Attackers can force Android devices into a continuous boot loop using a specially crafted app that requires no permissions and only needs to be installed. To cause the persistent denial-of-service (DoS), the app triggers a vulnerability that researchers dubbed 'GhostMap' that makes Android map a file into an unallocated memory region. The affected process crashes when it attempts to read from that region. Romanian cybersecurity company Bitdefender discovered the flaw while analyzing an Android banking trojan that kept crashing its emulators when it tried to read an application resource. The researchers demonstrated the vulnerability by creating an app that contains no executable code, requests no permissions on installation, and does not need to be launched on the device. According to the company, Google has been aware of GhostMap since August but closed the issue without releasing a patch, classifying it as "not reproducible."
A Canadian man was extradited to the U.S. to face charges over hacking universities and hijacking their computers to mine cryptocurrency. A Canadian man, Ryan James Roach (35), has been extradicted to the United States to face charges tied to a hacking operation that targeted universities and other schools. Roach was extradited on October 28 and now faces federal charges alongside Mathiew James Stubbings, 41, of Ontario. The indictment alleges that, from June 2016 to December 2019, the two men hacked computers, stole login details, and used victims’ machines to mine cryptocurrency for themselves. “They used virtual private servers in multiple countries, which were registered under false names. These servers transmitted malware and mining software to victim computers and stored stolen login credentials.” DoJ states. “Victims of the scheme included educational institutions in New York, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. Some of the computers damaged by the defendants were located at an institution of higher learning in the Western District of New York.” The targets were not random home PCs. Prosecutors say the pair went after U.S. schools with supercomputers, including institutions in New York, Tennessee, North Carolina and Massachusetts. Some affected computers belonged to a higher-education institution in western New York. “To carry out the scheme, Roach and Stubbings surreptitiously accessed victim computers without authorization, deployed malware to gain control, stole victim login credentials, exfiltrated the data to servers that they controlled, and forcing victim computers to use their processing power to mine cryptocurrency for the financial benefit of the defendants.” DoJ continues. That is a lot of effort to turn someone else’s research hardware into a personal crypto rig. The alleged method was also more involved than a single phishing email. The indictment says they looked for weaknesses in victims’ networks, used servers and compromised machines from one victim to hide their tracks, and then moved through the network once inside. The duo used sophisticated techniques and tools to conduct reconnaissance and expand their access within the network. The charges include conspiracy to obtain information from and damage protected computers, obtaining information from a protected computer, and intentional damage to a protected computer. Each carries up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors also allege the pair damaged at least 10 protected computers in one year and caused at least $5,000 in losses. Roach appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and is being held pending a detention hearing. Extradition proceedings for Stubbings continue in Canada. The FBI, the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and the Office of International Affairs worked on the case. For security teams, the useful part is not the alleged crypto-mining. It is the reminder that universities remain attractive targets because they hold powerful computing resources, broad networks, and plenty of people with access. Patch quickly, watch for unusual processing load, and treat credential theft as a serious incident rather than a nuisance. “The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.” DoJ concludes. Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs – hacking, University Supercomputers)
DreamHost is warning of a data breach after attackers gained access to its File Manager platform for two months and stole customers' FTP/SFTP usernames and passwords. This follows the American web hosting provider and domain registrar's announcement that it suffered a cybersecurity incident requiring users to reset their email and FTP/SFTP passwords. In a data breach notification, DreamHost now says the breach extended from August 2026 to October 23, 2026, the day it was discovered. "We discovered that an unauthorized third party accessed the server that runs our web-based File Manager at files.dreamhost.com," reads the notification. "The unauthorized third party exploited a vulnerability in that software and was able to access the FTP/SFTP usernames and passwords of individuals who logged into this File Manager between approximately August 2026 and October 23, 2026."
The developers of Goddess of Victory: NIKKE have confirmed that hackers tampered with the game's PC launcher scripts in a supply-chain attack, distributing malware capable of stealing credentials and cryptocurrency wallet data. According to a notice published on X, a client update was issued on November 4 at 02:30 (UTC +9) to address the issue. "We have identified an issue indicating that the PC Launcher's script files may have been tampered with by a third party," reads the statement on X. "Accordingly, client fixes and an update were implemented on November 4 at approximately 02:30 (UTC+9). We are currently investigating the scope of the impact caused by this issue, and we will provide further details regarding follow-up measures in a separate notice." Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is a popular sci-fi shooter RPG developed by the South Korean firm Shift Up for Windows, iOS, and Android.
mSeven Software is warning current and former mSecure password manager customers to change passwords, reset two-factor authentication, and remove passkeys following a cyberattack in which a hacker reportedly stole an encrypted customer database.. In a security notification sent to customers on November 3 and shared with BleepingComputer, the company said it recently discovered suspicious activity involving its mSecure password management application. "mSeven Software (“mSeven”) recently learned of suspicious activity associated with the mSecure password management application," reads the mSecure security notification. "In response, mSeven quickly launched an investigation, took steps to mitigate the issue, and engaged external cybersecurity experts to assist. You are receiving this email because you are a current or former mSecure customer."
A phishing campaign used Google Calendar invites, trusted redirects, and fake login pages to hijack corporate Google sessions and bypass MFA protections. Material Security examines how Operation CloudFire tracked the attacks, blocked malicious messages, and helped take down nearly 900 domains used by the attackers.
A large-scale watering hole attack associated with Russian hackers has been targeting iOS and Android users visiting compromised sites or fake ones impersonating legitimate portals. The campaign used multiple high-profile websites in the U.S., Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria that delivered the same payload for profiling visitors and their devices. This initial stage allows the attacker to determine the browser version to deploy "platform-specific n-day exploit chains without user interaction." Researchers at cybersecurity company Sekoia attribute the operation with moderate-to-high confidence to APT29 (aka Midnight Blizzard), a Russian threat group that was recently linked to hotel WiFi attacks. Based on their findings, compromised legitimate sites belong to a Ukrainian gas producer, a U.S. chemical industry trade association, and a Bulgarian military-related site.
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of an OpenAI Codex jailbreak bundle that's designed to modify an artificial intelligence (AI) agent's trusted instructions to insert advertisements for a third-party AI gateway. The phenomenon has been codenamed prompt adware by Check Point Research. Called Haiou (meaning Seagull in Chinese), the jailbreak modifies OpenAI Codex's configuration
A critical Android flaw could allow an attacker to run code on a phone without any user action remotely, Google said in its November security bulletin. The flaw, CVE-2026-58868, affects Android 14 through 17. Phones get the fix with security patch level 2026-11-01 or later, which phone makers and carriers send on their own schedules. As of November 4, Google's bulletin did not report
Developer platform WorkOS suffered a data breach after a threat actor accessed business contact records and summaries of customer communications. According to the company, the attacker used an AI offensive security framework to automate reconnaissance and exploitation attempts. Based on evidence from the investigation, no WorkOS app data or production services were accessed or affected. WorkOS is a developer infrastructure company that provides APIs, SDKs, and tools for integrating services such as enterprise authentication, single sign-on (SSO), user management, and identity management into applications. According to its website, at least 3,000 companies use its services, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Cursor, Perplexity, Snowflake, Plaid, Webglow, and Netlify. “On October 30, 2026, we identified unauthorized access to an internal WorkOS application used by our sales team,” the company says in an incident alert.
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