Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

CEO Nikesh Arora Says Agentic Workloads Generate Traffic Requiring InspectionPalo Alto Networks said surging AI infrastructure investment and growing enterprise demand for AI governance are expanding cybersecurity spending, while false positives from advanced AI vulnerability tools underscore the continued need for human oversight.

Vendor Details Mitigations, Promises Patched PAN-OS Software in Coming WeeksPalo Alto Networks warned that a critical vulnerability in the PAN-OS software that runs its firewalls is being actively exploited in the wild by attackers. The vendor detailed temporary mitigations and promised to release updated software to fully patch the flaw later this month.

AWS Researchers Find an Interlock Server Laden With ToolsRansomware hackers exploited a flaw with a maximum vulnerability score in Cisco firewall management software weeks before the networking giant disclosed the vulnerability in early March. The group has focused extensively on critical infrastructure sectors in North America and Europe.

Juniper Tells Customers to Tune Their FirewallA critical vulnerability in Juniper Networks' primary operating system could give threat actors root level privileges to execute code on Juniper’s PTX Series routers. Successful exploitation would give attackers full command and control over devices without the need for authentication.

Scans Count 117,000 Unpatched Firewalls Running Vulnerable Version of Fireware OSAttackers are actively attempting to exploit a now patched, zero-day vulnerability in WatchGuard Firebox firewalls, tracked as CVE-2025-14733, that can be used to remotely execute code. Scans show that over 115,000 of these edge devices remain internet-connected, unpatched and at risk.

CISA Issues Emergency Directive After Cisco Exploits Persist After RebootCISA issued an emergency directive Thursday after discovering an advanced hacking campaign exploiting two persistent zero-days in Cisco firewall gear - malware that survives system reboots and upgrades - forcing agencies to disconnect vulnerable devices by Friday.

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Centers Connected to RADIUS Left VulnerableNetworking equipment giant Cisco warned firewall customers to patch after discovering a maximum-severity vulnerability that could allow unauthenticated hackers to commandeer the server. The flaw rates a maximum score of 10 on the CVSS system.

Akira Ransomware Exploited MFA-Protected SonicWall SSL VPNs, Say ResearchersSonicWall said it is probing a surge in attacks against its Gen 7 firewalls, running various firmware versions, which have SSL VPN enabled. Researchers said attackers may have been exploiting a zero-day vulnerability and that multiple victims have been infected with Akira ransomware.

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.

Also: Google Fixes YouTube Vulnerabilities That Could Have Exposed User EmailsThis week: Microsoft, Ivanti and Google release fixes for critical vulnerabilities and urge priority patching; Lee Enterprises confirms a cyberattack disrupted newspaper operations; and thousands of KerioControl Firewalls exposed to critical remote code execution flaws.

Actively Targeted Zero Day Patched; Warning Issued After Device Configurations LeakFortinet has released patches to fix a zero-day vulnerability being actively exploited by attackers. Separately, researchers are warning customers to review their infrastructure after attackers leaked configuration details - including firewall rules and plaintext VPN passwords - for 15,000 devices.

Data Protection, Firewall Stocks Surge as Vulnerability Management Stocks StruggleFortunes diverged for publicly-traded cybersecurity companies in 2024, as the technology category they played in and market share they held largely determined their fate. Investors last year looked favorably upon companies in the data protection space, with Commvault and Rubrik recording big gains.

Hackers Targeted a PAN-OS Flaw Days After Its DisclosureA suspected Chinese hacking campaign that began in November is exploiting a vulnerability in Palo Alto firewalls to install a custom malware backdoor for espionage. UNC5325 activity aligns with the Chinese hacking strategy of targeting edge devices.

Unauthenticated Attackers Using Malicious Packet to Crash Devices' PAN-OS SoftwareSecurity giant Palo Alto Networks is pushing updates to fix a denial-of-service vulnerability in its PAN-OS device software that unauthenticated, remote attackers have been actively exploiting. The flaw can be triggered by sending firewalls "a malicious packet," which will crash the devices.

Many SonicWall Firewalls Are Unsupported or Lack Patches for Known VulnerabilitiesThousands of SonicWall network security devices remain exposed with critical security flaws, including 20,000 running outdated firmware that no longer receives vendor support. Despite patches available for some of these flaws, many organizations continue to run the outdated firmware.

No Patch Yet; Management Interface Lockdown Blunts Attacks, Networking Giant SaysAttackers are exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in some types of Palo Alto Networks firewalls, the cybersecurity giant warned. While details of the flaw remain scant - no patch is available - the vendor urged customers to ensure their firewall management interfaces are not internet-exposed.

Company Released a Hotfix to the Command Injection VulnerabilityFirewall appliance manufacturer Palo Alto Networks rushed out a hotfix Friday to a command injection vulnerability present in its custom operating system after security researchers spotted a campaign to exploit the zero-day starting in March, likely from a state-backed threat actor.