Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Broken vdaemon Peering Authentication Enables Unauthenticated Admin AccessA maximum-severity vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller is being actively exploited, giving attackers administrative privileges without authentication. The authentication bypass vulnerability stems from a broken peering authentication mechanism.

Telnet Flaw Allows Unauthenticated Users to Gain Root AccessHackers are on the hunt for open telnet ports in servers after discovering that a version of legacy client-server application protocol is vulnerable to an authentication bypass vulnerability. More than 800,000 servers could be actively targeted in the wild.

AI Actions Bypass Security ToolsArtificial intelligence-powered browsers could expose enterprises to data theft, malware distribution and unauthorized access to corporate apps, new research shows. AI browsers built to complete tasks autonomously lack the security awareness to verify whether an instruction is safe.

Citrix Issues Patches to Counter Active Attacks Against Two Critical VulnerabilitiesAdministrators of Citrix Netscaler devices are being urged to immediately patch their devices to fix two actively exploited vulnerabilities. One, dubbed Citrix Bleed 2, can be abused by hackers to bypass multifactor authentication, hijack user sessions and gain unauthorized access to the equipment.

Hackers Use Stolen Certificates to Bypass Endpoint Detection and ResponseA Russian-speaking ransomware group has been deploying a malicious Windows PE driver that imitates a legitimate CrowdStrike Falcon driver to bypass endpoint security, warn researchers. The driver disables endpoint detection and response software by stripping process protections.

Surge in Attack Attempts Spotted After Palo Alto Networks Details and Patches FlawAttackers have stepped up efforts to exploit a vulnerability in the software that runs Palo Alto Networks firewall appliances that could give them direct access to the underlying software. Unauthenticated hackers could use PHP scripts to bypass the PAN-OS management web interface.

Espionage and Cybercrime Campaign Tied to 7-Zip Mark-of-the-Web Bypass HitsRussian hackers targeting Ukrainian government agencies and businesses - including a major automotive manufacturer - have been targeting a zero-day vulnerability in the open source and widely used 7-Zip archive utility, to infect systems with credential-stealing SmokeLoader malware.

Google Says Iranian and Chinese Threat Group the Most ActiveIranian and Chinese threat actors are using Google's artificial intelligence application Gemini for vulnerability scanning and reconnaissance activities, with some attempting to bypass security guardrails of the application, the computing giant disclosed.

Attackers Can Employ a Vulnerable Driver to Target Most Windows and Linux SystemsResearchers are warning Microsoft Windows as well as many Linux distribution users to install updates that revoke permissions for a vulnerable driver that attackers can use to target most systems, allowing them to bypass UEFI Secure Boot and install a bootkit to take full control of a system.

Microsoft Uncovered Flaw That Affects macOS System Integrity Protection FeatureApple patched a vulnerability that allows hackers to bypass a key security feature in macOS by through third-party kernel extensions. Microsoft researchers uncovered the flaw tracked as CVE-2024-44243. The flaw could enable hackers to install rootkits and create malware with privileged access.

Embedded Device Operating Sytem Had Flaw Allowing Hacers to Bypass Integrity CheckA critical flaw in the updating service of a popular Linux operating system for embedded devices could enable hackers to compromise firmware with malicious images. OpenWrt developers patched the vulnerability, with a CVSS core of 9.3 and tracked as CVE-2024-54143.

Critical Authentication Flaw Impacts Both Free and Pro UsersA widely deployed five-in-one security plug-in for WordPress websites contained a flaw that hackers could automate into a large-scale takeover campaign. The critical authentication bypass vulnerability takes advantage of a now-patched flaw in the Really Simple Security plug-in.

Critical Authentication Flaw Impacts Both Free and Pro UsersA widely deployed five-in-one security plugin for WordPress websites contained a flaw that hackers could automate into a large-scale takeover campaign. The critical authentication bypass vulnerability takes advantage of a now-patched flaw in the Really Simple Security plugin.

Attackers Chain Three Security Flaws with Patched Admin Bypass VulnerabilityInternet appliance maker Ivanti warned customers Tuesday that attackers are actively exploiting new vulnerabilities in Cloud Services Appliance instances by chaining three security flaws with a zero-day patched in September. The company advised customers to update to version 5.0.

Vulnerability Can Allow Authentication Bypass; No Evidence of Exploitation YetJuniper Networks released an out-of-band fix for a maximum-severity vulnerability that can allow hackers to bypass authentication in three Juniper products. The CVSS 10-rated bug could allow an attacker to take full control of a compromised system.

Progress Software: 'Newly Disclosed Third-Party Vulnerability Introduces New Risk'Hackers jumped on a new flaw in Progress Software's MOVEit managed file transfer application just hours after maker Progress Software publicly disclosed the critical flaw, which allowsattackers to bypass authentication. Customers of the Massachusetts company are no strangers to emergency patching.

Vulnerabilities Could Lead to Unauthorized Data Access and ManipulationHalf a dozen vulnerabilities in a moderately priced Netgear router could allow attackers to bypass authentication, putting home users and small businesses at risk. The flaws could cause unauthorized access, network manipulation and exposure of sensitive data.

Bugs Allowed Device Unlocking and Memory AccessGoogle addressed two zero-day vulnerabilities in Pixel mobile phones that forensic firms exploited to bypass PINs and access stored data on the device. The bugs allowed attackers to unlock and access Pixel's device memory with physical access.

Users Advised to Prioritize Patching for Publicly Known Flaws, ExploitTwo critical vulnerabilities affecting all on-premises versions of TeamCity servers can result in authentication bypass and path traversal, enabling an attacker to gain administrative privileges for a server and take it over. Users should prioritize patching now that the exploit is public.

'/..;/' Strikes AgainA security vulnerability in Fortra's GoAnywhere managed file transfer software can allow unauthorized users to create a new admin user. The vulnerability is a remotely exploitable authentication bypass flaw. Hackers have targeted file transfer software over the past year, including GoAnywhere MFT.