News – May 2026


  • Another major Linux security issue uncovered – new Fragnesia flaw allows attackers to run malicious code as root

    May 14, 2026

    Security researchers have discovered a new vulnerability in the Linux kernel which could allow malicious actors to run code with elevated privileges, exposing systems to risk of data theft, malware deployment, and even full device takeover. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-46300, and was given a severity score of 7.8/10 (high). It’s nicknamed Fragnesia and is ...

  • Over a million WordPress sites hit in plugin flaw — so patch now or face the consequences

    May 14, 2026

    A popular WordPress plugin with roughly a million active installations contained two vulnerabilities that could have allowed malicious actors to exfiltrate sensitive data, such as password hashes and other valuable information. Security researchers at Wordfence said they were tipped off by a researcher Rafie Muhammad about the existence of an Arbitrary File Read and an SQL Injection vulnerability in Avada ...

  • Ransomware hackers claim breach at Foxconn, a major electronics manufacturer for Apple, Google, and Nvidia

    May 13, 2026

    Electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn, which makes devices and components for Apple, Google, Nvidia, and Sony, among other tech giants, confirmed on Monday that it was hit by a cyberattack that may have affected some of its factories. In a statement sent to media outlets, Foxconn said that the cyberattack affected facilities in North America and that ...

  • Patch Tuesday

    May 13, 2026

    Microsoft is publishing 137 vulnerabilities on May 2026 Patch Tuesday. Microsoft is not aware of exploitation in the wild or public disclosure for any of these vulnerabilities. So far this month, Microsoft has provided patches to address 133 browser vulnerabilities, which are not included in the Patch Tuesday count above. Windows Netlogon: critical RCE Anyone responsible for securing ...

  • Vietnam to develop domestic cloud so it can ditch risky overseas operators for government workloads

    May 13, 2026

    Vietnam has decided to develop its own cloud platform, so its government agencies can stop using foreign-owned services. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung last week announced the plan in Decision 808/QD-TTg, which lists 20 strategic technologies Vietnam wants to develop to improve its technological self-reliance and give its government the tools to tackle national challenges. Developing a national ...

  • When IT Support Calls: Dissecting a ModeloRAT Campaign from Teams to Domain Compromise

    May 13, 2026

    Attackers do not need to break into the front door when they can convince employees to open it for them through the tools they already trust. In April 2026, Rapid7 investigated an enterprise intrusion that began with a Microsoft Teams message from a fake “IT Support” account and quickly escalated into a full compromise chain involving ...

  • German Citizen Charged with Laundering Funds Linked to Prominent Darknet Marketplace “Dream Market”

    May 13, 2026

    Owe Martin Andresen, the suspected main administrator of Dream Market, one of the largest illicit darknet marketplaces before its 2019 shutdown, has been indicted for an alleged scheme to launder funds from Dream Market’s administrator accounts. Andresen was arrested last week in Germany on parallel charges brought by the German government. “Andresen allegedly channeled commissions earned ...

  • Stolen Canvas data was “returned” after hacker agreement, Instructure says

    May 12, 2026

    The Instructure/Canvas data breach that has dominated cybersecurity coverage recently has reached a new stage. Millions of students had personal data stolen, with extortion group ShinyHunters claiming credit for the data breach and applying extra pressure for their ransom demands by bothering Canvas users directly. Which seems to have paid off. On the Instructure web page about the recent ...

  • Cache-poisoning caper turns TanStack npm packages toxic

    May 12, 2026

    An attacker has published 84 malicious versions of official TanStack npm packages, with the impact including credential theft, self-propagation, and complete disk wipe of an infected host. The attack is part of a wave of attacks across npm and PyPI, continuing the Mini Shai-Hulud campaign. Supply chain security company Socket reports that other compromised packages include the OpenSearch client, Mistral ...

  • Inside AD CS Escalation: Unpacking Advanced Misuse Techniques and Tools

    May 11, 2026

    Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) is a foundational component of Windows enterprise infrastructure, responsible for managing public key infrastructure (PKI) and issuing certificates that enable authentication and encryption across networks. Despite its critical role in the enterprise identity infrastructure, AD CS is often undermined by insecure default configurations and design complexities, resulting in exploitable ...

  • Yarbo responds to robot flaws that could mow down their owners

    May 11, 2026

    A researcher found that Yarbo yard robots came with a host of vulnerabilities which, among others, allowed an attacker to harvest WiFi passwords. Security researcher Andreas Makris found he could remotely hijack thousands of Yarbo yard robots worldwide, and proved it by having his mower run him over. The root cause was a cluster of “legacy” design choices: ...

  • Vibe Hacking: Two AI-Augmented Campaigns Target Government and Financial Sectors in Latin America

    May 11, 2026

    Threat actors using AI is an unsurprising and even long-predicted developmentopen on a new tab. In a case in point, TrendAI™ Research has identified two emerging threat campaigns that used agentic AI to drive intrusion operations against government entities and financial organizations across several countries in Latin America. Though evidence suggests that the two groups are likely ...

  • Water company’s leaky security earns near-£1M fine

    May 11, 2026

    The UK’s data protection watchdog has fined South Staffordshire Water’s parent company nearly £1 million over security failings exposed by the Cl0p ransomware attack in 2022. Issuing the fine of £963,900 ($1.3 million), the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the attack exposed “significant failures in the company’s approach to data security.” The attack, claimed by Cl0p, was detected ...

  • Adversaries Leverage AI for Vulnerability Exploitation, Augmented Operations, and Initial Access

    May 11, 2026

    Since our February 2026 report on AI-related threat activity, Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has continued to track a maturing transition from nascent AI-enabled operations to the industrial-scale application of generative models within adversarial workflows. This report, based on insights derived from Mandiant incident response engagements, Gemini, and GTIG’s proactive research, highlights the dual nature ...

  • Experts warn nearly half of the world’s passwords can easily be cracked in just a few minutes

    May 8, 2026

    Using real-world samples recovered from the dark web, Kaspersky researchers have tested how long it would take to crack most passwords, and found that almost half of the world’s passwords can be cracked in less than a minute. Additionally, the research shows that within an hour, that number rises to three out of five passwords. Armed with this knowledge, ...

  • Disgraced US gov software contractor found guilty of database destruction

    May 8, 2026

    A Virginia man, Sohaib Akhter, faces decades in prison after a jury convicted him of being involved in a scheme to delete approximately 96 databases containing US government data. The events of the case transpired around two weeks before the twin brothers allegedly involved were fired from their jobs at a software supplier to the US ...

  • Poland says hackers breached water treatment plants, and the US is facing the same threat

    May 8, 2026

    Poland’s intelligence service said it detected attacks on five water treatment plants where hackers could have taken control of the industrial equipment inside, including, in the worst case, tampering with the safety of the water supply. The story is relevant beyond Poland’s borders: U.S. water infrastructure has faced similar threats in recent years. In 2021, a ...