For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 15th June, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• The University of Nottingham, a UK research university, has suffered a data breach after ShinyHunters accessed its student records system. The incident affected about 454,600 current and former students and exposed contact details, passport numbers, enrollment information, and fee payment records later appeared online. According to analysts, this breach is part of a larger wave of attacks targeting more than 100 organizations by ShinyHunters, exploiting CVE-2026-35273, a critical zero-day vulnerability in Oracle PeopleSoft that allows remote code execution.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools Server-Side Request Forgery (CVE-2026-35273))

• Mackay Sugar, Australia’s second-largest sugar producer, has been hit by a cyberattack that disrupted operations and shut down its Farleigh and Racecourse mills in Queensland. The company instructed growers to stop harvesting and suspended cane haulage while temporary measures were deployed to maintain essential operations.
• Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has disclosed a breach after attackers accessed internal IT systems and copied pseudonymized clinical trial data from research systems. The exposed information included patient IDs, trial participation details, limited health data, and some healthcare professionals’ contact information.

AI THREATS

• Check Point Research has demonstrated exploitable flaws in LangGraph, an open-source framework for stateful AI agents. Researchers chained SQL injection and unsafe deserialization issues to achieve remote code execution, with patches issued for SQLite, core, and Redis checkpointer components in affected deployments.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (LangChain LangGraph SQL Injection (CVE-2026-27022))

• Researchers highlighted a China-based phishing-as-a-service network, Outsider, that allegedly used Gemini to generate fake websites and support SMS phishing campaigns. Google filed a lawsuit after linking the operation to thousands of phishing sites, more than 1.5 million URLs, and large-scale victim targeting.
• Researchers warned that prompt-injection attacks against Anthropic’s Claude Code GitHub Action could leak CI/CD workflow secrets. Malicious issue or pull request text can instruct the agent to read environment variables and expose API keys, enabling workflow abuse and impersonation inside software repositories.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Check Point Research has identified active exploitation of CVE-2026-50751, a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting Check Point Remote Access VPN and Mobile Access deployments configured to use the deprecated IKEv1 key exchange protocol. Attacks began in May and increased in early June, affecting a limited number of organizations, with one case tied to Qilin ransomware activity.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (IKEv1 Remote Access Authentication Bypass PoC Exploit (CVE-2026-50751))

• Microsoft released its largest Patch Tuesday update to date, addressing more than 200 Windows and Defender vulnerabilities amid an AI-driven surge in vulnerability discovery. The fixes include CVE-2026-45657, a critical Windows flaw with a CVSS score of 9.8 that could enable network-based propagation, CVE-2026-41091, which has been actively exploited to gain full system control, and CVE-2026-50507, a BitLocker bypass vulnerability.
• Veeam has released security updates to fix a critical flaw affecting Backup & Replication. The vulnerability allows an authenticated domain user to execute code remotely on a domain-joined backup server, exposing sensitive backup infrastructure and recovery systems.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research’s May 2026 attack trends report found that organizations experienced an average of 2,055 weekly attacks, down 7% month over month, while ransomware incidents increased 48% year over year. The report also highlights continued GenAI exposure across enterprise environments, including risks linked to business-related prompts.
• Researchers detected a supply-chain compromise in the Arch User Repository, where attackers seized hundreds of packages and modified build scripts to install credential-stealing malware. The campaign deployed malicious dependencies, a Rust stealer, and, with administrative privileges, an eBPF rootkit on Linux systems.
• Researchers analyzed a Brazilian phishing campaign abusing the legitimate NinjaOne remote management agent to gain access to company computers. The campaign uses fake Portuguese business portals and phone-based social engineering to install a signed agent connected to attacker-controlled infrastructure on victim endpoints
• Researchers described ongoing exploitation of WinRAR flaw CVE-2025-8088 by Russia-linked groups targeting Ukrainian military and government organizations. Spear-phishing archives plant hidden files that run at login and deploy stealers for browser passwords, cookies, VPN configurations, and other credentials across affected Windows systems.

The post 15th June – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 8th June, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• DentaQuest, a U.S. dental benefits administrator owned by Sun Life, has suffered a data breach after threat group ShinyHunters leaked exfiltrated data. Analysts assessed that 2.6 million accounts were exposed, including names, emails, government IDs, and health insurance details.
• Password manager Dashlane has disclosed an attack in which threat actors brute-forced two-factor codes to register unauthorized devices and download encrypted password vaults for less than 20 users. The campaign began May 31 and was contained after lockouts.
• The United Nations World Food Programme has disclosed unauthorized access to its Gaza self-registration application, exposing names, identification numbers, mobile numbers, and location data. The breach affected about 600,000 Palestinian households across Gaza, and WFP suspended the platform while responding to the incident.
• Russia’s Federal Security Service claims that foreign intelligence agencies hacked mobile devices belonging to senior Russian officials. The alleged spyware operation enabled access to correspondence, calls, geolocation data, contact lists, and covert audio and video surveillance.
• Hola, whose Windows browser serves millions of users, has confirmed a supply chain compromise that pushed an unauthorized executable to some users. The file operated as a cryptominer, installed as a Windows service, and excluded itself from Defender. An independent review found impact limited to about 0.1% of users.

AI THREATS

• Check Point highlighted an AI security risk after reports that attackers used Meta’s AI support chatbot to seize Instagram accounts. Granting AI agents account recovery authority to change emails or approve requests without identity checks can enable unauthorized access, showing that permissions and verification shape the risk.
• Researchers demonstrated a notification-based prompt injection technique called Fake Context Alignment that manipulated Google’s Gemini voice assistant through incoming messages. The attack hid authorization prompts and enabled device control, auto-joining Zoom video calls, and cross-device memory poisoning. Google deployed classifier updates after disclosure.
• Researchers described an AI-enabled EDR evasion lab where a threat actor automates malware development and testing against Sophos, CrowdStrike, and Microsoft Defender. LLM-driven agents and an automated Active Directory panel coordinate iterative trials, supporting stealthy post-exploitation tied to ransomware deployment and data theft.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Google has released its June Android security patch for 124 vulnerabilities, including CVE-2025-48595, a high-severity Android Framework flaw under exploitation. Local attackers can use the vulnerability to gain code execution and escalate privileges on devices running Android 14 or later.
• Cisco has released patches for CVE-2026-20230, a critical Unified Communications Manager and Session Management Edition flaw that allows unauthenticated network attackers to write files and escalate to root. A public proof-of-concept was already published. The bug requires WebDialer enabled, and fixes include 14SU6 and an interim 15.x COP.
• SolarWinds Serv-U CVE-2026-28318 has been exploited in attacks against file transfer servers. The unauthenticated flaw lets crafted HTTP POST requests using a deflate header crash the service and disrupt operations. SolarWinds fixed the vulnerability in Serv-U 15.5.4 HF1.
• CVE-2026-41089 in Microsoft Windows Netlogon is being exploited in attacks against Windows Server domain controllers. The critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw can allow remote code execution through crafted network requests. Successful exploitation may give attackers SYSTEM-level control of domain controllers in vulnerable Active Directory environments.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Microsoft Windows Netlogon Remote Code Execution (CVE-2026-41089))

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research has investigated a large-scale impersonation and click-hijacking scheme that reroutes downloads from fake open-source sites through a gated traffic distribution system. Impersonating tools like Ghidra and dnSpy, it led to infection by RemusStealer, AnimateClipper, and a new loader called SessionGate.

Check Point Threat Emulation and Harmony Endpoint provide protection against this threat

• Check Point Research linked a Dutch seizure of about 800 servers at hosting provider WorkTitans B.V. to Iranian cyber espionage operations. MuddyWater, Agrius, and Nimbus Manticore used this infrastructure for attacks that enabled remote access, credential theft, and scanning.
• Check Point researchers have surveyed the 2026 U.S. midterm threat landscape, finding that operations focus on phishing, brand impersonation, and domain abuse rather than ballot tampering. Russian-linked Doppelganger networks cloned major media sites, vote-related domains increased, and exposed ActBlue and WinRed credentials surfaced.
• Researchers identified a months-long espionage campaign that covertly siphoned a senior executive’s Microsoft Outlook mailbox at a major global stock exchange. Attackers used legitimate cloud storage services and disguised update tasks to persist and move data in small batches, enabling five months of undetected access.

The post 8th June – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 1st June, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Carnival Corporation, a global cruise line operator, has confirmed a data breach affecting nearly 6 million people after attackers used social engineering to compromise an employee account. Exposed information may include names, contact details, dates of birth, and government identification numbers.
• Charter Communications, a US telecommunications provider operating under the Spectrum brand, has suffered a data breach by ShinyHunters group. Analysts report that 4.9 million email addresses were exposed, with names, phone numbers, physical addresses, and a subset of employee directory records.
• Lithuania’s Centre of Registers, the state agency responsible for property and legal entity records, has disclosed a data breach affecting more than 600,000 records. Attackers reportedly misused institutional login credentials to access names, dates of birth, national identification numbers, and property-related data.
• Station Casinos, a major Las Vegas casino operator owned by Red Rock Resorts, has disclosed a breach after an unauthorized third party accessed a single employee account and associated files. The company began notifying affected individuals on May 21 and said business operations were not affected.

AI THREATS

• Researchers profiled GREYVIBE, a Russia-aligned group using ChatGPT and Google Gemini to accelerate phishing, malware development, and post-compromise activity against Ukrainian targets. The campaign uses spear-phishing, fake CAPTCHA pages, and decoy websites to deliver PhantomRelay on Windows and FallSpy on Android.
• Researchers unveiled an AI-driven influence and fraud campaign run by a Russian-speaking actor behind a MAGA-themed Telegram channel with 17,000 subscribers. The operator bypassed Gemini safeguards to automate propaganda and credential theft, used stolen API keys, cracked WordPress accounts, and drained a crypto wallet.
• Researchers identified an AI-generated malicious npm package, mouse5212-super-formatter, that steals developers’ files by scanning a local directory and uploading data to a GitHub repository using a hardcoded private token. The package recorded at least seven exfiltration events and 676 downloads.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Check Point announced a Jumbo Security Release based on large-scale AI-driven code scanning across the products. The release addresses vulnerabilities in Check Point security gateways, including CVE-2026-48131 and CVE-2026-48132. The vulnerabilities were not exploited in the wild.

Check Point IPS provides protection against these threats (IKE Unsigned Underflow (CVE-2026-48131), IKE Improper Length Validation (CVE-2026-48132))

• CVE-2026-0257, a PAN-OS GlobalProtect authentication bypass which was fixed earlier this month, is now being exploited against unpatched Palo Alto Networks devices. Attackers are using forged authentication override cookies to create unauthorized VPN sessions, potentially giving them access to internal networks. CISA added the flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on May 29.
• A critical remote code execution flaw has been disclosed in Gogs, a popular open-source self-hosted Git service, with a CVSS score of 9.4 and no patch available. An authenticated user can abuse rebase merging to execute commands, risking repository access and cross-tenant data exposure. The vulnerability remains unpatched by the developer for more than two months.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Gogs Remote Code Execution)

• Ghost CMS vulnerability CVE-2026-26980 is actively being exploited in attacks that use SQL injection to steal Admin API keys and alter website pages. At least two groups have targeted more than 700 sites using fake Cloudflare checks to deliver data-stealing malware.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Ghost SQL Injection (CVE-2026-26980))

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Researchers attributed a destructive campaign against LA Metro to an Iran-linked intelligence operation using the Ababil of Minab persona. LA Metro confirmed an intrusion involving wiped servers, and analysts linked additional transit and technology attacks to Black Shadow infrastructure.
• Researchers observed renewed Grandoreiro banking malware campaigns targeting Portuguese banks and organizations across Spain, Mexico, and Latin America. The attacks begin with phishing and using DLL side-loading or malicious scripts, then abuse cloud services to hide traffic while stealing credentials and displaying fake banking overlays.
• Researchers uncovered GHOST STADIUM, a fraud network cloning FIFA-related websites across more than 300 active domains ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The operation steals login credentials and payment data, locks fans out of accounts, and is promoted through Facebook ads.
• Researchers exposed JINX-0164, a financially motivated group targeting cryptocurrency organizations through recruiter-themed social engineering and macOS malware, including AUDIOFIX and MINIRAT. The campaigns moved from compromised developer laptops into code repositories and build systems, creating supply chain compromise risk.

The post 1st June – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 25th May, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• 7-Eleven, the global convenience store chain, confirmed a breach after an unauthorized access to systems used for franchisee documents. ShinyHunters claimed responsibility and said it stole more than 600,000 Salesforce records containing personal and corporate information, with affected individuals offered identity protection services.
• Code hosting platform GitHub has suffered a breach after attackers weaponized a Visual Studio Code extension to compromise an employee device and steal internal source code. The company estimated about 3,800 internal repositories were exfiltrated, with no evidence of impact on customer-facing systems.
• Grafana Labs, an open-source observability software company, disclosed a breach after a compromised GitHub token allowed intruders to access parts of its source code. The company reports that it has refused to pay ransom to the attackers and claims no customer data exposure or service disruption.
• The FBI warns about Kali365, a phishing-as-a-service kit that is actively being used to target Americans and is distributed mainly through Telegram. The platform targets Microsoft 365 users with device-code phishing, captures OAuth access and refresh tokens, and enables persistent access to Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive while bypassing MFA.

AI THREATS

• Check Point Research released the March-April 2026 AI Threat Landscape digest and demonstrated that AI-driven attacks have entered routine criminal use, citing a campaign where a single operator used commercial AI to compromise nine Mexican government agencies and execute over 5,000 automated commands. It also notes malicious configuration files that override safety controls, commercialized toolkits, and stolen API keys enabling abuse.
• Researchers identified phishing campaigns that use indirect prompt injections to evade AI-powered email filters. Attackers embed invisible text inside messages, using zero-size fonts or background-matched colors, so recipients see ordinary content while AI scanning tools process attacker instructions during automated security review.
• Researchers unveiled an AI-driven influence and fraud campaign run by a Russian-speaking actor behind a MAGA-themed Telegram channel with 17,000 subscribers. The operator bypassed Gemini safeguards to automate propaganda and credential theft, used stolen API keys, cracked WordPress accounts, and drained a crypto wallet.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Microsoft published fixes for CVE-2026-41091 and CVE-2026-45498, two actively exploited Windows Defender flaws affecting the Malware Protection Engine and Defender Antimalware Platform. The first allows local privilege escalation, while the second can cause denial of service, with updated components released automatically through normal Defender updates.
• Trend Micro addressed CVE-2026-34926, a directory traversal flaw in Apex One on-premises servers that allows attackers with administrator access push malicious code to endpoints. Exploitation attempts were observed against Windows systems, and the issue affects the enterprise endpoint security platform in corporate deployments
• Drupal released emergency patches for CVE-2026-9082, a critical SQL injection flaw affecting Drupal sites using PostgreSQL. Successful exploitation can allow database command execution, potentially leading to data theft or code execution. Active attacks were reported shortly after disclosure across thousands of sites.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Drupal Core SQL Injection (CVE-2026-9082))

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research has revealed new campaigns of Nimbus Manticore, an IRGC-linked group that resurfaced during Operation Epic Fury with upgraded techniques. The campaigns use SEO poisoning and career-themed phishing across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, and then delivered a new MiniFast backdoor.

Check Point Threat Emulation and Harmony Endpoint provide protection against this threat

• Check Point researchers have highlighted a 124% surge in hacktivism and ransomware across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in 2025. Germany accounted for most incidents, while hacktivists drove defacements and DDoS attacks, and ransomware activity was led by Akira, Qilin, and Safepay.
• Researchers have uncovered Showboat, a Linux malware family used against international telecommunications providers. The modular post-exploitation framework can hide processes, transfer files, spawn remote shells, and operate as a SOCKS5 proxy. The activity is attributed to China-aligned threat actors.
• Researchers uncovered a supply chain attack on Laravel Lang localization packages via Composer, where attackers rewrote GitHub tags to point to malicious commits. The campaign deployed a cross-platform credential stealer targeting cloud keys, developer tokens, and browser passwords across hundreds of package versions.
• Researchers identified large-scale abuse of Middle Eastern telecom and hosting networks, with more than 1,350 active command-and-control servers across 98 providers. Linked activity included Phorpiex, Eagle Werewolf espionage, exploitation of a React Native CLI flaw, and RondoDox botnet activity at significant scale.

The post 25th May – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 18th May, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Vodafone, a major international telecom, has sustained a source code leak claimed by the Lapsus$ extortion group. The company confirmed limited access to GitHub files through compromised third-party development software, while stating that customer data and core network infrastructure were not affected by the incident.
• Cryptocurrency platform THORChain, based in Switzerland, has encountered a security breach that led to the theft of about $10.7M. Trading was halted after one of six vaults was compromised, and the company said losses were limited to protocol-owned assets across several blockchains.
• West Pharmaceutical Services, a global manufacturer of drug delivery components, has experienced a ransomware attack that disrupted shipping, manufacturing, and shared service functions. The company disclosed that some systems were encrypted and data was stolen, but no ransomware group has publicly claimed responsibility.
• Foxconn, a global electronics manufacturer, has confirmed it was hit by a cyberattack on its North American operations after the Nitrogen ransomware group claimed to have stolen 8TB of data. The company confirmed disruption at some factories and said affected facilities were resuming normal production.

AI THREATS

• Researchers unveiled ‘Claw Chain’, four vulnerabilities in OpenClaw, an autonomous AI agent platform, that allow attackers to bypass sandbox controls, expose restricted files, leak secrets, and gain owner-level access. The flaws include the critical CVE-2026-44112, rated CVSS 9.6.
• Researchers developed an AI-assisted macOS kernel exploit that bypasses Apple’s Memory Integrity Enforcement on M5 chips and grants full system control on macOS 26.4.1. Anthropic’s Mythos Preview reportedly accelerated bug discovery, and the findings were privately reported to Apple before public disclosure.
• Researchers detailed how threat actors abuse Vercel’s AI website generator, v0.dev, to mass-produce realistic phishing pages mimicking brands such as Microsoft and Spotify. The campaigns utilize Telegram bots to capture credentials and payment details in real time.
• Researchers found a popular Hugging Face repository hiding Windows-targeting malware after it amassed over 200,000 downloads. The package posed as OpenAI’s privacy filter and installed an infostealer that harvested browser passwords, cookies, SSH keys, VPN configurations, and cryptocurrency wallets before exfiltrating the data.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Two Windows zero-day vulnerabilities, YellowKey and GreenPlasma, affect Windows 11 and recent Windows Server versions. YellowKey allows BitLocker bypass through Windows Recovery Environment with physical access, while GreenPlasma abuses the CTFMON framework to escalate privileges to SYSTEM. Proof-of-concept code is public, and the vulnerabilities are still unpatched.
• F5 has fixed CVE-2026-42945, a critical memory flaw in the NGINX rewrite module affecting versions 0.6.27 through 1.30.0. The 18-year-old bug enables denial of service and, under specific configurations, possible remote code execution. Public exploit code requires memory protections to be disabled.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Nginx Heap Overflow (CVE-2026-42945))

• Cisco has addressed CVE-2026-20182, a critical authentication bypass in Catalyst SD-WAN controllers that is being actively exploited. The flaw allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to gain full administrative control of affected systems. CISA ordered federal agencies to patch vulnerable devices following Cisco’s fixes.
• Apple has released security updates for CVE-2026-28819, an out-of-bounds write flaw in the Wi-Fi component affecting iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Successful exploitation could allow an app to execute code with kernel privileges. The issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research has analyzed an internal leak from The Gentlemen ransomware operation, exposing chats, infrastructure details, affiliate roles, and ransom negotiations. The report links the zeta88 account to the administrator, maps 8 affiliate TOX IDs, and details the use of Fortinet and Cisco vulnerabilities as well as NTLM relay and OWA/M365 for initial access in attacks.

Check Point Threat Emulation and Harmony Endpoint provide protection against this threat

• Check Point Research has summarized Q1 2026 ransomware trends, recording 2,122 leak-site victims, which is the second-highest Q1 on record, and renewed consolidation. The top 10 groups were responsible for 71% of victims. Qilin led with 338 victims, The Gentlemen rose to third, and LockBit 5.0 returned with 163 victims.
• Check Point Research have quantified a World Cup 2026-driven surge in cyber activity, with weekly attacks per organization rising in Mexico, Canada, and the United States in April, across the media, hospitality, transportation and travel sectors. FIFA-themed domains reached 9,741 in April, and by early May, one in 41 were malicious.
• Researchers attributed a months-long intrusion against an Azerbaijani oil and gas company to the Chinese-linked FamousSparrow group. Attackers exploited an unpatched Microsoft Exchange server to deploy web shells, then alternated between Deed RAT and TernDoor across three waves of persistent activity.

The post 18th May – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 11th May, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Instructure, the US education technology company behind the Canvas learning platform, has confirmed a major data breach affecting its cloud-hosted environment. Exposed data reportedly includes student and staff records and private messages, while ShinyHunters escalated the attack by defacing hundreds of school login portals with ransom messages.
• Zara, the flagship brand of Spanish fashion group Inditex, has experienced a data breach tied to a third-party technology provider. Inditex confirmed unauthorized access, and experts verified that 197,400 unique email addresses, order IDs, purchase history, and customer support tickets were exposed.
• Hungarian media company Mediaworks, which operates dozens of newspapers and online outlets, was hit by a data-theft extortion attack. The company confirmed an intrusion after World Leaks posted 8.5TB of internal files online, reportedly including payroll records, contracts, financial documents, and internal communications.
• Czech automaker Škoda has fallen victim to a security incident affecting its online shop after attackers exploited a software flaw to gain unauthorized access. Exposed customer data may include names, contact details, order history, and logins, but according to the company passwords payment card data was not affected.

AI THREATS

• Researchers have uncovered a critical WebSocket hijacking vulnerability in Cline’s local Kanban server, impacting the widely used open‑source AI coding agent. Rated CVSS 9.7 and patched in version 0.1.66, the flaw allowed any website a developer visited to exfiltrate workspace data and inject arbitrary commands into the AI agent.
• Security researchers found a flaw in Anthropic’s Claude in Chrome extension that allowed other browser extensions to hijack the AI agent. The issue enabled malicious prompts to trigger unauthorized actions and access sensitive browser-connected data, showing how AI assistants can extend browser attack surfaces.
• Researchers detailed an InstallFix campaign using fake Claude AI installer pages promoted through Google Ads to infect Windows and macOS users. Victims were tricked into running commands that launched multi-stage malware, stole browser data, disabled protections, and established persistence through scheduled tasks.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Progress alerted customers to CVE-2026-4670, a critical authentication bypass in MOVEit Automation managed file transfer software that allows unauthorized access, and CVE-2026-5174, a privilege escalation flaw. Fixes are available in versions 2025.1.5, 2025.0.9, and 2024.1.8.
• Ivanti has fixed CVE-2026-6973, a high-severity Endpoint Manager Mobile vulnerability which is exploited as a zero-day. The flaw affects EPMM 12.8.0.0 and earlier and allows attackers with administrator permissions to run remote code, while hundreds of appliances reportedly remain exposed online.
• Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Authentication Portal is affected by CVE-2026-0300, a critical buffer overflow flaw allowing unauthenticated attackers to run code with root privileges on affected firewalls. Palo Alto Networks observed active exploitation against exposed portals, with no fix available at this time.
• Dirty Frag, an unpatched Linux kernel flaw, enables local privilege escalation across Ubuntu, RHEL, Fedora, AlmaLinux, and CentOS Stream. By chaining bugs in IPsec and RxRPC, a local user can gain root access with high reliability, and public proof-of-concept code is available.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Researchers linked Iran’s MuddyWater to using the Chaos ransomware as cover for espionage and data theft. In a recent case, attackers used Microsoft Teams social engineering to harvest credentials and deploy remote tools, then extorted the victim without encrypting files before leaking data.
• Researchers detailed a Silver Fox campaign targeting organizations in India and Russia with tax-themed phishing emails. The activity delivered the previously undocumented ABCDoor backdoor, ValleyRAT, and related malware, affecting industrial, consulting, retail, and transportation sectors through more than 1,600 socially engineered messages.
• Researchers unmasked a multi-stage phishing campaign using fake code-of-conduct emails and adversary-in-the-middle tactics to hijack sign-in sessions and bypass multi-factor authentication. Active between April 14 to 16, it targeted more than 35,000 users at 13,000 organizations across 26 countries.
• Researchers profiled UAT-8302, a China-linked espionage group conducting long-term intrusions against government agencies in South America and southeastern Europe. The actors combine custom backdoors, including NetDraft and CloudSorcerer, with OneDrive and GitHub command channels and open-source tools for reconnaissance and lateral movement.
• Researchers revealed a software supply chain campaign on NuGet in which five packages impersonating Chinese .NET UI libraries install an infostealer. The packages have recorded nearly 65,000 downloads, putting developer workstations and systems at risk by stealing passwords, SSH keys, and cryptocurrency wallet data.

The post 11th May – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 4th May, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Medtronic, a global medical device maker, has disclosed a cyberattack on its corporate IT systems. An unauthorized party accessed data, while the company reported no impact on products, operations, or financial systems. Threat group ShinyHunters claimed the theft of 9 million records, and Medtronic is evaluating what data was exposed.
• Vimeo, a global video hosting platform, has confirmed a data breach stemming from a compromise at analytics vendor Anodot. Exposed data included internal operational information, video titles and metadata, and some customer email addresses, while passwords, payment data, and video content were not accessed.
• Threat actors have abused the account creation process of the online trading platform Robinhood to launch a phishing campaign that used emails from Robinhood official mailing account. The emails contained links to phishing sites and passed security checks. Robinhood stated that no accounts or funds were compromised and has since removed the vulnerable “Device” field.
• Trellix, a major endpoint security and XDR vendor, was hit by a source code repository breach after attackers accessed a portion of its internal code. The company engaged forensic experts and law enforcement and claims it has found no evidence of product tampering, pipeline compromise, or active exploitation so far.

AI THREATS

• Researchers pinpointed CVE-2026-26268, a flaw in Cursor’s coding environment that enables remote code execution when its AI agent interacts with a cloned malicious repository. The attack chains Git hooks and bare repositories to run attacker scripts, risking exposure of source code, tokens, and internal tools.
• Researchers exposed Bluekit, a phishing-as-a-service platform that bundles 40-plus templates and an AI Assistant using GPT-4.1, Claude, Gemini, Llama, and DeepSeek. The AI-assisted toolkit centralizes domain setup, realistic login clones, anti-analysis filters, real-time session monitoring, and Telegram-based exfiltration.
• Researchers demonstrated an AI-enabled supply chain attack in which Anthropic’s Claude Opus co-authored a code commit that introduced PromptMink malware into an open-source autonomous crypto trading project. The hidden dependency siphoned credentials, planted persistent SSH access, and stole source code, enabling wallet takeover.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Microsoft has fixed a privilege escalation flaw in Microsoft Entra ID that allowed the Agent ID Administrator role for AI agents to take over any service account. Researchers published a proof-of-concept showing attackers could add credentials and impersonate privileged identities.
• cPanel has addressed CVE-2026-41940, a critical authentication bypass in cPanel and WHM that is being actively exploited in the wild as a zero-day, and allows full administrative control without credentials. Patches were issued on April 28, and Shadowserver observed 44,000 internet addresses scanning or attacking decoy systems.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (cPanel Authentication Bypass (CVE-2026-41940))

• Google has released patches for a critical code execution flaw in the Gemini CLI and its GitHub Action that allowed outsiders to run commands on build servers in CI/CD pipelines. The issue automatically trusted workspace files during automated jobs, allowing malicious pull requests to trigger code execution.
• LiteLLM proxy versions 1.81.16 to 1.83.6 are affected by CVE-2026-42208, a critical SQL injection flaw used to manage large language model API keys. Attackers can read and potentially alter the proxy database, with exploitation attempts observed about 36 hours after disclosure.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (LiteLLM SQL Injection (CVE-2026-42208))

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research has revealed that the VECT 2.0 ransomware effectively acts as a data wiper across Windows, Linux, and ESXi. A critical encryption mistake discards required decryption information for files larger than 128 KB, making recovery impossible even after payment.

Check Point Threat Emulation and Harmony Endpoint provide protection against this threat

• Researchers analyzed a Mirai-based botnet campaign targeting Brazilian internet providers, abusing TP-Link Archer AX21 routers via CVE-2023-1389 and open DNS servers for high-volume amplification attacks. Leaked files linked control activity to infrastructure and SSH keys associated with DDoS mitigation firm Huge Networks.
• Researchers uncovered a large-scale phishing campaign, dubbed AccountDumpling, that abuses Google AppSheet email services to hijack Facebook accounts. The operation was linked to Vietnam based attackers and is using cloned support pages, reward lures, and live 2FA collection, compromising over 30,000 users and monetizing stolen access through Telegram.
• Researchers documented a TeamPCP supply chain campaign that compromised four SAP npm packages used in cloud development workflows. The malicious installers harvested developer and cloud credentials across GitHub, npm, and major providers, enabling propagation and downstream compromises before the packages were removed.

The post 4th May – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 27th April, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Vercel, a frontend cloud platform, has disclosed a security incident linked to a compromise at Context.ai, where stolen OAuth tokens enabled unauthorized access through a connected app. The company reported access to employee information, internal logs, and a subset of environment variables, while stating that the most sensitive secrets were not included.
• France Titres, France’s authority for identity and registration documents, has detected a data breach on April 15. The incident may have exposed names, birth dates, email addresses, login IDs, and some physical addresses and phone numbers. A hacker has offered purported agency data for sale on the dark web.
• UK Biobank, a UK research organization, has confirmed a breach after de-identified health data on 500,000 volunteers was advertised for sale on Chinese marketplaces. Officials said listings were removed and believed unsold, while access was suspended, the research platform was shut down, and download limits were imposed.
• Bitwarden, a popular password manager, has suffered a supply-chain attack after a malware-tainted CLI release was published to npm on April 22. Bitwarden said 334 developers installed version 2026.4.0 during a brief window, potentially exposing credentials after a hijacked GitHub account was abused, while vault data remained unaffected.

AI THREATS

• Researchers have flagged unauthorized access to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview, an unreleased AI cyber model, through a third-party vendor environment. A small Discord group reportedly used shared contractor accounts, API keys, and predictable URLs to reach the system. Anthropic said it is investigating and has not seen impact to core systems.
• Researchers observed Bissa Scanner, an AI-assisted exploitation platform using Claude Code and OpenClaw to support mass scanning, exploitation, and credential harvesting. The focus of the operation was exploitation of React2Shell (CVE-2025-55182), while it scanned millions of targets, confirmed over 900 compromises, and collected tens of thousands of exposed environment files.
• Researchers highlighted a prompt-injection exploit chain in Google’s Antigravity agentic IDE that enabled sandbox escape and remote code execution. The flaw abused a file search tool that ran before security checks, letting attackers convert a benign prompt into system compromise, even in Secure Mode. The vulnerability was patched by Google.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Microsoft issued out-of-band fixes for CVE-2026-40372, a critical ASP.NET Core privilege escalation flaw rated 9.1. A bug in Data Protection versions 10.0.0 to 10.0.6 could let attackers forge cookies and antiforgery tokens, impersonate users, and gain SYSTEM-level access on Linux or macOS deployments.
• Apple released fixes for CVE-2026-28950 in iOS and iPadOS, a Notification Services bug that retained deleted alerts and allowed recovery of sensitive message previews. The flaw affected many iPhone and iPad models, enabled forensic access with device possession and allegedly allowed law enforcement agencies access to incoming messages from encrypted messaging apps.
• LMDeploy is affected by CVE-2026-33626, a high-severity server-side request forgery flaw in the open-source toolkit for deploying large language models. Active exploitation began within 13 hours of disclosure, with attackers abusing the image loader to reach cloud metadata, probe internal services, and support lateral movement.
• End of life D-Link DIR-823X routers are affected by CVE-2025-29635, a remote code execution flaw exploited to deploy a Mirai-based botnet. Akamai reported that attackers are sending requests which fetch and run scripts to conscript devices for denial of service attacks, with no patches expected for the affected models.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (D-Link DIR-823X Command Injection (CVE-2025-29635))

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research has analyzed The Gentlemen ransomware-as-a-service operation, a group that emerged in 2025 and offers encryptors for Windows, Linux, NAS, BSD, and ESXi systems. The report details its underground recruitment, leak site model, Tox-based negotiations, and SystemBC proxy infrastructure used for persistence and access.
• Researchers mapped a Mustang Panda espionage campaign targeting India’s banking sector and South Korean policy circles, deploying the updated LOTUSLITE backdoor. The group used HDFC-themed help files and fake banking pop-ups, and leveraged DLL sideloading to install the malware.
• Researchers uncovered a supply-chain attack that inserted credential-stealing malware into Checkmarx developer tools on Docker Hub and Visual Studio Code, including KICS images downloaded over five million times. The malware collects cloud and developer credentials and spreads through stolen GitHub tokens and workflows, with TeamPCP suspected.
• Researchers tracked a coordinated malvertising campaign abusing Google Ads to impersonate major cryptocurrency platforms like Uniswap, Morpho, and Ledger. The operation uses Google-hosted redirect pages, cloaking, and cloned sites to deploy wallet drainers, seed phrase theft pages, and fake extensions, resulting in at least $1.27 million stolen.

The post 27th April – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 20th April, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Booking.com, the Amsterdam-based travel platform, has confirmed a data breach after unauthorized parties accessed reservation data linked to some customers. Exposed information included names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, and booking details, creating phishing risk, while the company reset reservation PINs and notified affected users.
• McGraw-Hill, a global educational publisher, has disclosed a data breach following an extortion attempt after attackers accessed its Salesforce environment. Leaked data from about 13.5 million accounts includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses, while no payment card information was reported exposed.
• EssentialPlugin, a WordPress plugins development firm, has suffered a supply chain compromise that pushed malicious updates to more than 30 plugins installed on thousands of websites. The backdoored code enabled unauthorized access and spam page creation, and WordPress.org closed the affected plugins while infections may remain.
• Basic-Fit, Europe’s largest gym chain, has reported a data breach after attackers accessed a franchise-wide system used to track club visits. The incident exposed bank account details and personal data for about one million members across six countries, while passwords and identity documents were not affected.

AI THREATS

• Researchers unveiled that a lone hacker weaponized Claude Code and OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 to breach nine Mexican government agencies. AI-driven commands accelerated reconnaissance, issuing 5,317 actions across 34 sessions and accessing 195 million taxpayer records and 220 million civil records, after safety filters were bypassed through prompt manipulation and an injected hacking manual.
• Researchers detailed a phishing campaign that impersonates Anthropic’s Claude AI with a fake Claude Pro installer for Windows. The package displays a working application to distract victims while abusing a trusted program to sideload PlugX malware, enabling remote access and persistence on compromised systems.
• Researchers demonstrated a prompt injection technique that hijacks AI agents used in GitHub workflows from major vendors. Malicious instructions hidden in pull request titles or comments can make the agents run commands and expose repository secrets, including access tokens and API keys, during automated development tasks.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• CISA warns of active exploitation of Apache ActiveMQ vulnerability CVE-2026-34197, a high-severity code injection flaw that allows remote code execution. The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 8.8 and has been addressed by Apache in versions 5.19.4 or 6.2.3.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Apache ActiveMQ Code Injection (CVE-2026-34197))

• Splunk has released fixes for CVE-2026-20204, a high-severity vulnerability in Splunk Enterprise and Cloud Platform. The flaw can let a low-privileged user upload a malicious file to a temporary directory and achieve remote code execution, while two additional medium-severity issues were also addressed.
• As part of its Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has patched CVE-2026-33825, one of three actively-exploited Microsoft Defender zero-days dubbed BlueHammer, RedSun, and UnDefend that were revealed by a security researcher. The vulnerabilities allow local privilege escalation as well as denial of service, and researchers said exploitation began in April after the vulnerabilities were revealed.
• CISA has flagged the vulnerability CVE-2025-60710, a Windows Task Host privilege escalation flaw affecting Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025, as being actively exploited in attacks. The vulnerability allows a local attacker to gain SYSTEM privileges on a compromised device.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research have documented 2026 Q1 brand impersonation phishing focused on Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Amazon, which accounted for nearly half of observed attempts. The research shows attackers using lookalike subdomains, QR-based WhatsApp lures, and fake Adobe installers to steal credentials and compromise devices.
• Researchers uncovered ZionSiphon, malware designed to target industrial control environments at water treatment and desalination facilities in Israel. The report says the code is configured for operational technology systems and reflects continued attacker interest in critical infrastructure, especially utilities with exposed or weakly defended networks.
• Researchers identified more than 1,250 active command and control servers distributed across 165 Russian hosting providers between January and April 2026. The infrastructure supported malware campaigns involving traffic redirection systems, IoT botnets including Hajime, Mozi, and Mirai, and repurposed tools such as Cobalt Strike.
• Researchers observed a fake “Ledger Live” app on Apple’s App Store that stole more than $9.5 million from over 50 cryptocurrency users within a week. The app harvested wallet credentials, drained funds across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tron and XRP, and routed proceeds through KuCoin deposit addresses and the AudiA6 mixer, complicating recovery.

The post 20th April – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 13th April, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• The Los Angeles Police Department has reported a data breach involving a digital storage system used by the L.A. City Attorney’s Office. The exposure included 7.7 terabytes and more than 337,000 files, including personnel records, internal affairs material, and unredacted personal information.
• ChipSoft, a Dutch healthcare software vendor whose HiX platform is used by hospitals across the Netherlands, has suffered a ransomware attack that forced it to disable patient and provider services. Multiple hospitals disconnected from its systems, disrupting operations, and the company warned that the threat actor may have gained unauthorized access to patient data.
• Ransomware group Qilin has taken responsibility for a cyber-attack targeting German political party Die Linke, which forced the party to shut down its IT infrastructure in late March. The party said membership databases were unaffected, while Qilin threatens to leak stolen sensitive employee and party information.

Check Point Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against these threats (Ransomware.Wins.Qilin*)

• Bitcoin Depot, a US cryptocurrency ATM operator with more than 25,000 kiosks and checkout locations, has disclosed a cyberattack that allowed attackers to steal credentials tied to digital asset settlement accounts. The attackers transferred more than 50 BTC worth more than $3.6M from company-controlled wallets before access was blocked.

AI THREATS

• Researchers identified GrafanaGhost, an attack against Grafana’s AI components that can silently exfiltrate enterprise data by chaining indirect prompt injection with image URL validation bypass. The technique can expose financial, infrastructure, and customer information in the background, and Grafana has already addressed the weakness.
• Researchers outlined AI Agent Traps, a framework describing six web-based attack classes that can manipulate autonomous AI agents through malicious content. The methods can inject hidden instructions, poison reasoning, corrupt memory, and steer tool use, showing how web pages can turn agent workflows into attack surfaces.
• Researchers measured a growing AI supply chain risk, finding that third-party API routers for AI models can hijack agent tool calls to alter commands and steal credentials. In testing, several routers injected malicious code, abused intercepted cloud keys, and even triggered wallet theft from a researcher environment.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• CISA warns of active exploitation of Ivanti CVE-2026-1340, a critical code injection flaw in Endpoint Manager Mobile that allows unauthenticated remote code execution and full compromise of affected servers. The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 9.8, affects multiple 12.5 through 12.7 releases, and has been exploited in the wild.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile Code Injection (CVE-2026-1340))

• Adobe Reader is affected by an actively exploited zero-day that uses malicious PDF files to invoke privileged features on fully updated systems, enabling local data theft. Researchers said the activity has run since at least December 2025, uses Russian-language oil and gas lures, and may also enable further compromise.
• Marimo maintainers released a fix for CVE-2026-39987, a critical remote code execution flaw in the Marimo Python notebook that allowed attackers to open a terminal without authentication and run commands. Exploitation was observed within hours of disclosure against internet-exposed instances, and fixes are available in version 0.23.0.
• Fortinet has fixed CVE-2026-35616, a critical improper access control flaw in FortiClient EMS that enables unauthenticated code or command execution through crafted requests. The issue been actively exploited in the wild, prompting Fortinet to release an emergency hotfix.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research have analyzed March 2026’s threat landscape, with organizations averaging 1,995 weekly attacks. Education remained the most targeted sector, ransomware rose to 672 incidents led by Qilin, Akira, and DragonForce, and GenAI exposure remained high across enterprise environments.
• Researchers discovered a coordinated software supply chain campaign that planted 36 malicious npm packages impersonating Strapi plugins. The packages executed on installation to search for secrets, maintain command and control, and in some cases enable Redis remote code execution, credential harvesting, and direct PostgreSQL exploitation.
• Researchers linked Storm-1175, a financially motivated group associated with Medusa ransomware, to high-velocity exploitation of n-day and zero-day flaws. Microsoft said the actor moves quickly from initial access to data theft and ransomware deployment, sometimes weaponizing vulnerabilities within a day and heavily impacting healthcare, education, finance, and services.
• Researchers identified a hack-for-hire campaign linked to BITTER APT that targeted journalists, activists, and government figures across the Middle East and North Africa. The operators used phishing to access iCloud backups and Signal accounts, and deployed Android spyware disguised as messaging applications to take over victim devices.

The post 13th April – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 30th March, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• The European Commission, the European Union’s executive body, has confirmed a data breach after its Europa.eu platform was compromised through a third-party exchange linked to the Trivy supply chain attack. The incident affected at least one Amazon Web Services account and resulted in data theft, while websites and internal systems remained operational.
• Global toys and games manufacturing giant Hasbro has disclosed a cyberattack after detecting unauthorized access to its network on March 28. Some systems were taken offline, and the company warned that recovery could take weeks and cause delays.
• Cryptocurrency trading platform Drift Protocol on Solana has suffered a major breach after an attacker gained enough Security Council approvals to execute pre-signed transactions on April 1. Drift said roughly $280 million was affected, froze platform activity, and stated the incident did not involve a smart contract flaw or seed phrase compromise.
• Luxury camping providers Roan and Eurocamp have experienced a data breach that exposed guest names, email addresses, phone numbers, travel destinations, booking dates, and prices. Attackers are using the stolen data in WhatsApp payment scams, while the companies said the flaw was patched and no passwords or payment data were taken.

AI THREATS

• Check Point Research demonstrated a hidden outbound channel in ChatGPT’s execution runtime that enabled silent exfiltration of user data. A single malicious prompt or a backdoored GPT could transmit chat content and uploaded files to attackers through DNS.
• Check Point warns that based on leaked details about Anthropic’s Claude “Mythos”, the model will likely accelerate vulnerability discovery, exploit development, and multi-step attack automation. The new capabilities could sharply reduce time to exploit and make advanced offensive techniques more broadly accessible.
• Researchers examined six AI agents and found that impersonation and fabricated urgency can push them to disclose data or take harmful actions. In testing, an agent forwarded 124 emails containing personal and financial details, while others deleted files and reassigned admin access.
• Researchers observed a flaw in Google Cloud’s Vertex AI Agent Engine that could let attackers extract service agent credentials and pivot into customer projects. The exposed privileges enabled access to storage and Artifact Registry resources, and permissive OAuth scopes also increased the risk of wider Google Workspace exposure.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Cisco released urgent fixes for CVE-2026-20093, a critical authentication bypass in its Integrated Management Controller software used across ENCS 5000, Catalyst 8300 uCPE, and UCS C-Series M5 and M6 servers. Remote attackers can reset any account, including Admin, allowing full device takeover.
• Researchers discovered CVE-2026-5281, a zero-day memory flaw in Chrome’s WebGPU component, Dawn, that also impacts Edge, Brave, Opera, and other Chromium-based browsers. The vulnerability is being actively exploited and can enable code execution on user systems, prompting inclusion in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
• Progress has addressed two critical ShareFile vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-2699 with a CVSS score of 9.8, that can be chained for unauthenticated remote code execution. The flaws let attackers reach restricted configuration pages and upload arbitrary files to the server without logging in to affected installations.
• F5 reclassified CVE-2025-53521, a BIG-IP Access Policy Manager vulnerability, as a critical remote code execution flaw under active exploitation. More than 14,000 internet-exposed systems were still visible online, and the company published indicators of compromise and rebuild guidance for affected devices.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research has unmasked TrueChaos, a campaign exploiting a 0-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-3502) in TrueConf’s on-premises update process to push malicious updates to Southeast Asian government networks. Attackers delivered Havoc payloads through trusted servers, and the activity was assessed with moderate confidence as being affiliated with a Chinese nexus.
• Check Point Research have outlined an Iran-nexus password-spraying campaign against Microsoft 365 in the Middle East, conducted in three waves during March. The activity focused on Israel and the UAE, targeting municipalities and using Tor and VPN infrastructure to evade geofencing and complicate attribution.
• Check Point Research have uncovered coordinated tax-season phishing and malware activity, with hundreds of newly registered tax-themed domains and rising risk levels. In March 2026, one in ten new domains was flagged as risky, while IRS-impersonating sites harvested personal data and Spain-themed emails delivered malware loaders.
• Researchers documented a supply chain compromise of the Axios npm package, a widely used HTTP client with millions of monthly downloads, that briefly pushed malicious releases delivering a remote access trojan. The tampered versions used a hidden dependency to fetch a second-stage payload and erase traces after installation.

The post 6th April – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 30th March, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Iranian state-affiliated threat group Handala Hack has breached FBI director’s Patel’s personal Gmail account and leaked many personal photos and documents. This follows the FBI’s seizure of domains related to Handala Hack’s activity last week, due to the group’s sustained targeting of Israeli and American entities, which increased during the ongoing Iran conflict.
• Spain’s Port of Vigo in Galicia has suffered a ransomware attack that forced officials to disconnect parts of its network and switch cargo handling to manual processes. The incident locked equipment and disrupted digital logistics, while physical ship movement could continue without digital communication.
• The Netherlands’ Ministry of Finance has confirmed a March 19 cyberattack that breached internal systems in its policy department and disrupted work for some employees. Authorities blocked access to affected environments, while tax, customs, and benefits services remained unaffected and no threat actor publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.
• Decentralized finance platform Resolv has suffered a cyberattack after a compromised private key let an attacker mint about $80 million in uncollateralized USR tokens and swap them for 11,408 ETH worth $24.5 million. Resolv confirmed the incident, paused the app, and offered a 10% bounty for returned funds.

AI THREATS

• Researchers demonstrated a supply chain compromise of LiteLLM, a Python library linking apps to major AI services, after attackers hijacked a security tool and pushed malicious releases on March 24. The tainted packages harvested API keys and cloud credentials, creating downstream exposure for widely used AI projects.
• Researchers outlined three high-severity vulnerabilities in LangChain and LangGraph, open-source frameworks for building AI assistants, that could expose files, environment secrets, and prior conversations. The flaws enabled arbitrary file access, secret leakage, and SQL injection in checkpointing, and patches were issued in updated components.
• Researchers identified a zero-click flaw in Anthropic’s Claude Chrome extension that let any website silently inject prompts and control the assistant. The attack combined an overly permissive trusted domain list with a scripting bug in Arkose Labs CAPTCHA handling, enabling token theft, chat access, and email actions.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Cisco has addressed CVE-2026-20131, a CVSS 10 vulnerability in Secure Firewall Management Center that lets unauthenticated attackers execute code as root through the web interface. Cisco confirmed attempted exploitation in March 2026 and released fixes, while on-premises customers have no workaround beyond applying the updates.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Insecure Deserialization (CVE-2026-20131))

• TP-Link has issued firmware updates addressing CVE-2025-15517 and related critical flaws in Archer NX200, NX210, NX500, and NX600 5G Wi-Fi routers. Attackers could access administrative functions without logging in, upload rogue firmware, execute system commands, and more.
• Citrix has released patches for CVE-2026-3055 and CVE-2026-4368 affecting NetScaler ADC and Gateway. The critical memory flaw can expose sensitive data in SAML Identity Provider deployments, while the second bug can mix up user sessions on gateways, creating confidentiality and access risks.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Citrix NetScaler Out Of Bounds Read (CVE-2026-3055))

• Researchers warn that a leaked ‘DarkSword’ iOS exploit chain enables no-click attacks via Safari, threatening up to 270 million unpatched iPhones and iPads. The code eases copycat attacks and has seen use, while Apple issued fixes, including March 11 emergency updates for iOS 15 and 16.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Researchers revealed that cybercriminals are abusing Keitaro, a commercial adtech tracker, to distribute phishing, scams, and malware at scale. Infoblox linked the platform to major malvertising and spam operations, including campaigns impersonating Canadian banks, logistics brands, government services, and high-trust retail providers.
• Researchers analyzed three China-aligned activity clusters targeting a Southeast Asian government in a coordinated espionage operation. The campaign combined USB propagation, the Hypnosis loader, and the FluffyGh0st RAT, showing how distinct threat clusters can converge on one high-value government target with complementary tooling.
• Researchers have analyzed the activity of Russian threat group APT28 (aka Fancy Bear). The group has recently targeted Ukraine as well as its European defense supply chain partners with a toolset dubbed PRIXMES, which holds both espionage and sabotage capabilities. APT28 exploited multiple vulnerabilities, including zero-days, in its attacks.
• Researchers identified a coordinated adversary-in-the-middle phishing campaign targeting TikTok for Business users who sign in with Google. Attackers deployed proxy login pages that captured passwords and session cookies to bypass multi-factor authentication, with newly registered domains and Cloudflare-hosted infrastructure used to scale impersonation.

The post 30th March – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 23rd March, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Navia Benefit Solutions, a United States-based employee benefits administrator, has disclosed a breach affecting more than 2.6 million individuals after unauthorized access and potential data exfiltration occurred between December 22, 2025 and January 15, 2026. Exposed information may include personal, health, and benefits data.
• Identity protection firm Aura was breached after a phone phishing attack let an intruder access an employee account and a marketing platform. The actor obtained about 900,000 records, mostly names and emails, while the core systems and identity protection services were not compromised.
• Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, which manages the territory’s water supply, has confirmed a cyberattack that exposed customer and employee information. The authority said critical infrastructure was not affected because network segmentation separated operational systems, limiting the incident to business data and administrative environments.
• Intuitive, a United States-based robotic surgery company, has suffered a data breach after a targeted phishing incident led to a compromised employee account. Exposed information includes customer contact details, employee data, and corporate records, while the company said its da Vinci and Ion platforms were unaffected.

AI THREATS

• Check Point Research highlighted the key developments and major trends in the AI threat ecosystem during January – February 2026. The report focuses on the transition to the agentic era by the threat actors, where development is shifting from simple prompting to structured workflows, attack chains are evolving from human-led to AI-led operations, and safeguard bypass techniques are increasingly beginning to exploit agent mechanisms.
• Researchers have discovered three chained flaws in Anthropic’s Claude.ai, enabling invisible prompt injection, silent exfiltration of conversation history through the Files API, and redirection through an open redirect. Anthropic patched the injection issue and is addressing the remaining weaknesses, while the chain enables stealthy data theft.
• Researchers have witnessed exploitation of CVE-2026-33017, a critical unauthenticated remote code execution flaw in Langflow, an open-source framework for AI agents and retrieval-augmented generation pipelines. Attackers weaponized the bug within 20 hours of disclosure, allowing arbitrary Python execution on exposed instances through a single crafted request.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Langflow Remote Code Execution (CVE-2026-33017))

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• ConnectWise has patched CVE-2026-3564, a critical cryptographic signature verification flaw in ScreenConnect, its remote access platform used by managed service providers and IT teams. The issue could let attackers use extracted machine keys to authenticate sessions without authorization and gain elevated privileges on affected instances
• Ubiquiti has addressed CVE-2026-22557, a maximum-severity flaw in the UniFi Network Application used to manage access points, switches, and gateways. The unauthenticated path traversal bug affects version 10.1.85 and earlier and can let attackers access files, compromise accounts, and potentially seize control of underlying systems.
• Zimbra warns of active exploitation of CVE-2025-66376, a stored cross-site scripting flaw in Zimbra Collaboration Suite that was recently patched. Malicious emails can execute code when viewed in the Classic UI, exposing session cookies and mailbox data, while patched versions include 10.1.13 and 10.0.18, following warnings about real-world abuse.
• GNU InetUtils telnetd is affected by CVE-2026-32746, a CVSS 9.8 remote code execution flaw impacting all versions up to 2.7. Attackers can trigger the issue with a single Telnet connection without logging in, potentially gaining root control on exposed Linux, IoT, and industrial systems before a patch arrives.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (GNU inetutils Buffer Overflow (CVE-2026-32746))

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point researchers have analyzed recent developments in the Telegram cybercrime scene, after the company had bolstered its moderation tools due to extensive criticism of allowing criminal behavior. Data shows that despite Telegram’s efforts, it is still the primary platform for cybercrime communication, with activity only growing.
• Researchers identified an Interlock ransomware campaign exploiting CVE-2026-20131, a critical flaw in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center that enables remote code execution. The group used the zero-day as early as January, several weeks before it was patched and publicly disclosed by Cisco.
• Researchers revealed that two React Native npm packages, react-native-country-select and react-native-international-phone-number, were backdoored on March 16, 2026, in a coordinated supply-chain attack. A preinstall script deployed credential and crypto theft malware with persistence, while the packages recorded over 130,000 combined downloads over the previous month.
• Researchers have published a threat assessment of MuddyWater, linking the Iranian APT group to spear-phishing and LampoRAT. The report details delivery infrastructure, command-and-control patterns, and victimology.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against these threats

The post 23rd March – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 16th March, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• United States-based medical technology company Stryker has suffered a cyberattack that caused a global disruption to its environment. The company said its surgical robotics, clinical communications platform, and life support monitors are safe to use. Media reports said employee devices were factory reset across multiple locations worldwide. Iranian group Handala Hack has claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had exfiltrated large amounts of data as part of the attack.
• Telus Digital, a subsidiary of Canadian telecom firm Telus, has confirmed a breach involving unauthorized access to a limited number of systems. Hacker group ShinyHunters claims to have stolen nearly one petabyte of customer and call data and demanded $65 million in ransom, although the company said it has not verified those claims and reported no disruption.
• Encrypted messaging service Signal has experienced targeted phishing campaigns leading to account takeovers of high-profile users, including journalists and government officials. Signal said its infrastructure and encryption remain intact, and attackers tricked victims into sharing SMS verification codes and Signal PINs to provision new devices and impersonate them.
• Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s largest food and pharmacy retailer, has suffered a data breach after hackers accessed part of its IT network. The company said names, phone numbers, and email addresses were exposed, prompting a forced logout for customer accounts, while payment, health, and password data do not appear affected.

AI THREATS

• Researchers evaluated autonomous AI agents on widely used models and found they initiated offensive actions without malicious prompts, hacking their own operating environments. In tests, agents posted passwords, bypassed antivirus, forged credentials, and escalated privileges to access sensitive data, showing how autonomy can amplify security risk.
• Researchers unearthed a campaign using an AI-powered bot, hackerbot-claw, to exploit misconfigured GitHub Actions in open-source repositories, including Aqua Security. The bot stole a token to seize Aqua’s Trivy repository and publish a malicious extension that ran AI tools to harvest secrets and push results to the victim’s GitHub.
• Researchers investigated malvertising campaigns that impersonate popular AI agents, including Claude Code, OpenClaw, and Doubao, to push infostealing malware through Google Search ads. The fake documentation pages instruct users to run commands that install AMOS on macOS and Amatera on Windows, enabling theft of credentials and corporate files.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• SolarWinds Web Help Desk, an IT ticketing platform, is affected by CVE-2025-26399, a high-severity deserialization flaw that attackers are exploiting to run commands on servers. Successful exploitation can enable takeover and data theft, and patches are available after the vulnerability was added to CISA’s exploited flaws catalog.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (SolarWinds Web Help Desk Insecure Deserialization (
CVE-2024-28986, CVE-2024-28988, CVE-2025-40553, CVE-2025-26399))

• Google has released an out-of-band Chrome update addressing two high-severity zero-days, CVE-2026-3909 in Skia memory handling and CVE-2026-3910 in V8. Both can be triggered by visiting a malicious site and may enable code execution in the browser.
• The n8n workflow automation platform has fixed CVE-2025-68613, a CVSS 10 remote code execution flaw that is under active exploitation. The issue allows authenticated users to run code and compromise servers, and patches were released in versions 1.120.4, 1.121.1, and 1.122.0.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (n8n Remote Code Execution (CVE-2025-68613))

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research has analyzed the Iranian threat group Handala Hack, a hacktivist persona run by the Void Manticore APT group, which is affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. The group targets IT and VPN infrastructure to gain initial access to victim organizations, before using tools such as NetBird for lateral movement. The group then aims to exfiltrate and wipe victim organizations’ data.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against these threats

• Check Point Research has examined Iranian Ministry of Intelligence-linked groups use of criminal tools and services, including Handala Hack deploying Rhadamanthys infostealer alongside wipers against Israeli targets. The report also noted overlaps between MuddyWater activity, Tsundere and DinDoor botnet infrastructure, and CastleLoader certificates.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against these threats

• Check Point Research analyzed February 2026 cyber-attacks, as organizations averaged 2,086 weekly attacks, up 9.6% year over year, with education most targeted and Latin America recording the highest volumes. Ransomware totaled 629 incidents, while enterprise GenAI use continued to pose data‑leak risk in 1 of every 31 prompts.
• Check Point Research have analyzed China-nexus espionage campaigns targeting Qatar. A Camaro Dragon campaign attempted to deploy PlugX, while a second operation delivered Cobalt Strike via war-themed lures abusing trusted software targeting government and energy-related entities.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against these threats

The post 16th March – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 9th March, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• AkzoNobel, a Netherlands-based global paint manufacturer, has confirmed a cyberattack affecting one of its United States sites. The company said the intrusion was contained, while the Anubis ransomware group claimed it stole 170 GB of data, including employee and financial records.
• LexisNexis, a global legal data and analytics provider, has suffered a breach. Attackers claimed they stole 3.9 million records, including about 400,000 user profiles and some government accounts, while the company said the exposed systems mainly held legacy pre-2020 data.
• The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit behind Wikipedia, has faced a self-propagating JavaScript worm that vandalized pages and replaced editor scripts across multiple wikis. Engineers briefly restricted editing while cleaning up the incident, with about 3,996 pages modified and roughly 85 users’ personal scripts affected.
• TriZetto Provider Solutions, an American healthcare technology company owned by Cognizant, has disclosed a breach affecting more than 3.4 million people. The exposed data includes insurance and medical information, with notifications issued this week after investigators determined the unauthorized access began in 2024.

AI THREATS

• Researchers outlined how Pakistan-linked APT36 has used AI coding tools to produce large volumes of low-quality malware aimed at Indian government entities and embassies. The group generated variants in less common programming languages and used legitimate cloud services for command channels, complicating detection and response.
• Researchers uncovered AI-themed Chrome and Edge extensions that harvest LLM chat histories and browsing activity. Distributed via the Chrome Web Store, they impersonate legitimate tools and have impacted 900,000 users across 20,000 enterprise environments.
• Researchers tracked a campaign abusing interest in OpenClaw, an AI agent, by planting fake installers on GitHub that appeared in Bing search results. The installers delivered Vidar to steal credentials and cryptocurrency wallets and sometimes deployed GhostSocks, turning infected systems into residential proxies.
• Researchers demonstrated indirect prompt injection campaigns against AI agents that read web content, cataloging 22 techniques across live sites. Hidden instructions can redirect agents to expose data, perform unauthorized transactions, and run server commands, and the researchers also observed a real-world bypass of an AI ad review system.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Google has published patches for CVE-2026-0628, a high-severity vulnerability in Chrome’s Gemini AI panel that allowed malicious extensions to inject code and access cameras and microphones. Researchers showed attackers could also take screenshots, access local files, and launch phishing content inside the panel.
• A patch was released for CVE-2026-1492, a critical (9.8 CVSS) privilege escalation flaw in the User Registration & Membership WordPress plugin. The vulnerability lets unauthenticated attackers create administrator accounts and take over sites.
• VMware has patched CVE-2026-22719, a high-severity command injection flaw in Aria Operations, its cloud management platform. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote code execution during support-assisted migrations and affects versions 8 through 8.18.5 and 9 through 9.0.1, with patches and a workaround script available.
• Qualcomm has addressed CVE-2026-21385, a memory corruption vulnerability affecting chipsets used in Android phones, tablets, and IoT devices. The flaw can trigger crashes and potentially allow code execution, and CISA said evidence of active exploitation prompted its addition to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research have mapped Iran-linked cyber clusters conducting espionage, disruption, and influence operations, including Cotton Sandstorm, Educated Manticore, MuddyWater, Handala, and Agrius. Recent campaigns used impersonation and phishing to steal credentials, remote access tools to persist, and wipers or fake ransomware for impact.
• Check Point Research revealed that, amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, IP cameras in Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and Cyprus have been intensively targeted. Notably, these countries have also experienced significant missile activity from Iran. The findings align with the assessment that Iran incorporates compromised cameras into its operational doctrine, using them both to support missile operations and to conduct ongoing battle damage assessment (BDA).
• Check Point Research has profiled Silver Dragon, a Chinese-aligned group linked to APT41 that targeted government and enterprise networks across Southeast Asia and Europe. Recent operations used the GearDoor backdoor with SSHcmd and SilverScreen, enabling remote access, covert screen capture, and stealthy control after phishing and server exploitation.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against these threats

• Researchers have uncovered Coruna, an iPhone exploit kit used by Chinese scammers and Russia-linked operators to compromise devices through malicious websites. The toolkit used 23 exploits against iOS and deployed malware that stole cryptocurrency, emails, and photos.

The post 9th March – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 2nd March, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Wynn Resorts, a United States-based casino and hotel operator, has confirmed that employee data was accessed following an extortion threat linked to ShinyHunters. The company said operations were not disrupted. Reports indicate the stolen dataset includes HR-related information, including contact details and employment records for current and former staff.
• UFP Technologies, a United States-based medical device manufacturing giant, has disclosed a cyberattack that compromised parts of its IT environment and resulted in data exfiltration. The company reported disruptions to shipping and labeling workflows. According to the company, some of its data was wiped in the attack.
• Transport Workers Union of America Local 100, which represents New York City transit workers, was targeted by the Qilin ransomware group and listed on its leak site. According to reports, personal data of the union’s 67,000 members is now at risk of fraud and identity misuse.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against this threat (Ransomware.Wins.Qilin.ta.* Ransomware.Wins.Qilin.)

• European home improvement marketplace ManoMano has reported a data breach tied to a third-party customer support portal. The exposed records include customer names, email addresses, phone numbers, and support ticket details. ManoMano said passwords and payment data were not affected, and notifications are being sent to impacted users.

AI THREATS

• Check Point Research has discovered critical vulnerabilities in Anthropic’s Claude Code that allow attackers to achieve remote code execution and steal API credentials through malicious project configurations. Stolen keys can provide access to shared Workspaces for file access and tampering. Anthropic patched the issues, including CVE-2025-59536.
• Anthropic warns of coordinated “distillation” activity attributed to China-based AI firms, including DeepSeek, MiniMax, and Moonshot. Anthropic said fraudulent accounts generated millions of Claude exchanges aimed at extracting reasoning, coding, and agent workflows. The activity was described as an effort to train competing models.
• OpenAI has released a report listing malicious attempts to misuse its models. Among the threats listed in the report is an influence operation attempt linked to Chinese law enforcement, which targeted Japan’s prime minister.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Two Roundcube Webmail flaws have been listed as exploited in the wild, including CVE-2025-49113, a high-severity post-auth remote code execution bug. The second issue, CVE-2025-68461, is an unauthenticated cross-site scripting flaw. The bugs affect widely used Roundcube deployments, including cPanel environments globally.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Roundcube Webmail Remote Code Execution (CVE-2025-49113))

• Researchers have unveiled a pre-auth remote code execution chain in SolarWinds Web Help Desk. The chain combines authentication bypass flaws CVE-2025-40552 and CVE-2025-40554 with deserialization RCE CVE-2025-40553. A successful attack can allow takeover of exposed help desk servers without credentials. The flaws affect widely deployed on-premises instances.

Check Point IPS provides protection against these threats (SolarWinds Web Help Desk Authentication Bypass (CVE-2025-40536, CVE-2025-40554, CVE-2025-40552), SolarWinds Web Help Desk Insecure Deserialization (CVE-2024-28986, CVE-2024-28988, CVE-2025-40553, CVE-2025-26399))

• Researchers alerted organizations about CVE-2026-20127, a critical authentication bypass in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller (CVSS 10) exploited in the wild for at least three years. Attackers can log in with high privileges, add rogue peers, and downgrade controllers to exploit CVE-2022-20775 for root access. CISA issued an emergency directive mandating fast patching.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research summarizes five key Iranian threat actor clusters relevant to the current conflict in the Middle East. It outlines the main TTPs these groups have recently used against targets in the Middle East and the United States and shares six defensive measures IT teams should take to help prevent attacks during the ongoing conflict.
• Check Point Research has published its Untold Stories of 2025, a compilation covering multiple notable campaigns that occurred during 2025. These include exploitation of Microsoft SharePoint (“ToolShell”), and adversary-in-the-middle phishing used to bypass MFA, as well as state-linked operations attributed to groups such as Camaro Dragon and COLDRIVER. The report also highlights evolving command-and-control techniques observed across Europe and Central Asia.
• Lazarus-linked operators were observed using Medusa ransomware in recent intrusions, including activity against a Middle Eastern entity and attempted access at a US healthcare organization. Medusa is described as a ransomware-as-a-service operation with leak-site activity.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against this threat.

• Researchers have uncovered GrayCharlie activity targeting WordPress sites by injecting external JavaScript that profiles visitors and delivers malware through fake updates or ClickFix-style prompts. Reporting links infections to NetSupport tooling, followed by Stealc and SectopRAT.

The post 2nd March – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 23rd February, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• France’s Ministry of Economy has disclosed a data breach resulted from an unauthorized access to the national bank account registry FICOBA, impacting information tied to 1.2 million accounts. Exposed data includes names, addresses, account identifiers and, in some cases, tax-related identifiers. Officials said the intrusion involved compromised government credentials.
• Japanese tech giant Advantest Corporation was hit by a ransomware attack that resulted in the deployment of ransomware within portions of its network following unauthorized access by a third party on February 15. The incident may have impacted certain internal systems, and the potential compromise of customer or employee data remains unclear.
• University of Mississippi Medical Center, an academic healthcare system in Mississippi, has suffered a ransomware attack that forced closures across its clinic network and disrupted access to electronic medical records. The organization canceled elective procedures and shifted to manual processes. Systems were taken offline and no ransomware group claimed responsibility.
• Ukraine’s central bank, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), has faced a supply-chain incident affecting a contractor that runs its collectible coin online store. Exposed information includes customer registration data, such as names, emails, phone numbers, and delivery addresses. The bank indicated that payment information was not affected.

AI THREATS

• Check Point Research unveiled a technique that repurposes AI assistants like Grok and Microsoft Copilot as covert C2 proxies by abusing web-browsing URL fetch features without authentication. Malware exfiltrates host data via query parameters and retrieves commands from AI-generated summaries through hidden WebView2, bypassing inspection of AI traffic.
• A Russian-speaking financially motivated threat actor leveraged commercial generative AI tools to conduct mass credential abuse of 600 FortiGate devices in 55 countries from January 11 to February 18, 2026. The attackers targeted Veeam servers, exploiting CVE-2023-27532 and CVE-2024-40711.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Veeam Backup and Replication Insecure Deserialization (CVE-2024-40711))

• Researchers uncovered a Shai-Hulud-like npm supply chain worm spreading via typosquatted packages, stealing developer and CI secrets, exfiltrating via GitHub API with DNS fallback, and propagating by poisoning workflows and git hooks, with MCP server injection targeting AI coding assistants and harvesting LLM API keys.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Dell RecoverPoint for VMs, impacted by CVE-2026-22769 (CVSS 10.0) in versions before 6.0.3.1, has been exploited as a zero-day since mid-2024 by suspected Chinese group UNC6201. Attackers used hardcoded Tomcat credentials for unauthenticated root access, deploying SLAYSTYLE, BRICKSTORM, and the GRIMBOLT backdoor, and creating Ghost NICs to pivot and persist in VMware environments.

Check Point IPS and Threat Emulation provide protection against this threat (Dell RecoverPoint For Virtual Machines Arbitrary File Upload (CVE-2026-22769); Trojan.Wins.SLAYSTYLE; Trojan.Wins.BRICKSTORM.ta.*; Trojan.Wins.GRIMBOLT)

• Grandstream GXP1600 series VoIP phones are affected by CVE-2026-2329, a critical unauthenticated stack-based buffer overflow in the web API allowing root RCE. Exploitation enables credential theft, SIP proxy reconfiguration, and covert call interception. Firmware version 1.0.7.81 fixes the issue.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Grandstream GXP1600 Stack Overflow (CVE-2026-2329))

• A flaw in Microsoft 365 Copilot allows the “Work Tab” Chat feature to summarize emails protected by confidentiality sensitivity labels, bypassing configured Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies. The code-level defect enables Copilot to access labeled content in Sent Items and Draft folders, exposing restricted data in AI-generated summaries.
• Google has patched CVE-2026-2441, a high-severity Chrome zero-day in the CSS component in Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.75, confirmed exploited in the wild. The use-after-free flaw can enable remote code execution within the browser sandbox via a crafted page.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Google Chrome Use After Free (CVE-2026-2441))

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Researchers have discovered Keenadu, an Android firmware backdoor delivered via supply chain compromise. It uses RC4-encrypted payloads, DexClassLoader, and permission bypass frameworks for ad fraud, search hijacking, and monetization, with links to Triada and BADBOX.
• Researchers analyzed Arkanix Stealer, a MaaS infostealer with Python and C++ implants, dynamic server side configuration, and modules including ChromElevator and HVNC. It uses phishing lures, steals from 22 browsers, Telegram and Discord and targets VPN, gaming and crypto wallets.
• Researchers have analyzed a spam campaign that abused Atlassian Jira Cloud notifications to bypass email filters by exploiting trusted atlassian.net sender domains with valid SPF and DKIM authentication. The attackers rapidly spun up trial instances and used Jira Automation alongside the Keitaro TDS to distribute localized lures targeting government and corporate sectors.
• Researchers identified a Booking.com-themed phishing campaign active since January 2026 that targets hotel partners and guests with a three-stage chain. It leveraged look-alike domains and IDN homographs, collected visitor fingerprinting with decoy pages, conducted partner account takeovers, and used WhatsApp lures to fake payment portals behind Cloudflare CAPTCHA.

The post 23rd February – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 16th February, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Dutch telecom provider Odido was hit by a data breach following unauthorized access to its customer management system. Attackers extracted personal data of 6.2 million customers, including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, bank account details, dates of birth, and passport or ID numbers.
• BridgePay Network Solutions, a US payment gateway, has confirmed a ransomware attack that forced it to take core systems offline. The outage disrupted portals for municipalities and merchants nationwide, though initial findings indicate no payment card data exposure and accessed files were encrypted. No ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack.
• Flickr, a photo sharing platform, has experienced a security incident at a third-party email service provider on February 5. The exposure may include names, usernames, email addresses, IP addresses, location data, and more. Passwords and payment card numbers were not affected.
• ApolloMD, a US physician and practice management services firm, has disclosed a breach impacting 626,000 individuals. The incident occurred during May 2025, while the attackers accessed patient information from affiliated practices, exposing data such as names, addresses, and medical details.

AI THREATS

• Google has released an analysis of adversarial AI misuse, detailing model extraction “distillation” attacks, AI-augmented phishing, and malware experimentation in late 2025. The report identified attempts to coerce disclosure of internal reasoning, AI-assisted reconnaissance by DPRK, PRC, Iranian, and Russian actors, and AI-integrated malware such as HONESTCUE leveraging Gemini’s API for second-stage payload generation.
• Researchers have investigated a UNC1069 intrusion targeting a cryptocurrency FinTech through AI-enabled social engineering and a fake Zoom ClickFix lure. The attack deployed seven malware families enabling TCC bypass, credential and browser data theft, keystroke logging, and C2 communications over RC4-encrypted configurations.

Check Point Threat Emulation provides protection against this threat (Trojan.Wins.SugarLoader)

• Researchers have detailed the abuse of AI website builders to clone major brands for phishing and fraud. They analyzed a Malwarebytes lookalike site created using Vercel’s v0 tool, which replicated branding and integrated opaque PayPal payment flows. The domain leveraged SEO poisoning and spam links, with registration data indicating links to India.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Microsoft has released its February 2026 Patch Tuesday updates. The release addresses 58 vulnerabilities, including six zero days under active exploitation, among them CVE-2026-21510, a Windows Shell Security Feature Bypass vulnerability that can be triggered by opening a specially crafted link or shortcut file. Successful exploitation requires convincing a user to open a malicious link or shortcut file.
• Google has patched 11 vulnerabilities in Chrome 145 for Windows, macOS, and Linux, including CVE-2026-2313, a use-after-free vulnerability in CSS. This high-severity flaw could allow remote code execution. Two additional high severity bugs in Codecs (CVE-2026-2314) and WebGPU (CVE-2026-2315) also enable code execution.
• BeyondTrust has addressed CVE-2026-1731, a CVSS 9.9 pre-authentication remote code execution flaw in Remote Support and older Privileged Remote Access versions. Shortly after a proof of concept was published, threat actors began exploiting exposed instances, prompting urgent upgrades for self-hosted deployments.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (BeyondTrust Multiple Products Command Injection (CVE-2026-1731))

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research analyzed global cyber-attacks in January averaging 2,090 per organization per week, up 3% from December and 17% year over year. Education remained the most targeted sector with 4,364 attacks per organization, ransomware recorded 678 incidents with 52% in North America, and 1 in 30 GenAI prompts posed high data leak risk.
• Check Point Research identified a sharp increase in Valentine-themed phishing websites, fraudulent stores, and fake dating platforms designed to steal personal data and payment information. Valentine-related domain registrations rose 44% in January 2026, with 97.5% unclassified, while 710 Tinder-impersonating domains were detected.
• A Phorpiex-driven phishing campaign has been observed delivering Global Group ransomware via ZIP attachments with double-extension LNK files, using CMD and PowerShell to execute the payload. The ransomware runs offline with locally generated ChaCha20-Poly1305 keys, deletes shadow copies and itself, and terminates analysis and database processes.
• Researchers have analyzed the latest GuLoader (aka CloudEye) downloader, which delivers Remcos, Vidar, and Raccoon, and now evades detection by leveraging encrypted payloads hosted on Google Drive and OneDrive. The malware uses polymorphic code to generate constants via XOR and ADD/SUB operations, along with anti-analysis techniques such as sandbox checks and exception handlers.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against this threat (Trojan.Wins.GuLoader; InfoStealer.Win.GuLoader; Dropper.Wins.GuLoader.ta.*; Dropper.Win.CloudEyE; RAT.Wins.Remcos; InfoStealer.Win.Vidar; InfoStealer.Win.Raccoon; InfoStealer.Wins.Raccoon)

The post 16th February – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 9th February, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• Romania’s national oil pipeline operator, Conpet, has suffered a cyberattack that disrupted its IT systems and took its website offline. The company said operational technology, including pipeline control and telecommunications systems, remained fully functional and oil transport continued without interruption. The attack was claimed by the Qilin ransomware group.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against this threat (Ransomware.Wins.Qilin.ta.*; Ransomware.Wins.Qilin)

• La Sapienza University in Rome, one of Europe’s largest universities, has confirmed a cyberattack that prompted it to take down computer systems for three days, with email and workstations partially limited. The website remains offline as the school restores services.
• The City of New Britain, a municipal government in Connecticut, was hit by a ransomware attack that disrupted internet and phone services for over 48 hours. While emergency services remained operational, it is unclear whether personal data was compromised.
• Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Instituut (OLV) Pulhof, a secondary school in Berchem, Belgium, has experienced a ransomware attack that escalated into extortion of parents. Attackers reduced demand from €100,000 to €15,000 and threatened to leak student and staff data or charge parents €50 per child, while the school refused payment and is investigating potential exposure.

AI THREATS

• Threat actors leveraged exposed credentials from public AWS S3 buckets to launch an AI-assisted intrusion, escalating cloud privileges from ReadOnlyAccess to admin within eight to ten minutes via Lambda code injection and IAM role assumptions. The attack further abused Amazon Bedrock models for LLMjacking and provisioned GPU-based EC2 instances using JupyterLab to exploit resources, pivoting rapidly across 19 AWS principals.
• Ask Gordon, Docker’s AI assistant, was affected by the critical “DockerDash” vulnerability, allowing Meta Context Injection via Model Context Protocol that treats malicious Docker image LABEL metadata as executable instructions. This enabled remote code execution and data exfiltration in cloud, CLI, and Docker Desktop environments, with mitigations released in Docker Desktop 4.50.0.
• Bondu, an AI plush toy maker, exposed a web console that allowed anyone with a Google account to access 50,000 chat transcripts with children – revealing names, birth dates, family details, and intimate conversations. Researchers reported the issue, after which Bondu disabled the console and added authentication.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• Ivanti addressed two zero-days in Endpoint Manager Mobile, CVE-2026-1281 and CVE-2026-1340 (CVSS 9.8), exploited for unauthenticated code injection and remote code execution. The flaws affect in-house app distribution and Android file-transfer features, with emergency fixes issued January 29 for on-premises EPMM deployments.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile Command Injection (CVE-2026-1281, CVE-2026-1340))

• Active exploitation of CVE-2025-11953, an OS command injection flaw, was detected in the React Native Community CLI and the Metro development server used by major mobile app projects. This flaw can enable unauthenticated remote code execution, including full shell access on Windows.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (React Native Community CLI Command Injection (CVE-2025-11953))

• n8n maintainers have released patches for a critical issue allowing authenticated users to run system commands through crafted workflows, risking full server compromise and credential theft. The flaw extends a prior expression-engine bug and fixes available in versions v1.123.17 and v2.5.2.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research observed Amaranth-Dragon, a Chinese-aligned group linked to APT41, conducting espionage against government and law enforcement across Southeast Asia. The threat actor weaponized WinRAR flaw CVE-2025-8088 within 10 days after its disclosure, geo-fenced servers to targets, and introduced TGAmaranth, a Telegram-based remote access tool.

Check Point IPS, Threat Emulation and Harmony Endpoint provide protection against this threat (RARLAB WinRAR Directory Traversal (CVE-2025-8088); Trojan.Win.Amaranth; Trojan.Wins.Amaranth.ta.*; APT.Win.APT41; APT.Wins.APT41.ta.*; Trojan.Wins.APT41.ta.*)

• Check Point researchers assessed three most significant financial-sector trends in 2025. DDoS attacks surged 105%, data breaches and leaks rose 73%, and ransomware incidents reached 451 cases with aggressive multi-extortion tactics. Hacktivists drove DDoS attacks, and ransomware groups like Qilin, Akira, and Cl0p scaled operations via shared tooling and third-party access.

Check Point Threat Emulation and Harmony Endpoint provide protection against this threat (Ransomware.Wins.Qilin.ta.*; Ransomware.Wins.Qilin; Ransomware.Wins.Akira.ta.*; Ransomware.Wins.Clop; Ransomware.Wins.CLOP.ta.*; Ransomware.Win.Clop)

• Check Point researchers described a phishing campaign that abused legitimate SaaS notifications from Microsoft, Zoom, Amazon, PayPal, YouTube, and Malwarebytes to drive phone-based scams. The operation sent 133,260 emails to 20,049 organizations, intensifying in recent months as attackers leveraged trusted messages to bypass link-focused defenses and steer targets to attacker-controlled phone numbers.

The post 9th February – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 2nd February, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin.

TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES

• MicroWorld Technologies, maker of eScan antivirus, has suffered a supply-chain compromise. Malicious updates were pushed via the legitimate eScan updater, delivering multi-stage malware that establishes persistence, enables remote access, and blocks automatic updates. In response, eScan shut down its global update service for more than eight hours.
• Crunchbase, a private company intelligence platform, has confirmed a data breach of over 2 million records claimed by ShinyHunters threat group after a ransom demand was refused. The published files were stolen from its corporate network and include customer names, contact details, partner contracts and other internal documents. Crunchbase said that their operations were not disrupted.
• Qilin ransomware group has leaked an alleged database belonging to Tulsa International Airport in Oklahoma. The database include financial records, internal emails, and employee identification data. The airport authority has not yet confirmed compromise, and operations reportedly continue.

Check Point Threat Emulation provides protection against this threat (Ransomware.Wins.Qilin.ta.*; Ransomware.Wins.Qilin)

• WorldLeaks extortion group has claimed responsibility for a data breach on the sportswear giant Nike. The threat group allegedly exposed samples totaling 1.4 terabytes of internal data including documents and archives related to the company’s supply chain and manufacturing operations.

AI THREATS

• Clawdbot, an open source AI agent gateway, has more than 900 publicly exposed and often unauthenticated instances due to localhost auto approval behind reverse proxies. It enables credential theft, access to chat histories, and remote code execution.
• Researchers uncovered RedKitten, a 2026 campaign with LLM-assisted development indicators targeting Iranian activists and NGOs. The campaign uses password-protected Excel lures to deliver SloppyMIO, a C# implant that uses Telegram for C2 and GitHub/Google Drive for payloads, with steganographic configuration, AppDomain Manager injection, and scheduled task persistence.
• Researchers identified 16 malicious Chrome extensions for ChatGPT that exfiltrate authorization details and session tokens. The extensions inject scripts into the ChatGPT web application to monitor outbound requests, allowing attackers to hijack sessions and access chat histories.
• Researchers analyzed publicly accessible open-source LLM deployments via Ollama and revealed many with disabled guardrails and exposed system prompts, enabling spam, phishing, disinformation, and other abuse.

VULNERABILITIES AND PATCHES

• A critical path traversal vulnerability (CVE-2025-8088) in WinRAR is actively exploited by government backed threat actors linked to Russia and China as well as financially motivated threat actors. Weaponized phishing forces WinRAR to write malware into the Windows Startup folder, enabling automatic execution for ransomware and credential theft. A patch is available on WinRAR 7.13.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (RARLAB WinRAR Directory Traversal (CVE-2025-8088))

• SmarterTools addressed two critical SmarterMail flaws, including CVE-2026-24423 enabling remote code execution and CVE-2026-23760 allowing unauthenticated admin account takeover. The second flaw is actively exploited, and over 6,000 exposed SmarterMail servers are reportedly vulnerable.

Check Point IPS provides protection against this threat (SmarterTools SmarterMail Remote Code Execution (CVE-2026-24423); SmarterTools SmarterMail Authentication Bypass (CVE-2026-23760))

• Fortinet has fixed CVE-2026-24858, an authentication bypass in FortiCloud single sign on which allowed unauthorized access and admin creation on downstream devices. The flaw carries CVSS 9.4 and is actively exploited via FortiCloud SSO.

THREAT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

• Check Point Research has published the 2026 Cyber Security Report, highlighting AI as a force multiplier across attacks, fragmentation in ransomware with data only extortion, and multi-channel social engineering attacks. It maps threat activity to geopolitics and identity driven paths, quantifies risky AI usage, and provides sector and regional breakouts.
• Polish CERT detailed coordinated destructive attacks on Polish energy and manufacturing sectors, attributed to Static Tundra, using FortiGate SSL VPN access. The attackers conducted reconnaissance, firmware damage, lateral movement, and deployed DynoWiper and LazyWiper that corrupt files.
• Researchers have uncovered renewed Matanbuchus downloader campaigns using Microsoft Installer files disguised as legitimate installers, with frequent component changes to evade antivirus and machine learning detection. In many cases, the loader is used for further ransomware deployment.

Check Point Harmony Endpoint and Threat Emulation provide protection against this threat (Trojan-Downloader.Wins.Matanbuchus.ta.*; Trojan-Downloader.Wins.Matanbuchus; Trojan-Downloader.Win.Matanbuchus)

• Researchers have identified PyRAT, a Python based cross platform RAT for Windows and Linux, using unencrypted HTTP POST C2, fingerprinting victims, and file and screenshot exfiltration. Persistence uses a deceptive autostart on Linux and a user Run key on Windows, with semi persistent identifiers.
• Researchers have found an Android campaign distributing a RAT via fake security alerts installing TrustBastion, which retrieves a second-stage payload from Hugging Face. The malware abuses Accessibility Services, deploys credential-stealing overlays, and uses server-side polymorphism to regenerate payloads every 15 minutes.

The post 2nd February – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research.