The report from Check Point Research dated 23rd February 2026 provides a comprehensive overview of recent cyber threats and vulnerabilities impacting diverse sectors globally. A major data breach disclosed by France’s Ministry of Economy involved unauthorized access to the FICOBA national bank account registry, exposing sensitive personal and financial data of approximately 1.2 million accounts. The breach stemmed from compromised government credentials, underscoring risks in credential management and insider threat vectors. Japanese tech giant Advantest suffered a ransomware attack with partial network encryption, while the University of Mississippi Medical Center faced a ransomware incident causing operational disruption and forced manual workflows. Ukraine’s National Bank experienced a supply chain compromise through a contractor managing its collectible coin store, leaking customer registration data but not payment info. The report highlights a critical zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-22769) in Dell RecoverPoint for VMs, exploited since mid-2024 by suspected Chinese group UNC6201, enabling unauthenticated root access via hardcoded Tomcat credentials and deployment of sophisticated backdoors (SLAYSTYLE, BRICKSTORM, GRIMBOLT). This vulnerability allows attackers to create ghost NICs for lateral movement and persistence in VMware environments. Another critical vulnerability (CVE-2026-2329) affects Grandstream GXP1600 VoIP phones, enabling unauthenticated root remote code execution through a stack-based buffer overflow in the web API, facilitating credential theft, SIP proxy manipulation, and call interception. Microsoft 365 Copilot contains a flaw allowing AI-generated summaries to bypass confidentiality sensitivity labels and DLP policies, exposing protected email content. Google Chrome’s zero-day use-after-free vulnerability (CVE-2026-2441) enables remote code execution via crafted web pages. The report also reveals novel AI-assisted attack techniques abusing AI assistants as covert command and control proxies, mass credential abuse campaigns targeting FortiGate devices using generative AI, and a Shai-Hulud-like npm supply chain worm stealing developer secrets and propagating via poisoned workflows. Additional threats include Android firmware backdoors, MaaS infostealers targeting browsers and crypto wallets, and sophisticated phishing campaigns exploiting trusted domains and automation tools. Protection is available via Check Point IPS and Threat Emulation for several vulnerabilities.

The impact of these threats is extensive and multifaceted. The FICOBA data breach compromises the confidentiality of millions of French citizens’ financial and personal data, potentially enabling identity theft, fraud, and targeted attacks. Ransomware incidents at Advantest and the University of Mississippi Medical Center disrupt critical business and healthcare operations, risking patient safety and causing financial losses. The supply chain compromise affecting Ukraine’s central bank contractor exposes customer data and highlights risks in third-party dependencies. The Dell RecoverPoint zero-day exploitation threatens VMware environments globally, enabling attackers to gain persistent, unauthenticated root access, deploy advanced malware, and move laterally, jeopardizing data integrity and availability in critical infrastructure and enterprise environments. The Grandstream VoIP phone vulnerability allows attackers to intercept calls and manipulate communications, impacting confidentiality and operational integrity in organizations relying on these devices. The Microsoft 365 Copilot flaw risks exposure of sensitive corporate communications despite DLP policies, undermining data protection efforts. The Google Chrome zero-day enables remote code execution in browsers, threatening endpoint security. AI-assisted attack techniques and supply chain worms increase the sophistication and stealth of attacks, complicating detection and response. Phishing campaigns exploiting trusted domains and automation tools increase the likelihood of successful social engineering attacks against government and corporate targets. Collectively, these threats can lead to data breaches, operational disruptions, financial losses, reputational damage, and erosion of trust in digital services.

Organizations should implement targeted mitigations beyond generic advice. For the FICOBA breach, enforce strict credential management, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) for government and critical system access, and conduct thorough audits of privileged accounts. For ransomware threats, deploy network segmentation to limit lateral movement, maintain offline backups, and apply behavioral detection tools to identify early ransomware activity. Address supply chain risks by vetting contractors rigorously, monitoring third-party access, and employing software bill of materials (SBOM) practices. For Dell RecoverPoint environments, immediately upgrade to version 6.0.3.1 or later, remove hardcoded credentials, and deploy intrusion prevention systems (IPS) with signatures for SLAYSTYLE, BRICKSTORM, and GRIMBOLT malware. Patch Grandstream GXP1600 phones to firmware 1.0.7.81 and restrict administrative access to VoIP devices. For Microsoft 365 Copilot, apply vendor patches when available and review AI feature configurations to limit exposure of sensitive data. Update Google Chrome to version 145.0.7632.75 or later. Monitor AI assistant traffic for anomalous patterns indicative of covert C2 channels and restrict AI web browsing features where possible. Employ supply chain security best practices including scanning for typosquatted packages and monitoring CI/CD workflows for unauthorized changes. Enhance phishing defenses by validating sender domains, employing DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, and training users on sophisticated social engineering tactics. Utilize advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting novel malware behaviors and AI-assisted attacks.