A new study shows that verse-based prompts can slash the effectiveness of AI safety constraints. We’re breaking down an experiment involving 25 language models and its key takeaways.
Pwn2Own participants disclosed a total of 76 vulnerabilities during the three-day event. The post Infotainment, EV Charger Exploits Earn Hackers $1M at Pwn2Own Automotive 2026 appeared first on SecurityWeek .
The Contagious Interview campaign, attributed to North Korea, continues to target software developers through fake recruitment schemes. A new technique in their arsenal leverages Microsoft Visual Studio Code task files to execute malicious code when a project is opened. The report documents observations of this vector, presents GitHub-based discovery methods, highlights findings including a new malicious NPM package, and outlines detection opportunities. The campaign exploits VS Code's Task feature, using the runOptions property to automatically execute malicious shell commands when a workspace is opened. Various obfuscation techniques are employed, including hiding commands with whitespace and masquerading payloads as image or font files.
This intelligence report emphasizes the importance of understanding one's own network environment and not ignoring reconnaissance events in cybersecurity. It highlights the increasing sophistication of bad actors in reconnaissance, both in network scanning and social engineering, aided by AI tools. The report warns against dismissing reconnaissance alerts in favor of focusing solely on attack signals, stressing that initial access brokers excel at understanding target environments. Recent vulnerability discoveries in various software applications are mentioned, along with key security headlines including phishing campaigns, ransomware attacks, and nation-state hacking activities. The report also provides information on prevalent malware files and upcoming security events.
A North Korea-linked threat actor known as KONNI has been observed conducting a phishing campaign targeting software developers and engineering teams, particularly those with blockchain expertise. The campaign uses AI-generated PowerShell backdoors and targets a broader range of countries in the APAC region. The infection chain begins with a Discord-hosted link downloading a ZIP archive containing a PDF lure and a malicious LNK file. The LNK file deploys additional components, including the AI-generated PowerShell backdoor. The backdoor employs various anti-analysis techniques and establishes persistence through scheduled tasks. This campaign demonstrates KONNI's evolution in tactics and tooling, including the adoption of AI-assisted malware development.
A team of researchers from the Graz University of Technology in Austria has revived page Linux page cache attacks. The post Old Attack, New Speed: Researchers Optimize Page Cache Exploits appeared first on SecurityWeek .
KONNI, a North Korean-linked threat actor active since at least 2014, has evolved its tactics by adopting AI to generate sophisticated PowerShell backdoors. This ongoing phishing campaign targets organizations primarily in South Korea but could potentially impact European entities involved in diplomacy, international relations, NGOs, academia, and government sectors. The AI-generated backdoors increase the complexity and variability of malware, making detection and mitigation more challenging. Although no known exploits in the wild have been reported yet, the medium severity rating reflects the potential risk posed by this advanced malware. European organizations with strategic ties to South Korea or those in sensitive sectors should be vigilant. Mitigation requires enhanced email filtering, behavioral monitoring of PowerShell usage, and threat intelligence sharing. Countries with significant diplomatic, academic, or NGO presence related to Korean affairs, such as Germany, France, and the UK, are more likely to be targeted. The threat is medium severity due to the moderate impact on confidentiality and integrity, the complexity of exploitation, and the lack of requirement for user interaction beyond phishing. Defenders should focus on AI-driven malware detection capabilities and proactive phishing defense measures.
This comprehensive analysis covers cyber threats and security issues in the financial industry, both in Korea and globally. It examines malware and phishing cases, lists top malware strains, and provides statistics on leaked Korean accounts. Key issues on the deep and dark web are highlighted, including a major database leak from Indonesia's largest bank, exposing sensitive financial data of approximately 3 million customers. A ransomware attack on a leading African financial services company by INC Ransom group is also detailed, with 100GB of data reportedly stolen. The report emphasizes the potential for widespread damage and chain attacks, urging proactive measures among financial institutions and related companies.
The title of this diary is perhaps a bit catchy but the question is important. I don't consider myself as a good developer. That's not my day job and I'm writing code to improve my daily tasks. I like to say “I'm writing sh*ty code! It works for me, no warranty that it will for for you”. Today, most of my code (the skeleton of the program) is generated by AI, probably like most of you.
A comprehensive analysis of a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA) identified as HEURRemoteAdmin.GoToResolve.gen reveals its association with the GoTo Resolve Unattended Access application. While digitally signed by GoTo Technologies USA, LLC, the sample exhibits behaviors typical of PUAs, including silent installation, background thread execution, and persistent presence on the system. The application's use of the Restart Manager library, often seen in ransomware and wiper malware, raises concerns. Although no direct malicious payload was observed, the remote access capabilities present a significant security risk, potentially allowing unauthorized system control or deployment of secondary malware. The sample's detection by UltraAV further supports its classification as a security threat, warranting removal unless explicitly authorized and managed within organizational security policies.
PurpleBravo, a North Korean state-sponsored threat group, targets software developers through fake recruitment efforts, particularly in cryptocurrency and software development sectors. Their toolkit includes BeaverTail, PyLangGhost, and GolangGhost, designed for stealing browser credentials and cryptocurrency information. The group has affected 3,136 IP addresses, mainly in South Asia and North America, compromising 20 organizations across various industries. PurpleBravo's tactics include using fictitious personas, malicious GitHub repositories, and sophisticated malware to infiltrate IT services companies, posing a significant supply-chain risk. The group shows overlap with PurpleDelta, another North Korean threat actor, sharing infrastructure and operational patterns. PurpleBravo's focus on the IT sector in South Asia presents an overlooked threat to organizations outsourcing IT services.
MacSync is a sophisticated macOS infostealer that targets cryptocurrency users. It is delivered through a phishing lure disguised as a cloud storage installer, tricking users into executing a malicious Terminal command. The malware employs a multi-stage infection process, using a script-based approach to harvest browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallet data, and sensitive files. A key feature of MacSync is its ability to trojanize popular Electron-based cryptocurrency applications like Ledger and Trezor, enabling long-term phishing and data exfiltration. The malware's infrastructure includes multiple rotating C2 domains and clone sites, indicating an ongoing and evolving campaign. MacSync's focus on cryptocurrency-related data and its stealthy, script-based execution make it particularly dangerous for macOS users in the crypto community.
Threat actors may have wanted to take advantage of the holiday weekend in the United States to increase their chances of success. The post LastPass Users Targeted With Backup-Themed Phishing Emails appeared first on SecurityWeek .
The hackers trick victims into accessing GitHub or GitLab repositories that are opened using Visual Studio Code. The post North Korean Hackers Target macOS Developers via Malicious VS Code Projects appeared first on SecurityWeek .
North Korean threat actors have evolved their techniques in the Contagious Interview campaign, now abusing Microsoft Visual Studio Code task configuration files. The infection chain begins when a victim opens a malicious Git repository, often disguised as part of a recruitment process. If trust is granted, arbitrary commands are executed on the system. The malware uses JavaScript payloads hosted on vercel.app to implement backdoor logic, including remote code execution, system fingerprinting, and persistent command-and-control communication. The backdoor collects host information and beacons to a C2 server every five seconds. Recent observations show further execution of similar payloads, indicating ongoing development of these tactics.
By integrating identity threat detection with MFA, organizations can protect sensitive data, maintain operational continuity, and reduce risk exposure. The post Why Identity Security Must Move Beyond MFA appeared first on SecurityWeek .
API cybersecurity will be a ping pong ball, battered between the rackets of AI-assisted attackers and AI-assisted defenders. The post Cyber Insights 2026: API Security – Harder to Secure, Impossible to Ignore appeared first on SecurityWeek .
LockBit, originating as ABCD ransomware in 2019, has evolved to version 5.0 in September 2025. After a period of inactivity, it resumed operations in December 2025 with a reduced affiliate sign-up fee. LockBit 5.0, nicknamed ChoungDong, consists of a Loader and Ransomware component. The Loader decrypts and executes the payload in memory, while the Ransomware uses ChaCha20 and Curve25519 for encryption. This update significantly enhances evasion techniques and attack efficiency, introducing features like Mutex, Execution Delay, and Wiper. The group's history includes affiliation with the Maze cartel, independent operations, and continuous upgrades. Mitigation strategies involve monitoring process behavior, applying security patches, and preparing for swift responses using provided IoCs and MITRE ATT&CK techniques.
Visual Studio Code is a popular open-source code editor[1]. But it's much more than a simple editor, it's a complete development platform that supports many languages and it is available on multiple platforms. Used by developers worldwide, it's a juicy target for threat actors because it can be extended with extensions.
