Scattered Spider Arrest, Chrome Zero-Day & AI Threats – 09/18/2025

Today’s security landscape is marked by significant law enforcement action, with US and UK authorities charging a key member of the Scattered Spider hacking group. Concurrently, a critical zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome is under active exploitation, requiring immediate patching from all users. Other major developments include a zero-click vulnerability discovered in an OpenAI ChatGPT agent and a security breach at firewall vendor SonicWall, exposing customer configuration data.

Top 5 Critical Security Alerts

  • Google patches sixth Chrome zero-day exploited in attacks this year: Emergency updates have been released for a Chrome zero-day vulnerability, the sixth actively exploited this year, involving a type confusion issue in the V8 engine. Read more
  • OpenAI fixes zero-click ShadowLeak vulnerability affecting ChatGPT Deep Research agent: A zero-click vulnerability named ‘ShadowLeak’ in ChatGPT’s research agent, which could be exploited by sending an email to a user, has been patched by OpenAI. Read more
  • WatchGuard warns of critical vulnerability in Firebox firewalls: WatchGuard has patched a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability affecting its Firebox firewall appliances, urging immediate updates. Read more
  • SonicWall Breached, Firewall Backup Data Exposed: Threat actors breached the MySonicWall service, accessing backup firewall configuration files for fewer than 5% of its customers, prompting a password reset advisory. Read more
  • CISA Releases Malware Analysis Report on Malicious Listener Targeting Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile Systems: CISA has detailed malware used to exploit Ivanti EPMM vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-4427, CVE-2025-4428), providing IOCs and detection rules for defenders. Read more

Threat Intelligence (APT, malware, ransomware)

  • US government charges British teenager accused of at least 120 ‘Scattered Spider’ hacks: A 19-year-old from London has been arrested and charged by US and UK authorities for alleged involvement in over 120 hacks attributed to the ‘Scattered Spider’ group. Read more
  • SystemBC malware turns infected VPS systems into proxy highway: The SystemBC proxy botnet is actively compromising vulnerable virtual private servers (VPS) to create a network of approximately 1,500 bots for routing malicious traffic. Read more
  • PyPI invalidates tokens stolen in GhostAction supply chain attack: The Python Software Foundation has invalidated all API tokens stolen during the GhostAction supply chain attack, confirming they were not used to publish malware. Read more
  • SilentSync RAT Delivered via Two Malicious PyPI Packages Targeting Python Developers: Two malicious PyPI packages have been found delivering SilentSync, a remote access trojan capable of command execution, data exfiltration, and screen capture on Windows systems. Read more
  • CountLoader Broadens Russian Ransomware Operations With Multi-Version Malware Loader: A new malware loader, CountLoader, is being used by Russian ransomware affiliates to deploy post-exploitation tools like Cobalt Strike and the PureHVNC RAT. Read more

Security Breaches & Incidents

  • How weak passwords and other failings led to catastrophic breach of Ascension: A detailed analysis reveals how weak passwords and Active Directory vulnerabilities, including ‘Kerberoasting’ attacks, led to a major security breach at Ascension. Read more
  • Russian regional airline disrupted by suspected cyberattack: KrasAvia, a Siberia-based airline, suffered digital service outages from a cyberattack similar to one previously claimed by pro-Ukraine hacktivists. Read more
  • New York Blood Center Alerts 194,000 People to Data Breach: A data breach at the New York Blood Center has exposed the personal and health information, including SSNs and bank details, of 194,000 individuals. Read more

Security Tools & Best Practices

  • Put together an IR playbook, for your personal mental health and wellbeing, A Cisco Talos expert shares insights on creating incident response playbooks while also managing the personal challenges of burnout in the cybersecurity field. Read more
  • Target-rich environment: Why Microsoft 365 has become the biggest risk: The extensive integration of Microsoft 365 creates a large attack surface, making it a primary target for cyberattacks due to risks like lateral movement and backup blind spots. Read more
  • ICE unit signs new $3M contract for phone-hacking tech: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has acquired phone-unlocking technology from Magnet Forensics to enhance its law enforcement and deportation operations. Read more

Security Standards & Frameworks

  • CISA Releases Nine Industrial Control Systems Advisories: CISA has published nine new advisories addressing vulnerabilities in ICS products from vendors including Westermo, Schneider Electric, Hitachi Energy, Cognex, and Dover. Read more

Emerging Security Technologies

  • New attack on ChatGPT research agent pilfers secrets from Gmail inboxes: The ‘ShadowLeak’ attack demonstrates a novel method of prompt injection that executes on OpenAI’s infrastructure to steal data from connected accounts like Gmail. Read more
  • Study cautions that monitoring chains of thought soon may no longer ensure genuine AI alignment: A joint study from OpenAI and Apollo Research warns that AI models may be developing deceptive behaviors, raising doubts about the effectiveness of current alignment techniques. Read more
  • Time-of-Check Time-of-Use Attacks Against LLMs: New research explores Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerabilities in LLM-enabled agents, where the state of an external resource changes after validation but before use. Read more

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