Google has expanded its Cloud Vulnerability Reward Program (VRP) with a new top-tier reward for high-impact architectural security flaws. Starting this month, researchers can earn $250,000 for Root-in-Cloud bugs, including tenant-isolation bypasses and complex cross-service logic flaws that let attackers gain full administrative control over arbitrary Google Cloud organizations. "To earn this premier reward, you must demonstrate full administrative control, the equivalent of 'roles/owner' or complete IAM control, over arbitrary Google Cloud organizations or projects with no prior access or special project setup," said Chris Betz, Google Cloud's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). "Additionally, valid vulnerability reports demonstrating remote code execution (RCE) in underlying Google production infrastructure (Borg) or achieving root-in-prod will automatically be evaluated by the Google Cloud VRP panel for root-in-cloud eligibility."
Apple warns German Bundestag lawmakers of mercenary spyware attacks; BSI urges victims to assume compromise. The German government is warning politicians and public figures that they were targeted by government-backed spyware. The warning follows Apple’s notifications, which began reaching iPhones on October 29, according to the federal cybersecurity office, the BSI. The BSI says members of the Bundestag and other notable people got an Apple alert about an attack with so-called mercenary spyware. “The Federal Office for Information Security ( BSI ) has learned that several members of the German Bundestag and other public figures have received a threat notification from Apple on their devices since October 29, 2026. In the notification, Apple states that it has detected an attack using so-called mercenary spyware . This is commercially developed, advanced spyware that has frequently been used in the past by state actors against specific, targeted individuals.” reads the notice issued by BSI. “The BSI (Federal Office for Information Security) is unaware whether these notifications indicate actual compromises or merely signal attempted attacks.y “ “Germany’s digital minister, Karsten Wildberger, has confirmed that members of the Bundestag and the federal government received warnings from Apple that their iPhones may have been targeted by spyware.” states the report. Digital minister Karsten Wildberger confirmed it on ARD’s Bericht aus Berlin on Sunday, saying there had been “a notification from Apple that certain devices may have been compromised” and that members of both the Bundestag and the federal government were among those warned. Digital minister said the BSI had reacted super quickly and written to everyone affected. Wildberger didn’t say how many politicians got the alerts or who they are. “According to Wildberger, the BSI advised those affected to assume – as a precaution – that their device may have been compromised, because the alerts do not show whether an attack succeeded.” states Euronews. The German government has not revealed who was targeted. Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius told the Financial Times that officials are taking the incident and Apple’s warning very seriously. However, he did not say which government members received the alerts or whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz was among them. Apple has not commented on the reports, according to Euronews. The Apple warning does not provide all the answers. Apple does not identify the governments behind these attacks, nor does it confirm whether a device was actually infected. Germany’s cybersecurity agency, the BSI, also says it is unclear whether the alerts indicate successful infections or only attempted attacks. Apple says mercenary spyware is far more advanced than common cybercrime tools and that most users will never be targeted. This commercial surveillance software is often used on behalf of governments to spy on specific individuals. It can infect devices through so-called zero-click attacks, which do not require victims to open a message or click a link. In most cases, victims do not notice anything unusual. Once a phone is compromised, the BSI says, attackers can read messages, including in encrypted apps, and access calls, contacts, calendars and location. They can also turn on the camera and microphone. That’s the whole phone, not a corner of it. For recipients the BSI’s advice is concrete. Update the operating system immediately, unless you plan a forensic analysis, and consider turning on Lockdown Mode, which makes new attacks harder but doesn’t remove an existing infection. Lockdown Mode limits some features such as message attachments, link previews and FaceTime calls from unknown people, while calls and plain text messages keep working. If the risk looks high, the BSI suggests replacing the device. That means resetting every account used on it and, to make repeat attacks harder, changing the phone number. Then set a new device passcode, change the passwords of your Apple account and email, and make sure two-factor authentication is on. The BSI recommends turning on Signal’s registration lock and WhatsApp’s two-step verification, with a new PIN for each. It also advises removing any linked devices you don’t recognize. Anyone who received a warning can email the BSI Service Center at service-center@bsi.bund.de. This helps the agency work out how many people may be affected. The agency says a genuine Apple warning never asks you to click links, open files, install apps or profiles, or share passwords and codes. These warnings appear on the lock screen, in settings, by email and at the top of account.apple.com after you sign in. The warnings weren’t limited to Germany. Beirut-based filmmaker Radwan Mortada said on X that Apple had warned him about another attack against his device. He had already been targeted by spyware in 2021. أمس، تلقيتُ إشعاراً أمنياً من شركة Apple تحذّرني فيه من تعرّض هاتفي الآيفون لهجوم تجسّسي موجّه، باستخدام برمجيات متطوّرة من النوع الذي تطوّره شركات مثل NSO Group، المعروفة ببرنامج «بيغاسوس». ولعلّ أخطر ما ورد في التحذير تأكيد Apple أنّ هذا النوع من الهجمات يستهدف أشخاصاً محدّدين… pic.twitter.com/2jFq6F3cvD — رُضوان (@radwanmortada) October 30, 2026 According to his notice, Apple sent the latest warnings to users in 99 countries. Nobody has publicly identified the attackers or the government that may have ordered the attacks. The BSI warned German lawmakers that Apple threat notifications may indicate compromised devices and urged recipients to contact the agency and take protective measures. “Those affected who have received a corresponding warning message from Apple should therefore assume that their device may have been compromised.” BSI concludes. “In a letter dated October 30, 2026, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) alerted members of the German Bundestag to the threat and informed them of necessary measures. Affected individuals were urged to contact the BSI directly .” Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs – hacking, Bundestag)
BTCPay Server, a self-hosted, open-source cryptocurrency payment processor, has urged users to install the latest version of its software in response to reports of Bitcoin and Litecoin being stolen from hot wallets on instances running older versions. "Our investigation found that these attacks targeted servers running BTCPay Server 2.4.1 (released on 23 July 2026) or earlier," BTCPay Server
Attackers remotely changed the settings on refrigeration controls at supermarkets in Belgium, Sweden, Estonia and other European countries overnight into Monday, November 2, warming fridges and freezers. No chain reported more than several dozen affected stores, and some had to throw away chilled and frozen food or take it off the shelf. Danfoss, a Danish maker of refrigeration controls,&nbsp
A maximum-severity security flaw impacting Siemens SIMATIC IoT2050 Advanced devices has come under active exploitation, VulnCheck has revealed. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-58115 (CVSS score: 10.0), is a case of missing authentication for a critical function that could be exploited by an unauthenticated remote attacker to run arbitrary code. "SIMATIC IoT2050 Advanced devices running
Threat actors are attempting to exploit an unpatched maximum-severity security vulnerability in the CryptoPayment Gateway WordPress plugin, according to findings from Defused Cyber. The vulnerability in question is CVE-2026-81648, which carries a CVSS score of 10.0. Successful exploitation of the flaw could permit unauthenticated users to delete arbitrary files on the server and extract
Unit 42 details recent threat intelligence, highlighting cyberespionage, financial extortion, and the rapid adoption of AI across offensive workflows. The post Unit 42 Threat Intelligence Highlights - Nov. 2, 2026 appeared first on Unit 42.
Chinese hackers used ARTEX, an open-source, multi-agent AI penetration-testing framework, in attacks against more than 200 organizations across 14 countries. The operation began on October 17 and targeted government ministries, telecommunications providers, and organizations in the pharmaceutical, semiconductor, defense, nuclear, and financial sectors. The threat actor compromised at least nine organizations and carried out password spraying attacks and credential scanning activity against at least 12 other high-value targets. According to researchers at CrowdStrike, the "campaign marks an escalation in China-nexus use of AI agents, from single intrusions to multiple simultaneous engagements directed by a human operator." Confirmed victims include telecommunications providers in the United States and Belgium, government organizations in Greece, the Middle East, and Latin America, and pharmaceutical firms in the U.S.
A cyberattack on refrigeration systems has disrupted stores run by multiple supermarket chains across several European countries after hackers remotely changed temperature settings on freezers and cooling systems. In some cases, hackers shut down refrigerators or activated defrosting systems, causing temperatures to rise, resulting in significant product losses and forcing store managers to intervene early in the morning. Refrigeration failures were identified at dozens of supermarkets, but it is unclear whether they were hit in a coordinated attack or targeted individually. More than 115 stores in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Estonia have been affected. Spokespersons for multiple chains confirmed the issues in statements for BleepingComputer. Supermarket chains that acknowledged refrigeration issues include:
Microsoft has resolved a known issue that prevented some users from activating the Smart App Control security feature after installing the October 2026 KB5127648 Windows 11 security update. Smart App Control uses Microsoft's code integrity features and app intelligence services, and it works alongside SmartScreen and Microsoft Defender to block potentially harmful apps or binaries. As the company explained when it acknowledged the issue last month, the Smart App Control option is grayed out and cannot be toggled on affected devices running Windows 11 24H2 and later. "After installing this update, some devices might be unable to turn on Smart App Control in the Windows Security app if it has been turned off. On affected devices, the option to turn on Smart App Control might be grayed out," Microsoft said in the KB5127648 advisory. "Devices where Smart App Control is already turned on are not affected and remain protected."
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