Lawrence Abrams
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Ransomware, Online Security, and Malware. Owner, Editor in Chief of @bleepincomputer.
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Articles by Lawrence Abrams
OpenAI engineer arrested for allegedly planting spy device in office
A Saudi OpenAI engineer has been arrested for allegedly planting a hidden recording device in an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco offices to secretly record sensitive conversations. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, who had worked at OpenAI since July 2025, was arrested on October 9 and charged with illegally intercepting oral communications.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 KB5126657 extended security update
Microsoft released the Windows 10 KB5126657 extended security update, which includes this month's record-breaking October 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes and a few bug fixes and changes.
Cyber exec arrested in case allegedly tied to ShinyHunters hackers
Canadian cybersecurity executive Edward Dubrovsky has been arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with alleged extortion activity that multiple reports have linked to the FBI's ongoing crackdown on the ShinyHunters hacking group. Dubrovsky, 54, has had senior roles at cybersecurity firms that help data breach and ransomware victims negotiate extortion payments with cybercriminals.
Hackers abuse Google Ads, Bing redirects to push Claude ClickFix attacks
Hackers are abusing legitimate Bing search-result redirects as click URLs in Google search ads to direct users to fake Claude installers that deliver ClickFix attacks. The technique, dubbed "Adception" by security researchers at Push Security, appears designed to evade advertising security checks by using Bing's trusted domain as the ad destination, before redirecting victims through a compromised website to the malicious download page.
FBI arrests another suspected ShinyHunters hacker after agency breach
The FBI has arrested another suspected member of the ShinyHunters extortion group believed to be involved in the recent breach of FBI systems, Director Kash Patel announced Friday. "Our agents in the field have arrested another suspected co-conspirator of the ShinyHunters group – the group believed to be responsible for the recent http://FBIjobs.gov incident, which occurred on a platform managed by a third-party vendor.," Patel said on X.
FBI disrupts Chinese hacking tools used to breach critical infrastructure
The FBI has seized seven domains used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers known as Flax Typhoon to operate two hacking tools, MicroScan and FishHub, used in attacks that breached critical infrastructure and other organizations worldwide. The seizures targeted infrastructure supporting the two hacking platforms allegedly operated by China-based Integrity Technology Group (Integrity Tech), which U.S. authorities say has contracts with the Chinese government.
Low-cost Android phones ship with residential proxy malware
A malware campaign dubbed 'Midnight Mimosa' has been discovered on low-cost Android smartphones that ship with malicious software embedded in their firmware, allowing attackers to silently install apps, perform ad fraud, and turn devices into residential proxies. The malware is believed to have been introduced somewhere in the device supply chain, but it remains unclear who is responsible for modifying the firmware or at what stage the tampering occurred.
Ransomware recovery CEO charged over secret ransom payments
The owner of ransomware remediation company MonsterCloud has been charged with allegedly defrauding ransomware victims by secretly paying their attackers for decryptors while claiming to use proprietary technology to recover encrypted data. Zohar Pinhasi, 50, also known as "Zack Silver" and "Zack Green," was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York on September 23 and arraigned Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn.
ASOS confirms data breach after “HACKED” in-app notifications
UK fashion retailer ASOS confirmed a data breach Tuesday after hackers sent unauthorized push notifications through its mobile app while claiming to have stolen customer data from the company's Snowflake environment. ASOS is a large UK-based online fashion retailer that sells clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty products to customers worldwide, including in the United States.
Citrix patches NetScaler SAML zero-day exploited in attacks
Citrix has released emergency updates for a new NetScaler denial-of-service vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-88779 that has been exploited in zero-day attacks, with researchers investigating whether it can also be exploited for remote code execution. The vulnerability is a memory buffer flaw affecting NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway appliances using SAML authentication with Gateway or AAA functionality.
ShinyHunters hacker reportedly detained in Jordan, aiding FBI
A suspected ShinyHunters hacking group member known online as "Rey" has reportedly been detained in Jordan and is cooperating with the FBI to help locate other members of the extortion group. According to Reuters, Jordanian authorities detained Rey, identified as Saif al-Din Khader, this week, with two sources saying he was taken into custody on Tuesday.
Frontline Education breach exposes school district employee data
Frontline Education is notifying school districts of a data breach after attackers exploited a vulnerability in third-party software to gain unauthorized access to its systems and steal employee information, including Social Security numbers. Frontline Education is an edtech company that provides administration and workforce management software and services used by school districts.
Fortinet warns of critical FortiMail flaw exploited in zero-day attacks
Fortinet is warning customers of a critical FortiMail vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-104286, that is being actively exploited in zero-day attacks to execute unauthorized code or commands on vulnerable devices. The vulnerability is rated critical, with a CVSS score of 9.8, and affects the FortiMail management interface.
Microsoft says threat actors are ahead in the early AI race
Microsoft says cyberattackers are currently benefiting from artificial intelligence faster than defenders, allowing threat actors to speed up vulnerability discovery, malware development, and post-compromise activity while security teams struggle to keep pace. This comes from Microsoft's 2026 Digital Defense Report, which strongly focuses on how artificial intelligence is changing both offensive and defensive cybersecurity operations.
Police dismantle KillSec ransomware gang allegedly led by 16-year-old
An international law enforcement operation dubbed “Operation KillSwitch” seized the KillSec ransomware gang’s data leak site and servers, led to three arrests, and identified a 16-year-old as the group’s alleged administrator. The coordinated law enforcement action was carried out on September 30, involving authorities from Belgium, the United States, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
FBI tells ShinyHunters members to turn themselves in after recent arrest
The FBI is warning members of the ShinyHunters extortion group to turn themselves in after Dutch police arrested a man the bureau described as one of the group's alleged leaders. "Today, our partners at the Dutch National Police announced the arrest of one of the alleged leaders of ShinyHunters, a group linked to cyberattacks in the United States, the Netherlands, and around the world," FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman said in a video released Tuesday.
Hackers exploit Citrix NetScaler zero-day to deploy web shells
Cybersecurity firms say attackers exploited the Citrix NetScaler CVE-2026-88772 zero-day to deploy custom web shells and tunneling malware, gain root access, steal credentials, and spread into internal networks. Mandiant says the attacks began in at least early September and are believed to have impacted organizations in North America and Europe across the government, financial services, education, legal, and professional services sectors.
Dutch police confirm arrest in ShinyHunters hacking investigation
Dutch police have confirmed that a 24-year-old Amsterdam man arrested earlier this month was detained as part of an investigation into the ShinyHunters hacking group. "It is true that this month a 24-year-old man from Amsterdam was arrested in an investigation into the hacker group ShinyHunters," the Politie Landelijke Opsporing en Interventies said Monday.
Citrix admins warned to shut down NetScalers over 2 exploited zero-days
Two unpatched Citrix NetScaler zero-day vulnerabilities are reportedly being exploited in attacks, with cybersecurity agencies, security researchers, and IT providers privately warning organizations about the flaws ahead of patches expected next week. The first signs of the incident appeared when Citrix administrators began reporting on Reddit that IT suppliers and security teams were privately contacting their organizations and advising them to shut down their NetScaler appliances.
ShinyHunters uses WAF bypass trick in Oracle PeopleSoft attacks
The ShinyHunters extortion gang is using a URL-encoding trick to bypass web application firewall rules that mitigate the Oracle PeopleSoft CVE-2026-35273 flaw, allowing the threat actors to resume widespread exploitation of a flaw on vulnerable servers.
Microsoft pauses KB5002907 update after Office license deactivations
Microsoft has paused the rollout of the KB5002907 Microsoft 365 update after users report that it deactivated, or in some cases completely removed, perpetual Office 2016 and Office 2019 installations. KB5002907, titled "Optional update for out-of-date Microsoft 365 Apps installations," was released to help users update Microsoft 365 Apps installations that are more than 90 days out of date.
Kiteworks urges 6-hour server shutdown over potential zero-day attacks
Secure file-sharing software company Kiteworks is urging customers worldwide to temporarily shut down their servers on Saturday for a six-hour window after receiving threat intelligence warning of a potentially imminent cyberattack.
ShinyHunters hacked Clop leak site using Grav CMS path traversal flaw
The Clop ransomware gang has moved its data leak site to a new Tor address after confirming its previous server was compromised and defaced through an unpatched Grav CMS flaw that BleepingComputer has learned is an unauthenticated path traversal vulnerability.
Placeholder domain used in dev docs now serves ClickFix attacks
The "third-party.com" domain, commonly used as a placeholder in developer documentation and code examples, is serving a fake Cloudflare verification page that attempts to trick Windows users into executing PowerShell commands. The domain third-party.com has long been used in documentation to represent an arbitrary external website, API, or service, similar to how developers use domains such as example.com.
InfraTrust report warns network management systems under attack
Attackers are increasingly targeting the management systems used to control enterprise infrastructure, with several critical vulnerabilities actively exploited before or shortly after vendors disclosed them. This was reported in the September edition of Eclypsium's InfraTrust Pulse, a monthly report tracking security advisories affecting network devices, servers, firmware, chips, and other infrastructure.
Rogue external MFA providers can steal passwords during logins
Security researchers developed an attack that lets hackers with privileged access register a rogue external MFA provider that steals users' passwords during legitimate login attempts. The technique, dubbed TrustSink by Varonis Threat Labs, can work with any provider that relies on this external authentication model, though the researchers demonstrated the attack using Microsoft Entra.
ShinyHunters claims FBI hack, data theft in PeopleSoft zero-day breach
The ShinyHunters extortion gang claims it breached FBI systems using a new Oracle PeopleSoft zero-day vulnerability, gaining access to internal services and stealing sensitive data on employees and job applicants. The threat actors told BleepingComputer the vulnerability allows remote code execution and that they used it Monday night to access FBI systems before moving laterally into FBI-managed AWS GovCloud infrastructure.
ShinyHunters hacks Clop leak site, threatens to extort ransomware gang
The ShinyHunters extortion gang breached the Clop (aka Cl0p) ransomware operation's data leak site, defacing the Tor site and allegedly stealing server data and the private keys for its onion service. The attack began Friday night when ShinyHunters exploited what they claim is an unauthenticated file upload vulnerability in Grav CMS, which they used to upload a small text file to Clop's site.
Windows 11 KB5124008 update breaks domain trust for some users
Microsoft is investigating reports that the Windows 11 KB5124008 security update is breaking domain trust relationships on some enterprise systems, preventing users from logging in with valid domain credentials. Administrators report on Reddit and Microsoft's Q&A forums that affected computers lose their secure channel with Active Directory after the Windows 11 update is installed and devices reboot.
Microsoft releases emergency Windows updates to fix RDS failures
Microsoft has released emergency out-of-band Windows updates to fix Remote Desktop Services failures caused by this month's security updates, along with Hyper-V and USB audio problems on some Windows versions. The September 2026 security updates caused Remote Desktop Services (RDS) to become unstable on affected systems, leading to RDP connection and sign-in failures and, in some cases, unresponsive servers.
Hackers hijack HBO Max Reddit account to push malware in ClickFix ads
Hackers compromised HBO Max's official Reddit account and used it to push malicious ads that launched ClickFix attacks to infect Windows and macOS devices with information-stealing malware. Security researchers at Hudson Rock and ADAMnetworks analyzed the campaign and say the verified u/hbomax Reddit account was hijacked and used to launch 108 malicious advertisements over about 48 hours.
Florida confirms DMV database breached via stolen police account
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has confirmed that its DAVID driver database suffered a data breach after the ShinyHunters extortion gang claimed to have compromised the system. The disclosure comes after the ShinyHunters extortion group claimed it breached the DAVID database and stole more than 200,000 driver records.
Passkey-themed phishing attacks lead to Microsoft 365 data theft
Microsoft says threat actors linked to ShinyHunters, Helix, and other extortion gangs are using passkey and single sign-on-themed social engineering attacks to compromise corporate Microsoft accounts and steal data from Microsoft 365 services. The activity has been observed since May 2026 and begins with the attackers researching targeted organizations and employees before calling or messaging victims while impersonating corporate IT help desks.
September Windows Server updates break Remote Desktop Services
Windows admins report that the September 2026 cumulative updates are causing Remote Desktop Services (RDS) failures on Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025 systems, preventing users from connecting and, in some cases, requiring a hard reset to restore functionality.
Microsoft Excel KB5002914 update breaks copy and paste for some users
Microsoft Excel users report that this week's KB5002914 Office security update is breaking copy-and-paste operations and formula dragging, with affected users saying that removing or rolling back the update restores normal functionality. Microsoft released the security update this week as part of its September 2026 Patch Tuesday, and reports of the problem soon appeared on both Reddit and the Microsoft Q&A forums.
Cisco FMC flaws exploited by ransomware gang, state-sponsored hackers
Cisco Talos says two recently patched Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) vulnerabilities have been exploited by three separate threat clusters linked to ransomware and state-sponsored attacks. The attacks exploited CVE-2026-20079, a maximum-severity authentication bypass flaw, and CVE-2026-20316, a static credential vulnerability that allows attackers to log in using a low-privileged account.
IDScan confirms breach tied to 153 million stolen driver’s licenses
Identity verification company IDScan has confirmed that hackers accessed customer data stored in its cloud platform, days after reports linked the company to a massive database containing more than 153 million driver's license scans. IDScan disclosed the incident in a September 4 security notice, saying it learned on or around September 1 that certain data may have been accessed without authorization.
Cisco confirms CVE-2026-20079 Secure FMC flaw exploited in attacks
Cisco has confirmed that a maximum-severity authentication bypass vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-20079 in its Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) software is being actively exploited in attacks. The vulnerability has a maximum CVSS score of 10.0 and allows unauthenticated, remote attackers to bypass authentication and execute scripts and commands as root on vulnerable devices.
ShinyHunters hackers claim breach of Florida "DAVID" DMV database
September 8, 2026 By Lawrence Abrams The ShinyHunters extortion gang claims it breached an online platform for the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles database known as "DAVID" and stole over 200,000 records about drivers in the state. As proof of the breach, the threat actor has released a screenshot of Jeffrey Epstein's DMV record, including his address and registered vehicles.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 KB5122878 extended security update
Microsoft has released the Windows 10 KB5122878 extended security update, which includes this month's record-breaking September 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes, along with a few bug fixes.
Microsoft September 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 966 flaws, 2 zero-days
Today is Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday, with security updates released for a record-breaking 966 flaws, including two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities. This Patch Tuesday addresses 105 "Critical" vulnerabilities, 81 of which are remote code execution, 20 are elevation of privileges, 2 are information disclosure, and 1 security feature bypass.
ShinyHunters hackers claim breach of Florida "DAVID" DMV database
The ShinyHunters extortion gang claims it breached an online platform for the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles database known as "DAVID" and stole over 200,000 records about drivers in the state. As proof of the breach, the threat actor has released a screenshot of Jeffrey Epstein's DMV record, including his address and registered vehicles.
McKesson discloses breach after ShinyHunters claims patient data theft
Healthcare and pharmaceutical distribution giant McKesson has disclosed a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to third-party applications and data theft, with the ShinyHunters extortion group claiming it stole 284 million patient data records. McKesson is a major U.S. healthcare company and pharmaceutical distributor that provides medicines, medical supplies, technology, and services to healthcare providers and pharmacies.
PaperCut releases second emergency patch for exploited flaws
PaperCut has released a second emergency security update for two actively exploited vulnerabilities in its PaperCut NG and MF print management software after researchers discovered multiple ways to bypass the initial fixes. As BleepingComputer reported yesterday, PaperCut warned that hackers were exploiting a vulnerability in zero-day attacks against customer servers and released an initial emergency patch for PaperCut NG/MF versions 25 and 26.
PaperCut warns of NG, MF flaw exploited in zero-day attacks
PaperCut is warning that hackers are actively exploiting a vulnerability in all versions of its PaperCut NG and PaperCut MF print management software in zero-day attacks. The company says it is aware of confirmed attacks on customers and is urging organizations with Internet-exposed PaperCut Application Servers to immediately restrict access to the web interfaces to trusted IP addresses.
Meta agrees to $18 billion settlement over teen social media harms
Meta has reached a proposed settlement worth up to approximately $18 billion with a bipartisan coalition of 52 attorneys generals over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were deliberately designed to encourage compulsive use by children and teenagers. The settlement, which is awaiting court approval, resolves a lawsuit filed in 2023 by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general.
Hackers abuse npm mirrors to host phishing redirect pages
Threat actors are abusing npm and its mirrors to host malicious HTML pages that impersonate Cloudflare CAPTCHAs to redirect visitors to attacker-controlled websites. The technique was previously spotted in July by security researcher inf0stache, who found a 'china_airlines' npm package that used a fake Cloudflare verification page to redirect visitors to a malicious domain, and was also reported by IntelFusions.
Rogue ransomware affiliate poses as data recovery firm to steal payments
A suspected ransomware affiliate is posing as a ransomware recovery service called "Ransom Busters," contacting victims before the attacks become public and claiming it can provide decryption keys and delete stolen data for a fee. GuidePoint Security's Research and Intelligence Team (GRIT) disclosed this activity after responding to several recent ransomware attacks in which victims received emails from Ransom Busters offering to help recover from the attack.
US warns of AI-powered attacks on Siemens PLCs in critical infrastructure
U.S. cybersecurity agencies warn that threat actors are using AI-generated scripts to exploit Siemens S7 Series programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in U.S. critical infrastructure. PLCs are industrial computers used to automate and control machinery and physical processes in factories and other critical infrastructure. The NSA, CISA, FBI, Department of Energy, and Environmental Protection Agency issued the joint advisory Wednesday, saying the attacks are ongoing.
Comcast turns your Xfinity WiFi into a home motion detector
Comcast is promoting WiFi-based motion detection as a part of its new Xfinity Shield home protection platform, allowing routers and wireless devices to detect people moving through a home without cameras or motion sensors. This feature was announced as part of a new Xfinity Shield product offering on Tuesday, a new application suite that combines cybersecurity, physical home monitoring, and family safety features through Xfinity WiFi and the Xfinity app.
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