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Volexity spots another China-aligned threat group exploiting Chrome and Microsoft defects

Volexity researchers spotted another state-aligned Chinese threat group exploiting a triple-link chain of zero-day vulnerabilities across multiple campaigns, the company said in a blog post Monday.

The threat group it tracks as UTA0565 exploited the vulnerabilities in Chrome and Microsoft between Sept. 3 and 4 before the defects were disclosed or patched, researchers said.

The timing of the malicious activity mirrors other spikes threat hunters observed and attributed to multiple Chinese espionage threat groups. Yet, Volexity noted UTA0565’s campaigns differed from those attacks by using multiple fake websites to deceive victims.

Volexity shared phishing emails UTA0565 sent to Asian government entities urging them to publicly support imprisoned Hong Kong activist Chow Hang-tung. The group spoofed domains impersonating the Center for American Progress and China Digital Times in other phishing emails.

While UTA0565 showcased a variance in tactics, it used the same components researchers observed in previous instances of the exploit kit across multiple Chinese threat groups.

β€œThis seemingly widespread adoption across multiple threat actors suggests a coordinated effort within the Chinese computer network exploitation community, where the core kit was likely shared, customized, and weaponized by multiple groups,” Volexity wrote in the blog post. β€œThe activity reported so far reflects only two organizations’ observations; the full scope and impact are likely far broader.”

The vulnerabilities include: CVE-2026-85046 and CVE-2026-87491, remote-code execution defects in the JavaScript engine for Chromium-based browsers; and CVE-2026-85880, a privilege-escalation zero-day that Microsoft disclosed Sept. 8 in Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call.Β 

Proofpoint, which previously observed multiple state-aligned threat groups chaining the vulnerabilities together in attacks since last August, said a limited group of organizations were exposed to all three vulnerabilities in a short window.Β 

Proofpoint previously attributed attacks involving the zero-days to APT31, UNK_LateNight, UNK_DoubleCheck and UNK_QuietRacket. At the time it warned that attackers of other origins and motivations could strike soon as well.

Volexity said UTA0565 used a payload from a previously undocumented malware family it tracks as β€œCLEANGULP.” Researchers also found several domains likely used by UTA0565 in similar campaigns targeting media organizations, halal restaurant search websites and corporate training organizations.Β 

β€œUTA0565’s use of the zero-day vulnerabilities shows technical and operational improvements over other campaigns observed by Volexity, both in the mechanics of the exploitation and the presentation to end users,” researchers wrote. β€œUsing real content from legitimate websites as decoy material continues to be an effective way to reduce user suspicion.”

The post Volexity spots another China-aligned threat group exploiting Chrome and Microsoft defects appeared first on CyberScoop.

Microsoft Patches 18 Vulnerabilities in AI, Cloud Products

Microsoft fixed vulnerabilities across Azure and AI-branded products, with privilege escalation flaws accounting for the majority.

The post Microsoft Patches 18 Vulnerabilities in AI, Cloud Products appeared first on SecurityWeek.

Check Point, Kaspersky, Tanium Patch Product Vulnerabilities

Check Point Security Management and Log Servers are affected by a critical vulnerability that can allow remote code execution with root privileges.

The post Check Point, Kaspersky, Tanium Patch Product Vulnerabilities appeared first on SecurityWeek.

Cisco alerts customers to second actively exploited zero-day in as many days

Cisco disclosed its second actively exploited zero-day vulnerability in as many days, presenting its customers with back-to-back threats to address in unrelated products.

The latest zero-day β€” CVE-2026-76460 β€” has a maximum-severity rating and was exploited before Cisco disclosed and patched the vulnerability Wednesday. The defect in an API of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) allows a remote attacker to bypass authentication and gain full control of the affected device.

β€œISE devices enforce network access policy, so root access on the appliance lets an attacker modify that policy, extract stored credentials, delete logs, and move laterally into every network segment ISE controls,” Landon Rice, senior exploit developer at VulnCheck, told CyberScoop.

Cisco did not say how many organizations have been compromised thus far, but reported it found the vulnerability during a technical support case.Β 

β€œCisco is aware of active exploitation of this vulnerability. We strongly recommend customers upgrade to available fixed software and follow guidance in the advisory,” a Cisco spokesperson said in a statement.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency added the zero-day to its known exploited vulnerabilities catalog shortly after Cisco’s disclosure.Β 

Researchers haven’t attributed attacks involving CVE-2026-76460 to any known group or threat actor, but Rice noted Cisco ISE vulnerabilities are a recurring target.Β 

Multiple vulnerabilities affecting the Cisco product have been exploited since June 2025, including CVE-2025-20337 and CVE-2025-20281. The latest zero-day vulnerability and the pair of defects disclosed in the summer of 2025 were all rated critical with the highest rating of 10.Β 

Cisco didn’t say when the first instance of CVE-2026-76460 exploitation occurred, but the disclosure came just two days after the vendor disclosed CVE-2026-76461, an actively exploited zero-day vulnerability in Cisco Secure Email Gateway.Β 

While the two zero-days disclosed this week have consecutive CVE identifiers, there’s no indication they are connected or share any technical relationship, Rice said. β€œThese are different products and different vulnerability classes with no relation,” he added.

A Cisco spokesperson concurred with that assessment. β€œCVEs are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so consecutive numbering reflects assignment order rather than any relationship between the issues. CVE-2026-76460 and CVE-2026-76461 affect different codebases,” the spokesperson added.

Cisco published indicators of compromise to help customers hunt for attempted exploitation in their environments, and said there are no workarounds for the vulnerability.

The post Cisco alerts customers to second actively exploited zero-day in as many days appeared first on CyberScoop.

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