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Background for this topic.
An exploit is code, data, or a sequence of actions that uses a software, hardware, or configuration vulnerability to produce unintended behavior. Depending on the flaw and the attacker’s access, it may enable unauthorized code execution, privilege escalation, information disclosure, or denial of service. Exploitation can occur remotely through exposed services, web applications, or client software, or locally after an attacker gains limited access.
Exploitation matters because a vulnerability becomes an active attack path when the required conditions are reachable and exploitable. Defenders should inventory affected assets, prioritize remediation when exploitation is known or credible, apply patches or vendor mitigations, and reduce exposure through access controls, segmentation, and secure configuration. Monitoring for exploit-specific indicators—such as abnormal requests, unexpected processes, or privilege changes—supports detection; systems suspected of successful exploitation require containment and investigation for follow-on access.
In a campaign targeting Mongolian government websites, Russian-backed APT29 leveraged exploits previously used by spyware vendors NSO Group and Intellexa
ESET uncovers a South Korean cyber-espionage campaign featuring a zero-day exploit for WPS Office
The Chinese cyber espionage group was observed jailbreaking a Cisco switch appliance using a zero-day exploit