Russia-linked group APT29 targeted iOS and Android users through hijacked websites and a compromised analytics service. Sekoia says a large-scale watering hole campaign is going after iOS and Android users, and it links the campaign to APT29 (aka SVR group, Cozy Bear, Nobelium, BlueBravo, Midnight Blizzard, and The Dukes), the Russian group tied to the SVR foreign intelligence service. A watering hole is a site that attackers poison so visitors infect themselves. Sekoia found the campaign in mid-October 2026. It involved hacked or cloned high-profile websites in the US, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. There’s also a supply-chain attack on a Ukrainian web analytics service, Plerdy, loaded by thousands of websites, most of them Ukrainian. The attackers used three different methods to reach victims, but all led to the same malicious payload. They injected JavaScript into hacked websites, created fake websites that copied legitimate ones and secretly added malicious code, and compromised the Plerdy analytics service to infect websites using its script. Sekoia first spotted the campaign on the website of a Ukrainian gas production company. Other compromised sites included a major US chemical industry association, a European far-right political party and a Bulgarian website linked to the military. In the Bulgarian case, attackers modified an existing JavaScript library without changing the website’s visible pages. Researchers found no clear pattern in the targeted organizations, although they believe some websites may have been selected to reach specific individuals. Sekoia also identified two fake websites designed to impersonate legitimate services. One copied America250, the US initiative marking the country’s 250th anniversary, while another reproduced the website of Raffles London at The OWO, a luxury hotel close to the UK Ministry of Defence and Downing Street. “The second website, theowo[.]club, now offline, acted as a reverse proxy for the website of Raffles London at The OWO, a prestigious luxury hotel housed in the historic Old War Office building.” reads the report published by Sekoia. “The hotel’s location is particularly noteworthy because of its proximity to some of the United Kingdom’s most sensitive government institutions, including the Ministry of Defence and 10 Downing Street, the official residence and office of the British Prime Minister.” The hotel connection is particularly interesting because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly stayed there during a visit to London on October 14. Sekoia believes the fake website may have been used to target diplomatic delegations through spear-phishing, but stresses that this remains an unconfirmed possibility. Between August 27 and September 3, 2026, the attackers compromised the Plerdy tracker at a.plerdy[.]com. For a week, visitors loaded both Plerdy’s script and the attackers’ profiling script. Several affected sites relate to the military and military recruitment, including army, special forces and military equipment websites. “Between 27 August and 3 September 2026, the intrusion set compromised the Ukrainian Plerdy analytics tracker hosted under the domain a.plerdy[.]com, which is loaded by thousands of websites, the large majority of them Ukrainian.” reads the report. “It remains unclear whether the attackers intended to target visitors to specific websites or sought to compromise as many unpatched mobile devices as possible, indiscriminately exfiltrating data before selectively identifying and exploiting information of interest.” Sekoia can’t say whether the aim was specific visitors or as many unpatched phones as possible, with the sorting done later. It also considers that the attackers may have used Plerdy after failing to inject code directly into Ukrainian high-value sites that relied on it. The Plerdy payload pointed to a load-balancing domain that sent traffic across several delivery servers. The profiling script, which the attackers call UltimateFingerprinter, is attached to a minified AngularJS library that makes up 98 percent of a 2.3 MB file. Sekoia thinks that bulk might stop analysis by large language models, or make the script look legitimate. The script runs 61 collectors that build 394 fields, then sends them to a server that decides whether to answer with exploit code. Strangely, almost none of that data matters. Only implausible screen sizes, like 99999, or a device reporting zero touch points block delivery. Sekoia doesn’t know why the attackers collect so much and sees no sign the data was used later. Sekoia pulled three exploit chains from the delivery server. Class A hits iOS 16.7 and steals cookies. Class B hits iOS 18.5 and takes full device data. Class C hits Android Chrome versions 139 to 145, minus 143 for reasons Sekoia can’t explain, and steals Chrome cookies and Wi-Fi passwords. “During the investigation, we tested different browser profiles against the fingerprinting endpoint at static[.]flux-telemetry[.]com in order to retrieve the exploits served to visitors.” states the report. “This allowed us to retrieve three complete exploit chains (afternamed A, B and C), along with their final payloads, targeting both Android and iOS. Here is a summary of what we found:” Class B is DarkSword, which Sekoia describes as a suspected iOS exploit kit from a commercial surveillance vendor, uploaded to VirusTotal in September 2026. It takes text messages and iMessages, Mail indexes, voicemail, WhatsApp and Telegram databases, Keychain passwords and tokens, account credentials and Wi-Fi keys. It also takes contacts, call history, calendar, notes, Safari history and cookies, location caches, Health data, photos and iCloud Drive. The Android payload, which Sekoia calls AndroSnitch, collects Chrome cookies, saved logins and history, plus Wi-Fi settings. It stops on one phone model, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. It resembles a 2024 payload that Google TAG documented, called AndroSnatch, but the sample is too small to prove lineage. The iOS cookie chains set a marker cookie meant to block reinfection for a day, but a coding mistake makes it expire in a minute. All stolen data goes to ad.starx-net[.]com:8881/telemetry/v12. None of the chains persist on the device. All of them rely on known flaws, and none uses a zero-day. For attribution, Sekoia has several threads. A CERT said a compromised site’s backend files held traces matching a private report on a 2025 APT29 watering hole campaign, and Google TAG said the framework resembles an APT29 campaign against Mongolian government websites in 2024. Victims also skew to Europe and the US with a focus on Ukraine, infrastructure sits across multiple hosters, and a hacked Czech far-right site fits APT29’s record of targeting European political parties. It rates the link moderate to high confidence, and it’s coordinating with the CERTs of affected countries. The campaign shows how exploit kits move down the market. Sekoia says state-backed groups keep reusing frameworks from commercial surveillance vendors such as DarkSword, and that packaged exploit chains lower the cost and skill needed for advanced mobile attacks. It expects such reuse to become more frequent. The good news is that Sekoia’s attackers don’t have fresh tricks. Every flaw was fixed by its vendor before the campaign began, and none works against fully updated devices. “None of them contain zero-days or work against fully updated devices. Each flaw was resolved by the respective vendor before this campaign began. This operation targets unpatched devices using n-days; a user running an up-to-date operating system is safe from these attacks.” concludes the report. “This watering hole campaign, which we assess with moderate to high confidence to be linked to APT29, combines multiple web delivery vectors with n-day mobile exploit chains targeting Android and iOS devices. Across the directly compromised websites, no single sectoral targeting pattern emerges from our analysis. While the victimology shows a focus on Ukraine and the United States, the inclusion of unrelated entities such as an Australian medical clinic complicates a broad strategic interpretation. However, we assess that these websites may have been selected to profile and infect specific individuals of interest based on targeting intelligence to which we do not have visibility. The operators adapted by deploying Adversary-in-the-Middle-ish to intercept visitors associated with diplomatic or high-profile events.” Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs – hacking, APT29)
Zyxel GS1900 network switches that received the vendor's earlier fix for an actively exploited flaw are still open to the exploit attackers used, researchers at Binarly found. The exploit lets anyone who can reach a switch's web management interface run commands on it without logging in. Zyxel has released new firmware for 10 GS1900 models that closes the hole. The earlier fix is the 2.90
Barracuda patched two flaws that can be chained to give attackers root access to Email Security Gateway appliances. Barracuda has patched two vulnerabilities that can be chained to gain root access to its Email Security Gateway (ESG) appliances. CVE-2026-116606 (CVSS score of 9.3) is an authentication bypass that lets unauthenticated attackers modify appliance configurations. CVE-2026-111560 (CVSS score of 8.6) is a command injection flaw affecting six Barracuda products. An attacker with administrator privileges could exploit it to execute operating system commands as root. “Barracuda has identified two vulnerabilities affecting certain Barracuda products: a pre-authentication authorization bypass vulnerability and a command injection vulnerability. The vulnerabilities have been assigned CVE-2026-116606 and CVE-2026-111560, respectively.” states the advisory. “Successful exploitation requires an attacker to have access to the administrative interface of an affected product. If exploited in combination, these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to bypass authorization controls and obtain root access to the device.” Barracuda quickly began fixing the problem and released security patches for affected products. Customers should check the affected products and follow the remediation guidance, make sure their systems use the latest firmware, and install all security patches. It has released patches and urges customers to update their systems, below are the affected products: Email Security Gateway (ESG) — affected by both vulnerabilities; patch with BNSF-40425 for version 9.4.017 or later, or BNSF-40430 for versions below 9.4.017. Load Balancer Application Delivery Controller (ADC) — affected by CVE-2026-111560; patch with BNADC-16586. Message Archiver (BMA) — affected by CVE-2026-111560; patch with BNMA-32468. WAF Control Center (WCC) — affected by CVE-2026-111560; patch with BNWF-60060. Web Application Firewall (WAF) — affected by CVE-2026-111560; patch with BNADC-16586. Web Security Gateway (WSG) — affected by CVE-2026-111560; patch with BNYF-24789. The vendor recommends that customers: Restrict administrative interfaces to trusted internal networks and use network access controls to reduce exposure. Check that devices are running the latest firmware and that all security patches are installed. If a device is several versions behind, install updates step by step; more than one update may be needed. Contact Barracuda Support if help is required. “If a patch has not been automatically applied, customers should manually apply the appropriate patch as soon as possible. If customers have turned off automatic patching, Barracuda recommends setting devices to automatically receive patches.” concludes the advisory. “Guidance on how to manually apply the patch or update firmware can be found on Barracuda Campus.” Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs – hacking, Barracuda)
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."
Cyberattacks disrupted refrigeration monitoring systems at three French blood banks, amid similar attacks targeting European supermarkets. A cyberattack has hit three regional blood banks in France, disrupting systems used to monitor and control refrigerated storage facilities. The incident took place overnight between Sunday and Monday, at roughly the same time hackers were targeting supermarket refrigeration systems across several European countries. The attack is particularly concerning because it targeted infrastructure that plays a direct role in protecting public health. Blood products must remain within specific temperature ranges to preserve their quality and ensure they’re safe for medical use. A disruption to refrigeration systems can therefore have consequences that go well beyond a conventional IT outage. According to the French Health Ministry, the incident affected several facilities operated by the French Blood Establishment (EFS). “Several regional facilities of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) were affected by a cybersecurity incident that impacted certain cold storage room monitoring and control systems,” the health ministry said in a statement. “The incident had no impact on blood supplies,” Reuters reported, quoting EFS spokesperson Charley Dubois. Staff working around the clock received alerts about the problems and moved blood products to refrigerators that weren’t connected to the affected systems. This response helped prevent the incident from disrupting blood supplies, demonstrating how important operational procedures and contingency plans are when technology fails. “The situation was under control on Wednesday,” the French Health Ministry said, according to Reuters, which also reported that remote access to the affected refrigerators had been disabled. Investigations are now underway to establish how the attackers gained access, which equipment was affected and when the systems can safely return to normal operation. The timing is also significant. The French blood bank incident coincided with attacks against supermarket refrigeration systems in eight European countries, including Sweden and Belgium. Those attacks forced retailers to discard large quantities of food after hackers interfered with cooling and freezer systems. This wasn’t the first time French supermarkets had faced csxk cx incident. In October, police investigated an attack in which hackers allegedly seized control of cooling units at hundreds of supermarkets, causing fires and significant food losses. These incidents share similarities that deserve attention. They point to a security problem beyond traditional corporate IT systems: the growing exposure of operational technology (OT), including industrial control systems, refrigeration equipment, and the remote management platforms kdch operate them. These systems are often connected to corporate networks or accessible through remote management services. If attackers compromise those access points, they may be able to interfere with physical processes rather than simply steal information or encrypt business data. The consequences can be serious. In a supermarket, an attacker who manipulates refrigeration controls can cause food losses and potentially create safety risks. In a blood bank, the same type of interference could threaten the integrity of medical supplies and disrupt services that hospitals depend on. The French incident didn’t affect blood supplies, but the outcome shouldn’t lead organizations to underestimate the risk. Staff intervention and the availability of independent refrigerators helped contain the damage. Not every facility will have the same resources, response procedures or ability to move critical products at short notice. Organizations operating critical infrastructure need to treat the security of connected equipment as a core operational requirement. This means identifying exposed systems, restricting remote access, enforcing strong authentication, segmenting operational networks and monitoring changes to equipment settings. They also need tested manual procedures that allow essential services to continue when digital systems become unavailable or untrustworthy. The European Union has already raised concerns about vulnerabilities in connected infrastructure amid heightened security tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. These latest incidents reinforce the need to consider cyberattacks against physical systems as a real operational and public safety risk, not simply an IT problem. “Investigations are under way into how the attack was carried out, what equipment may have been affected and when systems can safely return to service.” concludes the report. Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs – hacking, French Blood Banks)
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.
SonicWall warned customers of two security flaws affecting end-of-life Global Management System (GMS) systems that will not be patched. Global Management System (GMS) helps IT admins deploy and manage thousands of SonicWall security appliances from a single interface, but SonicWall has officially replaced it with the Network Security Manager (NSM) management platform. The two vulnerabilities were found and reported by Pentest-Tools security researchers and affect systems running SonicWall GMS 9.5.2 and earlier. The first GMS flaw disclosed this week is tracked as CVE-2026-109593, and it enables unauthenticated attackers with network access to vulnerable instances (running GMS 9.5.2 and earlier versions) to steal sensitive information by reading internal files. SonicWall also flagged a second security issue (CVE-2026-109594) that can let threat actors with high privileges access or modify information stored in the GMS database through low-complexity SQL Injection attacks.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned federal agencies that attackers have started exploiting a recently patched high-severity WordPress vulnerability in the wild. Tracked as CVE-2026-119977, this high-severity WordPress Core flaw stems from a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition and was reported by Picus Security researcher Umut Bayram. Successful exploitation can let remote threat actors without privileges execute code on the server in high-complexity attacks due to predictable, web-accessible staging paths used during full-package core upgrades. "A weakness in the WordPress upgrade process which can lead to remote code execution during the upgrade window," the WordPress security team said on October 28 when it released WordPress 7.1.4 with patches to address this security issue. "Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately."
U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) adds WordPress flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added a WordPress flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-119977 (CVSS score of 8.1), to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. CVE-2026-119977 is a high-severity remote code execution vulnerability affecting WordPress versions 4.7 through 7.1.3. It stems from predictable, web-accessible staging directories used during core updates. Unauthenticated attackers could exploit a race condition to execute malicious code on the server while an update is in progress, potentially compromising the website. WordPress addressed the flaw in version 7.1.4. Threat actors began scanning for CVE-2026-119977 shortly after WordPress released the security update. Wordfence recorded more than 18,500 requests targeting vulnerable staging installer paths within the first 21 hours. However, these figures document exploitation attempts, not confirmed successful compromises. “Wordfence telemetry shows that threat actors are already actively attempting to exploit the vulnerability. The first match for our new firewall rule arrived nine minutes after deployment. During the first 21 hours, we recorded more than 18,500 requests targeting staged setup-config.php installer paths.” reads the report published by Wordfence. “Two of the largest sources repeatedly polled small groups of sites for roughly 14.5 hours, behavior consistent with trying to catch the brief upgrade window. Other sources tested many staging-directory and version-name variations.” According to Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, FCEB agencies have to address the identified vulnerabilities by the due date to protect their networks against attacks exploiting the flaws in the catalog. Experts also recommend that private organizations review the Catalog and address the vulnerabilities in their infrastructure. CISA orders federal agencies to fix the flaw by November 6, 2026. Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs – hacking, CVE-2026-119977)
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