Security Journalism
TIER 3
Attackers Exploit N-able Patch Bypass Flaw on RMM Servers
Over the weekend, the vendor discovered another vector of authentication bypass CVE-2026-18577 that gives attackers administrator access.
Over the weekend, the vendor discovered another vector of authentication bypass CVE-2026-18577 that gives attackers administrator access.
OverviewOn July 29, 2026, the Ruby on Rails project published a security advisory for CVE-2026-66066, an arbitrary file read in Active Storage applications that use the Vips image processor with untrusted uploads. The affected Active Storage ranges are < 7.2.3.2, >= 8.0, < 8.0.5.1, and >= 8.1, < 8.1.3.1. Vips is the default Active Storage variant processor for applications that load Rails 7.0 or later defaults. Rails 6 applications are affected only when they explicitly configure Vips.Our Emergent Threat Response blog covers the affected versions, mitigation guidance, and current exploitation…
Today marks the release of Metasploit Pro 5.1 - building upon the foundation laid in 5.0, adding new evasion primitives for HTTP Meterpreter payloads, support for tracking service hierarchies, a deeper and more interactive Network Topology view, and continuing our commitment to a modern, consistent UI. This release is powered by Metasploit Framework 6.5.Malleable C2 ProfilesOne of the most requested capabilities in modern red-team engagements is the ability to blend Meterpreter's network traffic into legitimate-looking patterns. Metasploit Pro 5.1 brings full Malleable C2 profile support, pow…
Black Hat USA returns to Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas this August, bringing together security practitioners, researchers, and leaders from around the world. Rapid7 will be there in the Business Hall, with new capabilities, live demonstrations, expert-led sessions, and two days of activities at the Border Grill.This year, our focus is preemptive security: helping security teams anticipate credible risk, respond at machine speed, and maintain an accurate view of their security and compliance posture as their environment changes.Visit the Rapid7 booth at Black Hat USAYou can find Rapid7 at booth #2…
Amazon Inspector is an automated vulnerability management service that continually scans Amazon Web Services (AWS) workloads for software vulnerabilities. The vulnerability management capabilities of Amazon Inspector are powered by an asset inventory engine known as the Amazon Inspector SBOM Generator (inspector-sbomgen), a standalone command-line tool that produces a software bill of materials (SBOM) from container […]
OverviewOn July 29, 2026, the Ruby on Rails project published a security advisory for CVE-2026-66066, a critical vulnerability affecting Active Storage image processing when used in conjunction with the libvips image processing library. The vulnerability has a CVSSv4 score of 9.5 and is classified as Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default (CWE-1188). An unauthenticated attacker may be able to leverage CVE-2026-66066 and read files accessible to the Rails application process, potentially exposing secrets that could enable remote code execution (RCE) or access to connected system…
Canada’s new Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act (Bill C-8) introduces a strict 72-hour cyber incident reporting mandate. Find out how Tenable is helping critical national infrastructure operators bridge the IT/OT divide to ensure full compliance.Key takeaways:Bill C-8 introduces stringent new cyber incident reporting requirements and heavy financial penalties for critical infrastructure operators. Eliminating network blind spots with a hybrid IT/OT discovery approach, including Safe Active Querying for isolated, hard-to-reach process-control systems, enables operators to establish a requir…
IDC has named Rapid7 a Leader in the 2026 Worldwide Managed Detection and Response Service for Midmarket 2026 Vendor Assessment (Doc #US52992326, July 2026). We believe this recognition and research highlights where MDR is heading.Many security programs are still built around a reactive sequence of detect, triage, and respond, but the timelines surrounding modern attacks have changed too quickly for that model to hold up on its own. Time-to-exploit has dropped from two years to 22 hours, while eCrime breakout time now sits at 29 minutes. In an environment like that, a program moving at human …
Today we’re proud to announce that Metasploit Framework version 6.5 has been released. Over the past two years, with the help of countless contributors, we’ve added 422 new modules along with a whole slew of new features.Malleable C2 Profiles for HTTPOne of the latest and most requested features is support for Malleable C2 profiles across all current Meterpreter payloads. This feature enables users to load a standard profile into Meterpreter and change the shape of its HTTP(S) traffic. All Meterpreters, including Windows, Java, Python, PHP and Linux, have been updated with this functionality.…
OverviewOn July 29, 2026, Broadcom published security advisory VMSA-2026-0006 addressing multiple vulnerabilities in several VMWare products. Included in the advisory are two critical remotely exploitable vulnerabilities affecting VMware vCenter Server: CVE-2026-59309 and CVE-2026-59310. Both vulnerabilities carry CVSSv3.1 base scores of 9.8 and can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers with network access to a vulnerable vCenter Server.CVECVSSv3.1Description SummaryCVE-2026-593099.8 (Critical)An authentication bypass vulnerability in the VMware Directory Service of vCenter that could all…
OverviewOn July 27, 2026, JetBrains published a security advisory for CVE-2026-63077, a critical unauthenticated vulnerability affecting all versions of TeamCity On-Premises. The issue is classified as deserialization of untrusted data and has a CVSS score of 9.8. An unauthenticated remote attacker with HTTP(S) access to a TeamCity server can exploit the agent polling protocol to bypass authentication checks and execute arbitrary operating system commands with the privileges of the TeamCity server process.In the blog post that JetBrains shared in tandem with CVE publication, they stated that …
The scenario is all too familiar for any cybersecurity professional: It’s late in the day, and a critical zero-day vulnerability is disclosed. When this happens, CISOs from every industry immediately turn to their Security Operations Centers (SOC) with the single most important, and often most difficult, question: "Are we exposed?”Answering questions like these when zero-days drop tends to trigger a frantic, high-stress fire drill. Analysts scramble to cross-reference outdated Configuration Management Databases (CMDBs), query disparate endpoint detection tools, and ping IT administrators. The…
A coordinated cyber attack disrupted water and wastewater systems in at least 12 U.S. states, including more than 30 Minnesota communities. Here is what defenders need to know about the attack so far. This FAQ also details recent cyberactivity targeting internet-exposed PLCs, and how to protect exposed infrastructure.Change logUpdate August 10: Added Columbus Water Works as a second confirmed Georgia victim. Added a table summarizing publicly confirmed affected entities to date.This is an active situation. Tenable's Research Special Operations team is monitoring developments and will update t…
OverviewOn July 22, 2026, Check Point published a security advisory for CVE-2026-16232, an authentication bypass in the SmartConsole login process affecting Security Management Server and Multi-Domain Security Management Server (MDS). By leveraging CVE-2026-16232, an unauthenticated attacker can obtain an application login token, use this token to log in through SmartConsole with full administrator privileges, and modify the security policy or security configuration. Exploitation requires network access to the Management Server and for a Trusted Clients configuration that does not restrict GU…
For years, security operations followed a familiar sequence: detect suspicious activity, investigate what happened, and respond before it caused significant harm. That model developed in a threat landscape where defenders had considerably more time to establish the facts and decide what to do next. In 2019, the average data breach took 206 days to identify and another 73 days to contain, creating a total breach lifecycle of 279 days.As the time between initial access and attacker movement continues to contract, security teams are being asked to operate within a much narrower window. AI is acc…
[UPDATED] On 14 July 2026, Microsoft released security updates addressing critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in Microsoft SharePoint Server. On 20 July 2026, WatchTowr identified a proof-of-concept exploit code and subsequently observed active exploitation of CVE-2026-50522, a vulnerability part of an ongoing series of actively exploited flaws affecting on-premise SharePoint Server instances, including CVE-2026-32201, CVE-2026-45659, CVE-2026-56164, and CVE-2026-58644. CERT-EU strongly recommends updating affected servers immediately, rotating credentials for any assets that…
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, formerly SD-WAN vSmart, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, formerly SD-WAN vManage, and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Validator, formerly SD-WAN vBond, could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root by supplying a crafted file to the affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a crafted file to the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to perform command injection attacks on …
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) guest portals could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks against a user of the interface. These vulnerabilities are due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface of an affected system. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by injecting malicious code into specific pages of the interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the a…
An unauthenticated attacker can chain two WordPress Core vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-63030 and CVE-2026-60137, to achieve remote code execution against affected WordPress installations. Multiple security firms have confirmed active in-the-wild exploitation within days of public disclosure, and public proof-of-concept exploits are circulating.Key takeaways:Two WordPress Core vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-63030 and CVE-2026-60137, can be chained together to achieve pre-authentication remote code execution against WordPress 6.9.x and 7.0.x installations. Multiple security firms have confirmed in-the-w…
A technical analysis of three chained zero-day vulnerabilities in Siemens ROX II OT switches that allow privilege escalation and persistent root access. The post Three Steps to the Terminal: A Siemens ROX II Zero-Day Trilogy appeared first on Unit 42.
Written by: Jules Czarniak Introduction As highlighted in the Mandiant M-Trends 2026 report, the mean time-to-exploit (TTE) has dropped to -7 days, meaning vulnerabilities are often exploited a week before a patch even exists. To keep pace, many security teams are exploring how to integrate large language model (LLM) agents into their codebases, development environments and continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines for automated vulnerability discovery and remediation. However, deploying privileged artificial intelligence (AI) agents without mature integration processes…
Four Microsoft SharePoint Server vulnerabilities are under active exploitation, prompting CISA to issue a hardening alert. An additional high-severity flaw recently patched adds pressure for organizations running on-premises deployments.Key TakeawaysCISA confirmed active exploitation of three on-premises SharePoint Server vulnerabilities (CVE-2026-32201, CVE-2026-45659, CVE-2026-56164), used to gain unauthorized access, establish remote code execution, steal IIS machine keys and deploy malware for persistence.Two additional SharePoint Server vulnerabilities disclosed on July 14, 2026, CVE-202…
On July 15, 2026, the Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) published the following advisories: Cisco Security Advisory CVE ID Security Impact Rating CVSS Base Score Cisco RoomOS Security Hardening Release: July 2026 CVE-2026-20150CVE-2026-20153CVE-2026-20156CVE-2026-20157CVE-2026-20158CVE-2026-20187 High 8.8 Cisco Identity Services Engine Path Traversal Vulnerability CVE-2026-20146 Medium 5.5 To fully remediate the vulnerabilities that were disclosed on July 15, 2026, Cisco strongly recommends that customers upgrade to the fixed software that is indicated in the advisories. F…
As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the Cisco RoomOS engineering team has conducted a comprehensive internal security review. This review resulted in a software hardening release that addresses multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities were found during internal testing and are not known to be actively exploited. To assist customers in patching and to streamline the disclosure process, Cisco has grouped these issues by their underlying vulnerability class — Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) — and assigned a single Common…
A vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to perform path traversal attacks on the underlying operating system to either read or delete arbitrary files. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access sensitive files …
Written by: Corné de Jong Introduction Mandiant security assessments frequently identify publicly exposed serverless applications that lack authentication, often as a result of specific business requirements. Serverless deployments typically run custom-developed code that incorporates third-party packages, making them targets for a wide range of application-level attacks, including: Local and Remote File Inclusion (LFI/RFI) Command Injection Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities can grant an attacker full control over the underlying container instance. Such access can serve as a fo…
SonicWall patched two recently exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in its SMA 1000 Series secure remote access appliances which may have been chained for unauthenticated remote code execution.Key takeawaysCVE-2026-15409 and CVE-2026-15410 are a pair of exploited vulnerabilities that may have been chained together to allow for code execution on SonicWall SMA1000 series appliances. Zero-day exploitation of these vulnerabilities has been observed and confirmed by SonicWall. Patches and indicators of compromise are available and urgent patching is recommended.BackgroundSonicWall's Secure Mobile Ac…
Microsoft Corp. today released software updates to plug at least 570 security holes in its Windows operating systems and other software, almost triple the number of vulnerabilities the software giant fixed in its record-smashing Patch Tuesday release last month. Microsoft attributed the burgeoning patch counts to vulnerability discoveries aided by artificial intelligence.
56Critical510Important3Moderate0LowMicrosoft addresses 569 CVEs in the largest Patch Tuesday release yet. This month’s release includes three zero-days, two of which were exploited in the wild.Microsoft patched 569 CVEs in its July 2026 Patch Tuesday release, with 56 rated critical, 510 rated as important, and 3 rated as moderate. This marks the largest Patch Tuesday release ever, crushing the previous record of 198 CVEs in June. Last week, Microsoft announced that its multi-model agentic scanning harness (MDASH) is being used to identify vulnerabilities faster and noted that “customers will …
A cybersecurity startup dangling millions of dollars to acquire zero-day security vulnerabilities in popular software is run by a pair of far-right conspiracy theorists and convicted felons whose most recent ventures included fake intelligence companies and a now-defunct AI-based lobbying platform they operated under assumed names.