found that 96 percent of internal-network devices running PHP were exposed.

Synology's guidance for users is practical if grim for those already affected. The company recommends running a Security Advisor scan, checking Task Scheduler for unfamiliar scripts, and reviewing User and Group settings for administrator accounts that were not created by the device owner. If either check turns up something unexpected, Synology says to contact its support team rather than attempt a manual cleanup. For everyone else, the advice is to update DSM immediately, enable automatic updates, and move backup jobs off-device using Hyper Backup or Snapshot Replication.

The patches for SA-24:20 are in DSM 7.2.1-69057-6, 7.2.2-72806-1, 7.2-64570-4, 7.1.1-42962-7, and 6.2.4-25556-8. Synology PSIRT says it continues to monitor the campaign.



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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
API CAPTCHA CVE Drupal Vulnerability E Commerce fraudulent activities orders sql injection Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Drupal Commerce Flaw Exposes Online Stores to Fraudulent Order Manipulation

 



Drupal has confirmed active exploitation of a highly critical access bypass vulnerability in its Commerce Core module, warning online retailers that attackers could manipulate orders and circumvent payment processes. The company has urged administrators to install the latest security updates and investigate existing transactions for unauthorized modifications.

Tracked as CVE-2026-118539, the vulnerability affects Drupal Commerce Core, a contributed module that enables websites to sell products and services through shopping carts, checkout systems and payment integrations. It also supports headless commerce architectures, where external applications interact with Drupal through APIs.

According to the original security advisory, certain application routes and entity fields do not have sufficient access restrictions, allowing unauthorized users to bypass established permission checks. This could enable attackers to manipulate commerce-related information, potentially causing direct financial losses for merchants.

Published on October 28 under advisory SA-CONTRIB-2026-254, the vulnerability received a Drupal security risk score of 21 out of 25, placing it in the highly critical category. Its assessment identifies the flaw as exploitable without authentication or special access requirements, regardless of the module's configuration.

Drupal has confirmed that the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild. However, its initial advisory did not disclose the attack methodology, affected organizations or the number of compromised websites.


Fraudulent Order Attempts Reported on Live Websites

Additional information published on October 29 by Centarro, the maintainer of Drupal Commerce, provides further insight into the exploitation activity.

According to Centarro, it received two reports from merchants who observed suspicious attempts to place fraudulent orders on their live websites. Following an investigation conducted alongside the Drupal Security Team, the maintainers stated that they had not found evidence of scripted or widespread exploitation beyond the initially reported sites.

The vulnerability affects both traditional, full-stack Drupal Commerce installations and headless deployments, although the potential attack paths differ depending on the website's architecture.

Centarro identified several suspicious transaction patterns that administrators should investigate. These include orders placed without corresponding payments, transactions marked as paid despite having no associated payment records, product prices modified without legitimate promotions, and unauthorized discounts, fees or other adjustments applied to orders.

Some reported attempts involved products listed at unusually low prices, including $0.01, while others used apparently normal prices to make fraudulent transactions less conspicuous.

The maintainers also warned that the vulnerability may have existed in earlier Commerce Core releases for several years. Exploitation was theoretically possible from version 8.x-2.18, released in May 2020, on installations using Drupal's JSON:API module. Other configurations became potentially vulnerable from version 8.x-2.25, released in June 2021.

Consequently, organizations should not restrict their investigation to transactions created shortly before the October security disclosure.


Security Updates and Additional Commerce Vulnerabilities

Drupal has released Commerce Core 3.3.13 and 8.x-2.41 to address CVE-2026-118539. Administrators running the 3.x branch should upgrade to version 3.3.13, while installations using the earlier 8.x-2.x branch should move to 8.x-2.41.

Centarro has also recommended updating the associated Commerce API, Commerce License, Commerce Shipping and Commerce Stripe modules, which received separate security releases. Websites that do not require write operations through JSON:API should consider restricting the interface to read-only access.

The October 28 security releases addressed several additional vulnerabilities across Drupal's contributed projects.

Among them, CVE-2026-118558 affects Commerce Stripe through a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability. The module does not include a CSRF token in the return URI used during Stripe Connect authorization. An attacker could exploit this weakness by tricking an administrator into following a malicious link, potentially causing an order to be marked as paid without an actual payment.

Another issue, CVE-2026-118582, affects the CAPTCHA module. The vulnerability results from inadequate invalidation of previously solved CAPTCHA sessions, allowing an already-submitted protected form to be submitted again without completing another challenge. This could weaken protections against automated registrations, comment spam and login brute-force attempts. Drupal's advisory indicates that exploit code exists, although it does not confirm active exploitation.

Drupal also disclosed information disclosure vulnerabilities in Commerce Core and Media Alias Display. The former can expose information about unpublished product variations under certain JSON:API configurations, while the latter involves improperly configured caching that could expose files containing information intended to remain inaccessible.


Earlier Critical Drupal Vulnerabilities

The October disclosures follow another security release on October 14, when Drupal addressed two critical remote code execution vulnerabilities.

CVE-2026-108097 affects the Field UI module in Drupal Core, while CVE-2026-108099 impacts the contributed Entity List module. Although neither component independently exposes the vulnerabilities through its default functionality, certain contributed modules and custom implementations can introduce exploitable pathways. Drupal identified at least one potential attack path that does not require authentication.

Another vulnerability, CVE-2026-9082, involved SQL injection in Drupal Core's database abstraction API, affecting websites using PostgreSQL databases. The flaw could allow unauthenticated attackers to execute specially crafted database queries, potentially resulting in information disclosure, privilege escalation or remote code execution. The vulnerability was added to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog in May 2026 following confirmed exploitation.

With CVE-2026-118539 now confirmed under active exploitation, administrators should prioritize security updates, examine historical order records and verify that payment confirmations correspond to actual transactions before fulfilling orders. Centarro has also recommended comparing suspicious transactions against website access logs to establish whether they originated through legitimate checkout processes.

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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
ChatGPT OpenAI Share-Link Flaw User Security Vulnerabilities and Exploits

ChatGPT Share-Link Flaw Could Expose Private Chats and Hijack Sessions

 

A recently disclosed vulnerability in ChatGPT demonstrated how a maliciously crafted shared conversation link could execute attacker-controlled code within a victim’s logged-in session. The issue was identified by security researchers at Parameter, who demonstrated that the flaw could expose private conversations and allow actions to be performed using the victim’s authenticated account. The vulnerability was reported to OpenAI through its bug bounty program on October 18 and was remediated eight days later. OpenAI classified the issue as P1, its highest severity rating. 

The attack required no software installation, workspace membership, or separate login through the attacker. A victim could receive the malicious ChatGPT share link through email, a messaging platform, a support ticket, or social media. In the most reliable version of the attack, the victim opened the link and clicked the Preview button once. In a later variant, Preview opened automatically, meaning that merely opening the link was sufficient to trigger the attack. 

Once triggered, the malicious code executed within the victim’s ChatGPT session and could interact with ChatGPT’s signed-in APIs. The researchers showed that it could list recent conversations, access a private chat that had never been shared, and transmit part of its contents to an external server under their control. Because the code operated within an authenticated session, it had the potential to perform actions on behalf of the affected user. 

The vulnerability resulted from a combination of weaknesses in ChatGPT’s web architecture. ChatGPT’s Preview feature renders shared HTML in a sandboxed frame on a separate domain, intended to isolate it from the main ChatGPT application. However, an interactive graph in the shared conversation loaded the MathLive mathematics library into the main ChatGPT page. This library retained a message listener that accepted keyboard-related messages from any sender without verifying their origin. The researchers exploited this behavior to send raw HTML from the isolated Preview frame into the trusted main ChatGPT page. 

OpenAI reproduced both the code-execution and private-chat proof-of-concept demonstrations and implemented fixes across two versions of its web frontend. By October 26, both versions rejected the messages on which the attack depended. Parameter published its technical analysis on October 28 after the remediation, and OpenAI awarded a total of $5,000 through its bug bounty program. The researchers also noted that the issue reflected broader weaknesses in message-origin validation, HTML handling, and sandboxing, rather than a problem that could be resolved simply by blocking third-party scripts such as YouTube.
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wifi
Belgium Broadcom. CVE routers software Vulnerabilities and Exploits wifi

Millions of Routers Running Broadcom Wi-Fi Chips Have an Unpatched Flaw That Hands Attackers Root Access Over the Air

 




A security researcher has demonstrated working exploits against a class of Wi-Fi gateways running Broadcom chips, showing that an attacker within radio range can gain root-level code execution on the device without knowing the Wi-Fi password or completing any kind of pairing process. As of this writing, no patch has been deployed to affected routers, and no CVE identifier has been assigned.

Quentin Kaiser published his findings on October 16, 2026, after a disclosure process that effectively went nowhere. The vulnerability sits inside Broadcom's own implementation of Wi-Fi Protected Setup, the handshake protocol designed to simplify connecting new devices to a network. Kaiser found that the code mishandles the reassembly of fragmented WPS messages. By sending carefully crafted fragments, an attacker can corrupt the device's memory and redirect execution, all through the air, from a position outside the building.


Two Working Exploits, Two Different Outcomes

Kaiser demonstrated the attack against two Belgian ISP-supplied gateways. On an Orange Belgium device, an Askey TCG3000, the exploit read the Wi-Fi pre-shared key directly from stored settings and transmitted it back to the attacker, effectively handing over the network password. On a Proximus gateway, the Sagemcom BBOX3V+, the exploit did something more severe: it opened a reverse shell transported entirely over Wi-Fi frames, without requiring the attacker to have an external server or any prior foothold on the network.

Both attacks required no credentials and no interaction from anyone inside the network. Distance helps the attacker, not the defender.


The Code Is Old, and So Is Broadcom's Awareness

The vulnerable code traces back to at least 2010. Broadcom issued a partial fix in 2018 and simultaneously told downstream customers to migrate to the hostapd Wi-Fi software package instead of relying on Broadcom's own WPS implementation. That guidance went unheeded across a large portion of the device ecosystem, and the underlying flaw was never fully resolved.

Kaiser says Broadcom was informed about the issue again through his disclosure process and declined to assign a CVE or comment publicly. CERT/CC, which typically coordinates vulnerability disclosures between researchers and vendors, closed his case the day it was opened, citing the fact that Broadcom holds its own CVE numbering authority.

The result is a vulnerability without an identifier, without a patch, and without any official acknowledgment from the company whose code is responsible.


Which Hardware Is Affected

Kaiser sorted the affected chips into two groups. Older eCos-based chips, the BCM3380, BCM3383, and BCM33834, cannot receive a practical fix given their architecture. He described these as a "forever day," meaning a vulnerability that will remain open for the functional life of the hardware. Newer Linux-based chips, including the BCM3390, BCM65xx, and BCM68xx series, are technically fixable if device makers choose to replace the WPS software stack.

Among confirmed deployments in Belgium, Proximus, Orange Belgium, and VOO gateways are affected. Kaiser was unable to test Telenet devices but considers them potentially in scope. His broader analysis, which involved automated firmware scanning, identified vulnerable code across Cisco small-business access points, Huawei gear, and ARRIS routers, among others. He estimates the total number of affected devices runs into the millions globally, though some entries in his published list are flagged as "likely vulnerable" rather than confirmed.


Detection Tools, but No Mitigation

For organizations trying to assess their exposure, Kaiser published YARA detection rules and a scanning script on GitHub at github.com/qkaiser/broadcom-wps. Both are intended as triage tools to identify firmware containing the vulnerable code. He notes that patched devices may still trigger the YARA rules, so a positive result requires additional verification rather than automatic remediation.

For devices that fall into the "forever day" category, the practical answer is replacement.


Why Proximity Attacks Are Getting More Attention

The threat model here matters beyond the technical details. Kaiser noted that this vulnerability is particularly useful to attackers who can position themselves in physical range of a target rather than approaching through the internet. That scenario is no longer theoretical.

In November 2024, Volexity documented how a Russian state-sponsored group, tracked as GruesomeLarch and linked to APT28, compromised organizations near a high-value target in Washington, D.C., and then used dual-homed systems inside those neighboring buildings to connect to the actual target's corporate Wi-Fi. The attacker never needed to be in the same room or even the same building. They just needed a wireless network with weak enough controls to reach from the street.

A flaw that lets anyone within radio range become root on the router, without a password, without a handshake, fits neatly into that playbook. The attack surface is wherever the signal reaches.



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Vulnerability Research
AI Security Vulnerabilities AI-Generated Reports Bug Bounty Programs Google Bug Bounty Open Source Security Software Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and Exploits Vulnerability Research

AI Spam Surge Forces Google to Pause Open Source Bug Bounty Program


OSS VRP (Open Source Software Vulnerability Rewards Program) has temporarily been suspended after a sharp increase in automated reports that were found to be valid. Since October 1, security teams and open-source maintainers have been facing an increasing number of low-quality vulnerability reports generated via artificial intelligence. 


The pause, which took effect on October 1, is in response to increasing volumes of low-quality vulnerability reports. Google announced the OSS VRP in August 2022 as a means of rewarding researchers who identifies and responsibly discloses security flaws in open-source software maintained by the company. 

The program covers projects such as Golang, Angular, Bazel, Protocol Buffers and Fuchsia, along with selected third-party dependencies. Security concerns regarding GitHub Actions, application configurations, repository settings, and access control rules are also covered by this program. There was initially a range of rewards available from $100 to $31,337 under the program, with particular emphasis placed on vulnerabilities that could potentially pose significant risks for software suppliers. 

As a result of the company's wider vulnerability rewards program, millions of dollars have since been awarded to researchers, making the OSS VRP an important means of identifying security vulnerabilities in widely used open-source projects. An increase in automated submissions was responsible for the current suspension, according to the company, with the majority failing to identify valid security issues. 

Although the use of artificial intelligence-assisted tools has made the generation of vulnerability reports at scale easier, the resulting volume may also include incorrect findings, duplicate claims, and reports concerning vulnerabilities that do not exist. OSS VRP is currently being reviewed by Google to address the issue and determine how the program should handle the growing number of automated submissions. 

A further update is anticipated in the first quarter of 2027. Additionally, the company clarifies that the change does not affect outstanding reports or product vulnerabilities submitted prior to October 1. The impact of the AI-driven reporting surge extends beyond Google's program as well. 


It has not been the company's first time experiencing a sharp increase in low-quality vulnerability submissions that have been generated by automated tools. This raises concerns about the time security teams will need to spend validating reports that do not identify genuine vulnerabilities. The Google Patch Rewards Program continues to offer incentives to researchers for submitting high-impact open-source security patches that qualify for rewards of up to $15,000. 

Google Cloud's Cloud Vulnerability Reward Program provides a means of reporting security vulnerabilities affecting open-source repositories related to Google Cloud products. Google's decision follows similar developments elsewhere in the security industry. In January, the curl project maintainer terminated its HackerOne bug bounty program in response to a significant number of low-quality, artificial intelligence-generated vulnerability reports. 

As part of its Intigriti bug bounty program, Intel also removed financial rewards in September, though the company did not provide a publicly stated reason for the change. As the use of artificial intelligence tools increases in speed, potential vulnerabilities are identified and reported more rapidly, while the review process remains the responsibility of security researchers and maintainers. 

Earlier this year, Microsoft warned that AI-assisted vulnerability discovery could increase the number and scale of security discoveries, potentially increasing the operational demands on security teams. Google has not yet confirmed that the Open Source OSS VRP will be permanently discontinued. The company is reviewing the program and anticipates making changes in the first quarter of 2027. 

For now, the temporary suspension reflects a growing challenge for bug bounty programs, namely, how to handle a large volume of automated reports without allowing invalid findings to overwhelm genuine security issues. 

The decision of Google highlights the difficulty of vulnerability reward programs as AI-assisted security research increases submissions. It will become increasingly important for these programs to distinguish genuine findings from automated and inaccurate reports in order for them to be effective.
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Vulnerability Research
AI cybersecurity AI Security Cybersecurity AI Cybersecurity Defenders Gemini 4 Argon Google Fairwind Google Gemini Vulnerabilities and Exploits Vulnerability Discovery Vulnerability Research

Google Introduces Gemini 4 Argon With Guardrail-Free Access for Defenders

A new frontier artificial intelligence model, Gemini 4 Argon, has been introduced by Google through its Fairwind Program for initial distribution to trusted cybersecurity defenders. In addition to internal security teams using this model, the company expects wider access as it collects feedback from early users. 

As a software engineering, enterprise knowledge work, and cybersecurity operations solution, Argon is designed to handle complex software engineering and knowledge management tasks. A model developed by Google will be able to identify, validate and patch critical vulnerabilities independently in security environments, thereby expanding the use of artificial intelligence for vulnerability research and remediation. 

Argon will be available to trusted defenders and the company's own teams without cyber-specific guardrails, according to the company. As part of this approach, vetted security professionals will be given full access to the model's capabilities when investigating and addressing threats. In September, Fairwind, a limited access AI security tool for governments, Google Cloud customers and cybersecurity partners, launched.

A significant finding has already been made as a result of its early deployment, Wiz, which is using Argon as part of its Scan for Good initiative, reported that it identified a previously unknown critical vulnerability in healthcare software used by hospitals worldwide. The vulnerability may expose sensitive personal information, although Google has not disclosed the name of the affected software or whether the issue has been resolved. 

Google also reports significantly improved vulnerability detection performance compared with Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber. A security test conducted by Argon on complex codebases identified security weaknesses, while a test conducted by Wiz on live web applications demonstrated improvements in attack surface discovery, vulnerability identification, and proof-of-concept generation. 

A phased approach is being taken by Google to the wider release, with the model currently restricted to internal teams and vetted defenders. Moreover, the company is participating in the U.S. government's voluntary pre-release process and will refine its safeguards after receiving feedback from early testers in order to broaden the availability to developers, enterprises, and individuals. 

Argon will be designed to reject requests attempting to support cyber or chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear attacks as part of its broader rollout, while also preserving the support of legitimate dual-purpose research as part of its broader rollout. Additionally, Google is monitoring the model's internal activity for signs of misuse. Indirect prompt injection is also being investigated. 

In Google's opinion, Argon is protected against attempts to manipulate it through malicious instructions or external content. The Fairwind program provides another layer of control around access by monitoring the model’s reasoning and actions, and stopping execution when behavior goes beyond the intended task. 

Organizations participating in the program have been vetted and their use has been restricted to authorized defense activities such as threat simulation, reverse engineering, and malware analysis for research or security purposes. Partners are not permitted to share or distribute access to the model. Google has not provided a date of general availability yet. 

Upon initial deployment of Argon Defender, API customers and Google AI Ultra subscribers should have access, although the broader deployment of Argon will be dependent on the results of ongoing safety and security evaluations.

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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Credential Theft MCP Security OAuth Python SDK Vulnerabilities and Exploits

MCP Python SDK Flaw Exposes OAuth Credentials

 

A high-severity security vulnerability in the official Model Context Protocol (MCP) Python SDK could allow malicious MCP servers to steal OAuth credentials from artificial intelligence applications. Tracked as GHSA-qx49-fqc8-xw99, the flaw has a CVSS score of 7.5 and affects HTTP-based MCP clients that use OAuth authentication while connecting to servers that are not fully trusted. The issue does not affect local studio clients, MCP servers, or applications that provide their own authentication tokens and headers. 

The vulnerability is linked to the SDK’s OAuth discovery process. During authentication, an MCP client asks a server to identify the authorization server responsible for issuing tokens. A malicious server could return a 404 response for the standard OAuth discovery endpoint, forcing the SDK to use a fallback method. On this unsafe path, the SDK failed to properly validate the authorization server’s issuer, allowing the attacker to redirect the authentication flow to an infrastructure controlled by them. 

As a result, attackers could capture an OAuth client secret, authorization code and PKCE proof key. These credentials may enable the attacker to obtain valid access tokens from the legitimate identity provider, potentially gaining the same permissions as the affected application. Depending on the configured OAuth scopes, the impact could include access to cloud services, internal APIs, databases, deployment systems and other connected resources. Long-lived client secrets and refresh tokens could also support continued access or account takeover. 

The affected releases include MCP Python SDK versions 1.9.1 through 1.29.1 and versions 2.0.0 through 2.1.1. The maintainers fixed the issue in version 1.30.0 for the 1.x branch and version 2.2.0 for the 2.x branch. However, upgrading alone may not be sufficient for deployments using ClientCredentialsOAuthProvider or PrivateKeyJWTOAuthProvider; developers must explicitly configure the expected issuer= value. Users of the deprecated 1.x RFC7523OAuthClientProvider should migrate to another supported provider. 

Organizations should immediately identify affected clients, upgrade the SDK and remove stored OAuth client registrations created by older releases. If a vulnerable client connected to an untrusted MCP server, administrators should rotate client secrets, revoke potentially exposed tokens and review authentication logs for suspicious activity. Teams unable to upgrade should restrict connections to MCP servers they completely control and trust. The advisory highlights the security risks created when AI agents connect external tools to privileged enterprise systems, making strict server verification and issuer validation essential safeguards.
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Healthcare Breach Identity Fraud medical data Poland qbusoft SQL injection Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Hackers Breach Polish Medical Software Firm Qbusoft, Expose Patient Data in Second Healthcare Attack in Weeks


 


A cyberattack on Polish healthcare software company Qbusoft has left patient records from its Medyc platform potentially in the hands of attackers, coming just weeks after a separate, larger breach hit another Polish medical software provider and rattled the country's entire health data infrastructure.

The attacker exploited an SQL injection vulnerability in Medyc's application interface during late August, according to a breach notification published last week by the Addiction and Psychiatric Treatment Center in Inowrocław, one of the healthcare facilities running the platform. SQL injection is one of the oldest and best-documented attack techniques in security research, allowing an attacker to manipulate a web application into pulling data directly from its database. Despite decades of awareness about the flaw, it remains a recurring entry point in healthcare system compromises.

Qbusoft confirmed on Friday that the attackers obtained names, national identification numbers, home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. In Poland, the national identification number, called a PESEL, functions similarly to a Social Security number in the United States and is a standard credential for identity verification across government services, banking and healthcare. Its theft puts affected patients at real risk of identity fraud.

The company said it had not confirmed the theft of clinical records. But the Inowrocław center told patients that Qbusoft found evidence the attacker ran scripts specifically targeting database tables containing medical information, making it "highly likely" that medical records were also pulled. The data in scope for that facility included hospital treatment records and discharge summaries from patients treated at its Day Treatment Unit for Addiction Treatment between July 2024 and August 2026.

The intrusion occurred on August 22-23 and went undetected until the night of September 8-9, a gap of more than two weeks. By that point, the attacker had already transferred an encrypted archive of the database outside Qbusoft's systems. Some fields, including names and PESEL numbers, had been encrypted in the database. Qbusoft nonetheless advised the affected center to assume the attackers could decrypt that information without difficulty, given the specifics of how the protection was implemented.

Qbusoft patched the vulnerability on the day the breach was detected, restricted database access permissions, rotated passwords and technical credentials, and introduced additional monitoring. The company has not publicly commented on the incident through any official statement.

That silence drew a sharp response from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who said the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime had opened an investigation and criticized Qbusoft for failing to notify CERT Polska or the national incident response team for the healthcare sector before authorities reached out. "Hiding attacks by companies is the biggest mistake, as it always puts citizens at risk," Gawkowski said. Poland's data protection authority separately announced that its president had ordered a formal audit of Qbusoft.

Medyc, which has operated as a cloud-based platform since 2014, is used across Polish medical practices and clinics for electronic medical records, patient scheduling, electronic prescriptions, referrals, sick notes, telemedicine and administrative billing. In a public notice, the company warned that its infrastructure had faced repeated attack attempts since the incident and that users might see temporary slowdowns or restricted access to certain modules.


The Same Attacker?

Polish cybersecurity publication Zaufana Trzecia Strona reported that a person or group using the alias "fingerprint" contacted the outlet claiming responsibility for the Medyc attack. The publication had previously linked that alias to the MyDr breach, a separate incident involving another Polish healthcare software vendor. Polish broadcaster RMF FM also reported that the same attackers behind MyDr were likely responsible for the Medyc intrusion, though Polish authorities have not formally attributed the attack to any individual or group.

The alleged attacker claimed to have obtained records on 5 million patients and 8 million private photographs, some of which Zaufana Trzecia Strona said may depict patients in sensitive medical settings. Neither figure has been independently confirmed, and the stolen data has not been made public. The actor reportedly framed the operations as an effort to expose weak security rather than profit from the data.

The MyDr breach, confirmed in August, potentially affected close to 19 million people across more than 12,000 healthcare facilities, involving over 2 terabytes of stolen data including names, PESEL numbers, prescription histories, diagnoses and appointment records. Poland has roughly 36.5 million residents, meaning the MyDr incident alone touched the records of nearly half the country's population. The Inowrocław treatment center caught up in the Medyc breach was also among the organizations affected by MyDr.

Gawkowski said Polish authorities had observed a surge in criminal activity targeting healthcare organizations in recent weeks and were preparing new regulations in response, including mandatory security certification for healthcare technology companies and tighter controls on how private vendors handle medical data. Poland recorded a 144 percent year-on-year rise in reported cybersecurity incidents in 2025. The consecutive breaches of Medyc and MyDr, both software vendors connecting thousands of clinics to national health infrastructure, have made clear that the weakest link in Poland's health data chain is not the government platform but the private companies sitting in front of it.




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WSO2
Adobe Commerce CISA KEV Catalog Vulnerabilities and Exploits WSO2

CISA Adds Actively Exploited WSO2 and Adobe Commerce Flaws to KEV Catalog

 

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added two critical vulnerabilities affecting WSO2 and Adobe Commerce to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, citing clear evidence of active exploitation. These flaws, tracked as CVE-2026-5430 and CVE-2026-71362, carry CVSS scores of 9.8 and 9.1 respectively, and pose severe risks to enterprises relying on these platforms for API management and e-commerce operations. 

CVE-2026-5430 is a path traversal vulnerability impacting WSO2 API Control Plane, API Manager, Traffic Manager, and Universal Gateway. It enables unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files and achieve remote code execution without user interaction. Security firm watchTowr reported observing in-the-wild exploitation since at least September 13, 2026, including forged JWT tokens targeting the flaw. Yordan Ganchev, a principal threat intelligence specialist at watchTowr, emphasized that WSO2 serves nearly 1,000 customers across banking, government, telecom, and logistics—sectors that cannot afford delayed patching. 

The second flaw, CVE-2026-71362, affects Adobe Commerce and Magento through an incorrect authorization bug that allows attackers to hijack customer sessions and switch accounts without interaction. This grants unauthorized access to private customer data and sensitive resources. Dutch e-commerce security company Sansec detected and blocked exploitation attempts in August 2026, while Previdian telemetry recorded a lone Australian IP targeting honeypots on September 10, 2026. Although Adobe has not yet confirmed active exploitation in its advisory, the evidence strongly suggests coordinated abuse of this vulnerability. 

CISA’s inclusion of both flaws in the KEV catalog triggers mandatory remediation timelines for Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies, which must apply patches by September 27, 2026. This deadline underscores the urgency for all organizations using WSO2 or Adobe Commerce to prioritize updates immediately. With threat actors already weaponizing these vulnerabilities, waiting for formal advisories or public proof-of-concept code could leave networks exposed to data theft, account takeover, and full system compromise. 

Organizations should audit their deployments of WSO2 and Adobe Commerce without delay, ensuring all systems are patched to the latest secure versions. For WSO2, this means updating API Manager and related components to close the path traversal vector. Adobe Commerce and Magento users must apply authorization fixes to prevent session hijacking. Given the high CVSS scores, broad industry usage, and confirmed exploitation, treating these vulnerabilities as critical priorities is essential to safeguarding digital infrastructure and customer data from escalating cyber threats.
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Code Injection Roundcube Webmail User Security Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Critical Roundcube Flaw Under Active Exploitation in Code Injection Attacks

 

A high-severity vulnerability in Roundcube Webmail, patched in May 2026, is now being actively exploited in code injection attacks, according to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-48842, allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass security controls and execute malicious database commands, putting millions of email users at risk. 

Roundcube is a browser-based IMAP email client used as the default mail interface by thousands of services and is pre-installed with the widely adopted cPanel web hosting control panel. The vulnerability resides in the virtuser_query plugin, which handles database-driven user lookups and maps users to email addresses. Successful exploitation enables threat actors with no privileges to inject and execute malicious SQL commands, steal data from Roundcube's database, and compromise email systems without requiring any user interaction. 

The Roundcube security team addressed this issue in May by releasing patches in versions 1.6.16 and 1.7.1, strongly recommending that administrators update their servers immediately. For those unable to upgrade right away, disabling or removing the virtuser_query plugin eliminates the attack vector and reduces exposure. Despite the availability of fixes, Shadowserver currently tracks over 523,000 Roundcube instances exposed on the Internet, though it remains unclear how many are honeypots or already patched against this flaw. 

This is not the first time Roundcube has been targeted by sophisticated threat actors. The Russian Winter Vivern (TA473) group exploited a cross-site scripting zero-day (CVE-2023-5631) against European government entities, while APT28 abused multiple Roundcube flaws to breach Ukrainian government email systems. More recently, in February 2026, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) flagged two other Roundcube vulnerabilities as actively exploited, ordering federal agencies to secure their networks within three weeks. Since May 2022, CISA has tagged 11 Roundcube Webmail vulnerabilities as exploited in the wild, underscoring the platform's persistent appeal to cybercriminals and state-backed hackers. 

Organizations relying on Roundcube should prioritize patching to versions 1.6.16 or 1.7.1 without delay, as the window for safe operation has closed. Administrators who cannot upgrade immediately must disable the vulnerable virtuser_query plugin and monitor logs for suspicious database queries or unauthorized access attempts. Given the scale of exposed instances and the history of active exploitation, treating this flaw as a critical priority is essential to prevent data theft, credential harvesting, and broader compromise of email infrastructure.
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Android Privilege Escalation Android Root Access Android Security Mobile Security OnePlus Security Flaws OnePlus Vulnerabilities OxygenOS Vulnerabilities Vulnerabilities and Exploits

OnePlus Android Devices Face Root Access Risk From Unpatched Flaws


Unpatched vulnerabilities in OnePlus software can allow a malicious Android application to gain root-level control of affected devices without requesting any special permissions. Security researcher Rasmus Moorats demonstrated the attack on a stock OnePlus 15 running the latest OxygenOS version, showing that an app installed on the device could escalate its privileges through two flaws in OnePlus-developed services. 

The vulnerabilities were found in AtlasService and olc2, two components that operate with elevated system privileges. OnePlus confirmed the issues in May and told Moorats that the flaws could affect additional OnePlus and OPPO devices, although no specific list of affected models has been released. As of the September 24 disclosure, the company had not published a security advisory, assigned CVE identifiers, or released a patch for the flaws. 

Two Flaws Form a Single Attack Chain

The first vulnerability affects AtlasService, a OnePlus service used for collecting debugging information. The service runs with root privileges and, according to the research, does not adequately verify which application is making a request. 

A specially crafted request can reach a debugging function that places attacker-controlled input into a system command. This allows a malicious application to execute commands with root privileges, although the initial access remains confined to the restricted dumpstate environment. The second vulnerability involves olc2, a hardware-related service that can execute shell commands. Its access control assumes that requests come from an already privileged process. 

Since the first flaw provides root execution within the restricted environment, the attacker can use that access to reach the second service. The resulting execution takes place in a less restricted system context, providing significantly broader Linux privileges. The research shows that the chain can ultimately allow kernel code to be loaded, moving the attack from application-level compromise to deep system control. 

No Special Permissions Required

The attack does not depend on a remote network connection. A malicious application must first be installed and running on the device, but the application does not need to request sensitive Android permissions or obtain an additional consent prompt. 

The demonstration was carried out on an unmodified OnePlus 15, indicating that the attack does not require an already rooted or specially configured device. Moorats also tested the chain against a OnePlus 12 Pro and expects the vulnerabilities to affect a wider range of devices running OxygenOS 16. 

OnePlus has indicated that the issues extend beyond its own devices to some OPPO products, reflecting the shared software components used across the two companies. However, the exact scope remains unclear because neither company has published an affected-device list. There is currently no evidence that the vulnerabilities have been exploited in real-world attacks. 

The immediate risk is tied to malicious applications being installed on affected devices, making application-source security an important defensive measure while a vendor fix remains unavailable.

Disclosure Followed Months of Vendor Coordination

Moorats reported the vulnerabilities to OnePlus on April 18, 2026. The company confirmed the issues on May 20 and said a fix was being prepared, while also asking the researcher not to disclose the technical details publicly. A further update arrived on June 22, when OnePlus requested additional time before disclosure. Moorats agreed to delay publication until September 17. 

Requests for further updates on July 20 and September 11 reportedly received no response. The technical details were eventually published on September 24, while the flaws remained unpatched. Until an official update becomes available, limiting application installations to trusted sources can reduce exposure to the attack path. A malicious application must be present on the device before the exploit chain can be triggered. 

Wider Impact Across OnePlus and OPPO Devices

The disclosure raises broader concerns because the affected components are part of the software layer added by the device manufacturer rather than stock Android. Mallory's analysis identifies the tested OnePlus 15 firmware as OxygenOS 16.0.3.503 and also records successful testing on the OnePlus 12 Pro. 

While OnePlus acknowledges that multiple products and software versions are vulnerable, it has not provided a comprehensive list of affected devices. There is also a significant connection between OnePlus and OPPO The two companies share software components, which means a flaw in an OEM service could affect more than just OnePlus smartphones. Information available does not establish the full impact of OPPO, however, and specific affected versions remain uncertain.

In the attack chain, two separate security weaknesses are exploited. AtlasService provides a path for untrusted applications to be able to communicate with privileged OnePlus processes, whereas the vendor component Olc2 allows another path for executing commands within privileged environments. These flaws allow initial restricted access to reach a much more powerful system environment through the use of their combined effects. 

OEM Software Remains a Key Android Attack Surface

OnePlus' disclosure follows another demonstration in which manufacturer-specific Android software was demonstrated in September. Security researcher Lukas Maar presented OEMPocalypse research, which demonstrated privilege-escalation chains against several major Android manufacturers, including OnePlus, Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Realme. This research involved a different technical approach, involving an OEM sandbox escape followed by a memory safety flaw in a vendor kernel driver. 

The overlap is in the attack surface: both cases depend on code added by smartphone manufacturers rather than a weakness in the core Android framework. In addition to hardware control and diagnostic functions, OEM components often require elevated privileges due to their device-specific features. 

As a result of these privileges, insufficient access checks are also particularly critical. The inclusion of a vulnerable service that accepts requests from ordinary applications can provide a path that circumvents Android's normal security controls. 

No Exploitation Reported So Far

The OnePlus flaws have not yet been exploited in the wild, according to information provided by OnePlus. Furthermore, the disclosed attack is not remotely exploitable, since a malicious application must already be installed on the device. Although the requirement is met, it does not eliminate the risk of an exploit. 

An application that is distributed through an unofficial store, a malicious APK, or another untrusted software channel may have the potential to provide an entry point for an exploit. A conventional permission-based screening method is less effective against this particular attack chain because the application does not require special Android permissions. 

Until OnePlus releases a security update, limiting application installations to trusted sources remains the primary practical precaution. Regular checks of OxygenOS updates are also relevant, since no public remediation timeline was available at the time of disclosure. 

Disclosure Raises Questions Over Patch Coordination

A vulnerability disclosure also emphasizes the extended coordination period between the researcher and OnePlus as a result of the issue being reported on April 18, OnePlus confirmed the issue in May, and provided a second fix status update in June. 

OnePlus argued during the disclosure process that vulnerability publication should remain within their control during the disclosure process. Publication ultimately took place on September 24 without a public patch. Although the researcher released their findings following the expiration of the agreed-upon disclosure period without any public remediation, no CVE identifier was assigned to the vulnerabilities as of publication, and no OnePlus advisory was publicly available describing the affected builds or recommending possible fixes. 

The absence of these details makes it difficult to determine the exact scope and makes the eventual security update particularly important for confirming which devices are affected. A similar case occurred in 2025 in which Rapid7 disclosed a separate OxygenOS vulnerability that could permit applications to access SMS data, adding to concerns about vulnerabilities in manufacturer-specific services rather than the core platform of Android.
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Zero-Day Vulnerability
BIG-IP APM CISA KEV CVE-2026-94127 F5 BIG-IP F5 Security OAuth Authorization Server Remote Code Execution Unauthenticated RCE Vulnerabilities and Exploits Zero-Day Vulnerability

F5 Fixes BIG-IP APM Zero-Day Enabling Unauthenticated RCE


BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vulnerabilities have been patched by F5 as a result of zero-day attacks utilizing this vulnerability, which allows unauthenticated attackers to execute code on the system. As a result of this flaw, CVE-2026-94127 affects BIG-IP deployments with APM configured as an OAuth Authorization Server. 

F5 disclosed the flaw on September 22 and assigned it a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8. There is a vulnerability resulting from a heap-based buffer overflow that can be triggered by specially crafted traffic sent to a vulnerable virtual server. For the affected configuration to be effective, it is necessary to associate an APM access policy with an OAuth Authorization Server profile. 

The BIG-IP data plane can potentially be compromised without prior authentication due to malicious network traffic reaching it. A F5 spokesperson confirmed that systems running in Appliance mode are also affected. As the vulnerable traffic is directed towards the virtual server handling OAuth requests, the BIG-IP management interface is not restricted by restrictions. 

As of September 22nd, CISA added CVE-2026-94127 to its catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities. This vulnerability does not affect deployments using APM solely as an OAuth Client or Resource Server. Civilian agencies were given a deadline of September 25 to apply the mitigations, while F5 has provided engineering hotfixes for BIG-IP branches that have been affected. 

F5 has not released any information on how many systems have been compromised or identified the threat actors behind the exploit. CISA's KEV entry, as well as the company's vulnerability record, do not include any information about which organizations were targeted for attack. 

F5 Releases Mitigation and Detection Guidance

F5 has released engineering hotfixes for the affected BIG-IP branches, whereas an iRule has been created as a temporary mitigation for systems that cannot be patched immediately. F5 Support provides the iRule as a temporary measure, intended to provide protection until a permanent fix has been deployed. In order to ensure a successful deployment of the vendor hotfix, CISA has advised applying the temporary measure during forensic checks. 

A number of indicators have been provided by F5 to assist in identifying possible exploitations. A repeated OAuth authentication failure, particularly one or more invalid token requests from the same IP in a short period of time, should be investigated further. An unpredicted increase in the total_failed OAuth statistic that correlates with other activity can serve as another indication. 

The security team should review /var/log/audit for suspicious commands which occurred at the same time as unusual OAuth activity. TMM core files and unexpected TMM terminations with the SIGABRT signal may also be relevant, since F5 observed that the vulnerable process entered a loop and crashed while performing malicious activity. All of these signs alone do not indicate exploitation, so the timing and combination of events are crucial when analyzing the situation.

It is essential that organizations that have BIG-IP APM systems that are interconnected with the internet preserve relevant logs and forensic evidence before undertaking major changes to potentially compromised appliances. Patching the system closes the vulnerable code path, but does not prove whether an attacker gained access to the system prior to remediation. 

At the time of this publication, F5 has not yet disclosed whether installing the hotfix removes access obtained in the past. As well, the vendor has not publicly identified the attackers or disclosed the number of systems affected. Watchtowr researchers published a technical analysis on September 24 of CVE-2026-94127, which adds more information to this vulnerability as exploitation continues. 

The affected BIG-IP APM configurations should be prioritized for F5 hotfix distribution, the recommended indicators of compromise should be reviewed, and systems should be investigated for signs of prior exploitation.
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Arista Security Patch VCO Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Arista Warns of Critical Actively Exploited VCO Vulnerability

 

Arista has published Security Advisory 0183 warning of a critical vulnerability in on-premises VeloCloud Orchestrator (VCO), tracked as CVE-2026-93952. The advisory, dated September 22, 2026, assigns the flaw a CVSS 3.1 base score of 10.0, indicating the highest level of severity. The issue is caused by improper input validation and is already being actively exploited, making immediate assessment and remediation essential for affected organisations. 

The vulnerability could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to access privileged internal functionality and compromise the VCO host. Successful exploitation may affect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the orchestrator, including data managed by it. Arista said the issue affects on-premises VCO deployments, while hosted and dedicated VCO versions have already been patched. The affected software includes VCO 5.2.3.15 and earlier in the 5.2.x series, 6.1.3.7 and earlier in the 6.1.x series, 6.4.2.7 and earlier in the 6.4.x series, and 7.0.0.2 and earlier in the 7.0.x series. 

An affected deployment requires certificate-based authentication between a VeloCloud Edge and VCO, access to the public portion of the Edge authentication certificate, and network access to the VCO web interface. Tenant or operator credentials are not required. Organisations that limit the VCO web interface to trusted administrative networks can reduce exposure, although this should be treated as a temporary defensive measure rather than a complete solution. Arista’s EOS-based networking products and several other listed Arista platforms are not affected by this vulnerability. 

Administrators should inspect VCO web-access, backend application and system logs for unusual requests, encoded URL components, references to internal services or unusually high request rates. Other warning signs include unexpected outbound traffic, unauthorized configuration changes, unexplained maintenance actions, command execution, file creation, database exports or access to credentials and certificates. Arista specifically identified suspicious files, the x-vc-opt HTTP header and connections from 142.93.149.77 and 104.248.126.159 as indicators requiring investigation. 

Arista recommends upgrading to a remediated VCO release as soon as possible. Fixes are available in VCO 5.2.3.16 and later within the 5.2.3 train, and VCO 6.4.2.8 and later within the 6.4.2 train; fixes for other release trains will be added. Until then, organisations should restrict web access, monitor inbound and outbound activity, review administrator actions and watch for backdoors or webshells. If compromise is suspected, operators should preserve relevant logs and file timestamps before remediation, contact Arista TAC, rotate credentials, validate managed Edge devices and consider rebuilding the orchestrator from trusted sources.
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
AI Coding Agents Codex CLI Codex Sandbox Escape Cybersecurity Heapjack Host Command Execution OpenAI Codex Overpatch Sandbox Vulnerability Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Researchers Escape OpenAI Codex Sandbox to Run Commands on Host


In OpenAI Codex, security researchers have identified two sandbox escape vulnerabilities, one of which allows developers to execute commands on their machine without prompting them. The vulnerabilities, Heapjack and Overpatch, affect different parts of the coding agent's security boundary. 

The vulnerability was reported to OpenAI by Accomplish AI on August 12. According to the researcher, Codex fixed both issues within eight days. The more serious Heapjack vulnerability demonstrated that malicious code could move beyond the restrictions imposed by Codex's sandbox, even when the agent was running as a read-only application. 

Heapjack Breaks the Sandbox Boundary

The node_repl component installed with Codex Desktop is targeted by heapjack. Although both OpenAI and untrusted agent code are run in separate JavaScript contexts, both operate within the same Node.js process and share the same memory heap, the separation was not sufficiently effective in preventing a security token from coming into contact with an untrusted environment. 

By inspecting the process heap, it was possible to obtain the token generated for the trusted context that remained in shared memory. When the token was obtained, the untrusted code could interact with a native parent process outside the sandbox using the communication channel used by the trusted context. As part of the demonstration of the technique, the researchers launched an application outside of Codex's process tree by utilizing the open command. 

A Unix socket as well as other system-level interfaces could also be reached through this access. This demonstration was especially important since it occurred while Codex was running in a strict read-only sandbox mode, where the agent was not expected to have any writing access to the wider system. 

The attack could be triggered by a seemingly routine development process. The researchers demonstrated a scenario in which malicious content contained in a repository, created by a third party, could exploit the vulnerability after the repository was opened in Codex and a query about its code was made. 

Overpatch Expands Write Access

Second, a vulnerability known as Overpatch affects the open-source Codex command line utility, and it takes an alternative route outside the sandbox. The vulnerability affects the application_patch tool used by Codex to modify files. 

In workspace-write mode, Codex is intended to limit file changes to the project directory. Researchers discovered that apply_patch, instead of expanding write permissions, could expand them based on paths included in patches. By using a path such as /tmp, the tool was able to treat the root of the file system as an accessible parent directory. In addition to the permission extension, researchers modified .zshrc by creating a symbolic link to the user's home directory so that it would be modified as well.

A successful write was not required for the /tmp entry; its presence extended the permissions granted to the patch operation. A modified shell configuration resulted in a file modification outside of the permitted workspace without an approval prompt. When a new terminal session was launched, attacker-controlled content ran. 

Two Flaws, One Security Boundary Problem

It is important to note that though Heapjack and Overpatch affect different parts of the Codex, both expose weaknesses in the way in which the security boundary of the agent was enforced. In the case of Overpatch, the tool responsible for applying changes also determined the scope from which it had access to data. 

In heapjack, trust boundaries were similarly compromised, as the token separating trusted and untrusted execution remained accessible in the same Node.js process and memory space as the untrusted code. The findings suggest that AI coding agents can be restricted in other ways than just controlling their abilities to execute commands. 

Untrusted agent activity must also be prevented from influencing the mechanisms that enforce those restrictions by the tools, processes and interfaces surrounding the model. On August 12, 2026, OpenAI was notified of the issues, and they were both addressed within eight days by Accomplish, who stated that Overpatch was addressed in Codex CLI 0.149.0, while Heapjack had been addressed in Codex Desktop build 26.818.21641.

A later statement by OpenAI confirmed that both issues had been resolved in August, and that additional measures were being taken to strengthen file-write controls and expand sandbox testing across platforms. These findings emphasize the security challenges associated with maintaining strong isolation in AI coding environments. Codex Desktop and Codex CLI have been updated to address both vulnerabilities.
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