TECHZONE™

Google Adds Layered Defenses to Chrome to Block Indirect Prompt Injection Threats https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/google-adds-layered-defenses-to-chrome.html Google on Monday announced a set of new security features in Chrome, following the company's addition of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to the web browser. To that end, the tech giant said it has implemented layered defenses to make it harder for bad actors to exploit indirect prompt injections that arise as a result of exposure to untrusted web content and inflict harm. Chief

STAC6565 Targets Canada in 80% of Attacks as Gold Blade Deploys QWCrypt Ransomware https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/stac6565-targets-canada-in-80-of.html Canadian organizations have emerged as the focus of a targeted cyber campaign orchestrated by a threat activity cluster known as STAC6565. Cybersecurity company Sophos said it investigated almost 40 intrusions linked to the threat actor between February 2024 and August 2025. The campaign is assessed with high confidence to share overlaps with a hacking group known as Gold Blade, which is also

Researchers Find Malicious VS Code, Go, npm, and Rust Packages Stealing Developer Data https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/researchers-find-malicious-vs-code-go.html Cybersecurity researchers have discovered two new extensions on Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code) Marketplace that are designed to infect developer machines with stealer malware. The VS Code extensions masquerade as a premium dark theme and an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered coding assistant, but, in actuality, harbor covert functionality to download additional payloads, take

Experts Confirm JS#SMUGGLER Uses Compromised Sites to Deploy NetSupport RAT https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/experts-confirm-jssmuggler-uses.html Cybersecurity researchers are calling attention to a new campaign dubbed JS#SMUGGLER that has been observed leveraging compromised websites as a distribution vector for a remote access trojan named NetSupport RAT. The attack chain, analyzed by Securonix, involves three main moving parts: An obfuscated JavaScript loader injected into a website, an HTML Application (HTA) that runs encrypted

⚡ Weekly Recap: USB Malware, React2Shell, WhatsApp Worms, AI IDE Bugs & More https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/weekly-recap-usb-malware-react2shell.html It’s been a week of chaos in code and calm in headlines. A bug that broke the internet’s favorite framework, hackers chasing AI tools, fake apps stealing cash, and record-breaking cyberattacks — all within days. If you blink, you’ll miss how fast the threat map is changing. New flaws are being found, published, and exploited in hours instead of weeks. AI-powered tools meant to help developers

How Can Retailers Cyber-Prepare for the Most Vulnerable Time of the Year? https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/how-can-retailers-cyber-prepare-for.html The holiday season compresses risk into a short, high-stakes window. Systems run hot, teams run lean, and attackers time automated campaigns to get maximum return. Multiple industry threat reports show that bot-driven fraud, credential stuffing and account takeover attempts intensify around peak shopping events, especially the weeks around Black Friday and Christmas.  Why holiday peaks

Android Malware FvncBot, SeedSnatcher, and ClayRat Gain Stronger Data Theft Features https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/android-malware-fvncbot-seedsnatcher.html Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of two new Android malware families dubbed FvncBot and SeedSnatcher, as another upgraded version of ClayRat has been spotted in the wild. The findings come from Intel 471, CYFIRMA, and Zimperium, respectively. FvncBot, which masquerades as a security app developed by mBank, targets mobile banking users in Poland. What's notable about the malware

Sneeit WordPress RCE Exploited in the Wild While ICTBroadcast Bug Fuels Frost Botnet Attacks https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/sneeit-wordpress-rce-exploited-in-wild.html A critical security flaw in the Sneeit Framework plugin for WordPress is being actively exploited in the wild, per data from Wordfence. The remote code execution vulnerability in question is CVE-2025-6389 (CVSS score: 9.8), which affects all versions of the plugin prior to and including 8.3. It has been patched in version 8.4, released on August 5, 2025. The plugin has more than 1,700 active

MuddyWater Deploys UDPGangster Backdoor in Targeted Turkey-Israel-Azerbaijan Campaign https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/muddywater-deploys-udpgangster-backdoor.html The Iranian hacking group known as MuddyWater has been observed leveraging a new backdoor dubbed UDPGangster that uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for command-and-control (C2) purposes. The cyber espionage activity targeted users in Turkey, Israel, and Azerbaijan, according to a report from Fortinet FortiGuard Labs. "This malware enables remote control of compromised systems by allowing

Researchers Uncover 30+ Flaws in AI Coding Tools Enabling Data Theft and RCE Attacks https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/researchers-uncover-30-flaws-in-ai.html Over 30 security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in various artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) that combine prompt injection primitives with legitimate features to achieve data exfiltration and remote code execution. The security shortcomings have been collectively named IDEsaster by security researcher Ari Marzouk (MaccariTA). They affect popular

Critical React2Shell Flaw Added to CISA KEV After Confirmed Active Exploitation https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/critical-react2shell-flaw-added-to-cisa.html The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Friday formally added a critical security flaw impacting React Server Components (RSC) to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog following reports of active exploitation in the wild. The vulnerability, CVE-2025-55182 (CVSS score: 10.0), relates to a case of remote code execution that could be triggered by an

Zero-Click Agentic Browser Attack Can Delete Entire Google Drive Using Crafted Emails https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/zero-click-agentic-browser-attack-can.html A new agentic browser attack targeting Perplexity's Comet browser that's capable of turning a seemingly innocuous email into a destructive action that wipes a user's entire Google Drive contents, findings from Straiker STAR Labs show. The zero-click Google Drive Wiper technique hinges on connecting the browser to services like Gmail and Google Drive to automate routine tasks by granting them

Critical XXE Bug CVE-2025-66516 (CVSS 10.0) Hits Apache Tika, Requires Urgent Patch https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/critical-xxe-bug-cve-2025-66516-cvss.html A critical security flaw has been disclosed in Apache Tika that could result in an XML external entity (XXE) injection attack. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-66516, is rated 10.0 on the CVSS scoring scale, indicating maximum severity. "Critical XXE in Apache Tika tika-core (1.13-3.2.1), tika-pdf-module (2.0.0-3.2.1) and tika-parsers (1.13-1.28.5) modules on all platforms allows an

Chinese Hackers Have Started Exploiting the Newly Disclosed React2Shell Vulnerability https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/chinese-hackers-have-started-exploiting.html Two hacking groups with ties to China have been observed weaponizing the newly disclosed security flaw in React Server Components (RSC) within hours of it becoming public knowledge. The vulnerability in question is CVE-2025-55182 (CVSS score: 10.0), aka React2Shell, which allows unauthenticated remote code execution. It has been addressed in React versions 19.0.1, 19.1.2, and 19.2.1. According

Intellexa Leaks Reveal Zero-Days and Ads-Based Vector for Predator Spyware Delivery https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/intellexa-leaks-reveal-zero-days-and.html A human rights lawyer from Pakistan's Balochistan province received a suspicious link on WhatsApp from an unknown number, marking the first time a civil society member in the country was targeted by Intellexa's Predator spyware, Amnesty International said in a report. The link, the non-profit organization said, is a "Predator attack attempt based on the technical behaviour of the infection

"Getting to Yes": An Anti-Sales Guide for MSPs https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/getting-to-yes-anti-sales-guide-for-msps.html Most MSPs and MSSPs know how to deliver effective security. The challenge is helping prospects understand why it matters in business terms. Too often, sales conversations stall because prospects are overwhelmed, skeptical, or tired of fear-based messaging. That’s why we created ”Getting to Yes”: An Anti-Sales Guide for MSPs. This guide helps service providers transform resistance into trust and

Phishing, privileges and passwords: Why identity is critical to improving cybersecurity posture https://www.welivesecurity.com/en/business-security/phishing-privileges-passwords-identity-cybersecurity-posture/ Identity is effectively the new network boundary. It must be protected at all costs.

CISA Reports PRC Hackers Using BRICKSTORM for Long-Term Access in U.S. Systems https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/cisa-reports-prc-hackers-using.html The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Thursday released details of a backdoor named BRICKSTORM that has been put to use by state-sponsored threat actors from the People's Republic of China (PRC) to maintain long-term persistence on compromised systems. "BRICKSTORM is a sophisticated backdoor for VMware vSphere and Windows environments," the agency said. "

JPCERT Confirms Active Command Injection Attacks on Array AG Gateways https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/jpcert-confirms-active-command.html A command injection vulnerability in Array Networks AG Series secure access gateways has been exploited in the wild since August 2025, according to an alert issued by JPCERT/CC this week. The vulnerability, which does not have a CVE identifier, was addressed by the company on May 11, 2025. It's rooted in Array's DesktopDirect, a remote desktop access solution that allows users to securely access

Silver Fox Uses Fake Microsoft Teams Installer to Spread ValleyRAT Malware in China https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/silver-fox-uses-fake-microsoft-teams.html The threat actor known as Silver Fox has been spotted orchestrating a false flag operation to mimic a Russian threat group in attacks targeting organizations in China. The search engine optimization (SEO) poisoning campaign leverages Microsoft Teams lures to trick unsuspecting users into downloading a malicious setup file that leads to the deployment of ValleyRAT (Winos 4.0), a known malware