Morning Brief

Microsoft’s September 2026 security update KB5124008 is knocking some Windows 11 enterprise clients off Always On VPN after the Patch Tuesday package landed on September 8. Administrators who can reproduce the failure say certificate-based tunnels that worked immediately before the patch stop connecting afterward, then recover as soon as the cumulative update is removed and the device is rebooted. The first detailed account appeared on Microsoft Q&A on September 9, 2026, from an administrator running Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 clients with Always On VPN, certificate-based authentication…

This One Goes to Sixteen! Another banger from Metasploit with sixteen new modules, including ten exploit modules, with five on the CISA KEV list. Cisco, Papercut, Sonicwall, Jetbrains, and Langflow all have exploit modules, and not to be outdone, we even have a Metasploit scanner to watch the watchers! New module content (16) Elasticsearch ingest-attachment Apache Tika XFA XXE Local File Read Authors: Bourbon Offensive Security Services and Jean-Marie Bourbon Type: Auxiliary Pull request: #21739 contributed by kmkz Path: scanner/http/elasticsearch_tika_xfa_xxe CVE reference: CVE-2025-66516…

A newly uncovered Android threat combines ransomware with spying, creating a trap for people who install apps from untrusted links. Called Mantax Otax, the malware can lock files, watch the screen, intercept verification codes and secretly use a phone’s cameras, making one infection both an extortion and privacy crisis. The campaign appears built around standalone Android app packages, or APKs, hosted on third-party file-sharing services. Victims can be led to them through shared links, messaging apps or phishing messages, then persuaded to install the app outside the official store. Its…

At least four espionage groups, most with suspected links to China, are using a new exploit kit that chains two Chromium-based browser flaws and one Microsoft Windows bug to break into organizations' networks in the US and Southeast Asia. Mark Kelly, a threat researcher at email security shop Proofpoint, told The Register that the researchers don't know exactly who was targeted, nor how, and so far the damage appears limited. “In terms of organizations targeted, we saw fewer than 20 organizations globally targeted across the activity highlighted," he said. "However, the true number is almost…

A China-linked hacking group exploited a flaw in Sogou Input Method, one of the most widely used tools for typing Chinese characters on Windows, to install a backdoor on victims' computers, security company Gen Digital said in research published Thursday. The attack started with a crafted link and ended with the attacker able to do anything the logged-in user could do. Tencent, which owns

Check Point has patched two critical vulnerabilities in the way its firewall and management products handle VPN certificates. The company says both could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to run code, but only "under specific conditions" that it has not described. One flaw affects Check Point's Security Gateways, its firewall appliances. The other affects those gateways and the Security

KATARU is a newly observed IoT malware strain that can turn poorly secured devices into DDoS attack nodes. The sample was captured after an attacker used repeated Telnet password guesses against a honeypot, then downloaded an ARM payload. It shows how old entry points still give attackers a foothold. The malware resembles the Mirai botnet family in its ability to flood targets with traffic, but carries wider tools. It can attempt to gain root access, stay active through reboots, hide command traffic, and run commands supplied by its operators. A compromised device can therefore be harder to…

Security teams have become exceptionally talented at finding vulnerabilities. Now, it’s time to turn our attention to optimizing the process for determining which of those vulnerabilities actually create a path to compromise. A critical vulnerability may look alarming on a scanner report, but if it sits behind strong segmentation, identity controls, and other defenses that prevent an attacker

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Adobe Photoshop. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The ZDI has assigned a CVSS rating of 7.8. The following CVEs are assigned: CVE-2026-75862.

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Fortinet FortiSandbox. Authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability. The ZDI has assigned a CVSS rating of 7.2. The following CVEs are assigned: CVE-2026-84387.