Security researchers Ian Carroll and Sam Curry discovered a vulnerability in a key air transport security system that enables unauthorized individuals to bypass airport security screenings and access aircraft cockpits. They found the vulnerability in FlyCASS, a third-party web-based service used by some airlines to manage the Known Crewmember (KCM) program and Cockpit Access Security System (CASS). The researchers found that the FlyCASS login system was vulnerable to SQL injection, which allows attackers insert SQL statements for malicious database queries.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have issued a warning regarding Iran's state-sponsored threat group "Fox Kitten" actively helping ransomware actors in attacks against organizations. The activity suggests that the threat actor is trying to monetize its access to victim networks in finance, defense, healthcare, and other industries. This article continues to discuss findings regarding the Fox Kitten group.

According to Proofpoint researchers, the Command-and-Control (C2) mechanism of a new malware campaign uses Google Sheets. The activity, detected by Proofpoint on August 5, 2024, impersonates tax authorities from Europe, Asia, and the US to target over 70 organizations worldwide through "Voldemort." This custom tool gathers information and delivers payloads. Insurance, aerospace, transportation, academia, finance, technology, and other sectors have been targeted. This article continues to discuss the new malware campaign involving the use of Google Sheets.

A social engineering campaign targeting over 130 US companies sends employees to a fake malware-laden Virtual Private Network (VPN) page, exploiting concerns about a VPN issue. According to GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team (GRIT) researchers, the threat actor calls a user on their cell phone and poses as a help desk representative trying to fix a VPN log-in issue. If the threat actor tricks the user, they send an SMS link to a malicious VPN site that masquerades as a legitimate vendor. This article continues to discuss findings regarding the new social engineering campaign.

Researchers at Phylum have discovered a coordinated campaign involving North Korea-linked threat groups targeting the npm ecosystem. The campaign started on August 12, 2024, with the publication of malicious npm packages aimed at infiltrating developer environments and stealing sensitive data. The packages use sophisticated tactics like multi-stage obfuscated JavaScript to download additional malware from remote servers. The malware contains Python scripts and a full Python interpreter that look for data in cryptocurrency wallet browser extensions.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) issued a joint advisory on the "RansomHub" ransomware group, which is suspected of attacking the oil giant Halliburton. On August 21, Halliburton, the world's second-largest oil service company, disclosed in an SEC filing that a third party had accessed some of its systems. The incident response steps described by the company suggested a ransomware attack.

The Russian-based APT29 group used the same iOS and Google Chrome exploits as NSO Group and Intellexa in an espionage campaign against the Mongolian government. According to the researchers who discovered the campaign, it is still unclear how the APT group got the exploit. Three attacks linked "with moderate confidence" to APT29 in November 2023, February 2024, and July 2024 used the exploits. The campaigns involved watering hole attacks on Mongolian government websites. The threat actors compromised the websites and loaded a hidden iframe.

The City of Columbus, Ohio, has taken legal action against a security researcher for illegally downloading and distributing data stolen and leaked by the "Rhysida" ransomware gang from the City's Information Technology (IT) network. On July 18, 2024, a ransomware attack on Columbus, Ohio's capital and most populous city, caused service outages. Rhysida ransomware claimed responsibility for stealing 6.5 TB of databases, including employee credentials, server dumps, city video camera feeds, and other sensitive data.

Cybersecurity solutions provider Fortra recently announced patches for two vulnerabilities in FileCatalyst Workflow, including a critical severity flaw involving leaked credentials.  The critical issue is tracked as CVE-2024-6633 (CVSS score of 9.8) and exists because the default credentials for the setup HSQL database (HSQLDB) have been published in a vendor knowledgebase article.

There are currently efforts in California to establish first-in-the-nation safety measures for the largest artificial intelligence systems.  The proposal, aiming to reduce potential risks created by AI, would require companies to test their models and publicly disclose their safety protocols to prevent them from being manipulated.  The bill is among hundreds lawmakers are voting on during its final week of session.  Gov. Gavin Newsom then has until the end of September to decide whether to sign them into law, veto them, or allow them to become law without his signature.