Greetings, We are excited to announce the release of a new episode of Share Today, Save Tomorrow – Episode 43: Behind the Code: Josh Hopkins on Building, Leading, and Leveling Up AUSCERT. In this episode, host Bek Cheb sits down with Josh, our Team Leader of Development, for an open and insightful chat about life behind the screens in cyber defence. From his unexpected journey into cyber security to leading a dynamic development team, Josh reflects on the twists and turns of his career, describes the sometimes-unpredictable nature of a typical working day, and how experimentation, collaboration, and a passion for building innovation within the team makes working at AUSCERT so unique. This episode is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This week, iiNet, owned by TPG Telecom, has confirmed that an unknown third party gained unauthorised access to iiNet’s order management system on Saturday, August 16, 2025. The breach led to the extraction of approximately 280,000 email addresses, along with 10,000 usernames, phone numbers, and nearly 1,700 modem setup passwords, though no financial or identity documents were compromised. TPG responded swiftly by isolating the breach, engaging external cyber security experts, and initiating its incident response plan immediately upon discovery. Customers are being contacted directly and urged to remain vigilant against phishing attempts. Apple fixes new zero-day flaw exploited in targeted attacks Date: 2025-08-20 Author: Bleeping Computer [AUSCERT has published security bulletins for these Apple updates] Apple has released emergency updates to patch another zero-day vulnerability that was exploited in an "extremely sophisticated attack." Tracked as CVE-2025-43300, this security flaw is caused by an out-of-bounds write weakness discovered by Apple security researchers in the Image I/O framework, which enables applications to read and write most image file formats. Cisco Patches Critical Vulnerability in Firewall Management Platform Date: 2025-08-15 Author: Security Week [AUSCERT has published security bulletins for these Cisco updates] Cisco has published more than 20 security advisories as part of its August 2025 bundled publication for Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC), Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD), and Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) products. The most serious vulnerability — based on its severity rating — is CVE-2025-20265, a critical flaw affecting the Secure FMC platform designed for managing and monitoring Cisco FTD appliances and other security solutions. TPG Telecom reveals iiNet order management system breached Date: 2025-08-19 Author: iTnews TPG Telecom has revealed that iiNet’s order management system was breached by an unknown attacker who abused legitimate credentials to gain access. The telco said that it “appears” that a list of email addresses and phone numbers was extracted from the system. The order management system is used to create and track orders for iiNet services. Microsoft: Recent Windows updates may fail to install via WUSA Date: 2025-08-18 Author: Bleeping Computer Microsoft has mitigated a known issue that caused Windows update failures when installing them from a network share using the Windows Update Standalone Installer (WUSA). WUSA is a built-in command-line tool that helps IT admins install and uninstall Microsoft Standalone Update (.msu) files through the Windows Update Agent API to deploy and remove patches, hotfixes, and updates. This known issue affects Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 systems on enterprise networks, as WUSA isn't a common method for installing Windows updates on home devices. HR giant Workday discloses data breach after Salesforce attack Date: 2025-08-18 Author: Bleeping Computer Human resources giant Workday has disclosed a data breach after attackers gained access to a third-party customer relationship management (CRM) platform in a recent social engineering attack. As the company revealed in a Friday blog, the attackers gained access to some of the information stored on the compromised CRM systems, adding that no customer tenants were impacted. ESB-2025.5731 – Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software: CVSS (Max): 10.0 A vulnerability in the RADIUS subsystem implementation of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to inject arbitrary shell commands that are executed by the device. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. ESB-2025.5888 – firefox-esr: CVSS (Max): 9.8 Multiple security issues have been found and patched in the Mozilla Firefox web browser, which could potentially result in the execution of arbitrary code, sandbox escape or bypass of the same-origin policy. ESB-2025.5881 – Linux kernel (IoT): CVSS (Max): 9.8* Several security issues were discovered and patched in the Linux kernel. An attacker could possibly use these to compromise the system. ESB-2025.5710 – IBM Security QRadar SIEM: CVSS (Max): 9.4 Vulnerable components in IBM Security QRadar SIEM (e.g., framework libraries) have been identified that may be exploited with automated tools. IBM QRadar Data Synchronization app for IBM QRadar SIEM has addressed the applicable CVEs. ESB-2025.5788 – Apache HTTP Server: CVSS (Max): 9.1 Several security issues were fixed in Apache HTTP Server that potentially allowed remote attackers to perform HTTP response splitting attacks, send outbound proxy requests to an arbitrary url, insert escape characters into log files, bypass access control, denial of service, or perform configuration changes in certain environments. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, Over the weekend of August 10–11, the University of Western Australia (UWA) was forced to lock thousands of staff and students out of its systems after detecting unauthorised access to password information. The breach prompted an immediate and large-scale security response, with all users required to reset their credentials before regaining access. The university’s critical incident management team worked through the weekend to contain the threat and has confirmed there is currently no evidence that any data beyond password details was compromised. UWA notified authorities immediately, and a full investigation is underway alongside a review of existing security measures to strengthen defences. UWA has issued an apology to those affected, stressing its commitment to swift action and transparency. This incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of data protection in Australia, following recent legal proceedings against Optus over its 2022 breach. Whilst this incident did not involve personal or sensitive information, it highlights the growing urgency for educational institutions to protect such data against evolving cyber threats. Zoom and Xerox Release Critical Security Updates Fixing Privilege Escalation and RCE Flaws Date: 2025-08-13 Author: The Hacker News [See AUSCERT bulletin: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.5516/] Zoom and Xerox have addressed critical security flaws in Zoom Clients for Windows and FreeFlow Core that could allow privilege escalation and remote code execution. The vulnerability impacting Zoom Clients for Windows, tracked as CVE-2025-49457 (CVSS score: 9.6), relates to a case of an untrusted search path that could pave the way for privilege escalation. Fortinet Warns About FortiSIEM Vulnerability (CVE-2025-25256) With In-the-Wild Exploit Code Date: 2025-08-13 Author: The Hacker News [See AUSCERT bulletin: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.5593.2/] Fortinet is alerting customers of a critical security flaw in FortiSIEM for which it said there exists an exploit in the wild. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-25256, carries a CVSS score of 9.8 out of a maximum of 10.0. “An improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command (‘OS Command Injection’) vulnerability [CWE-78] in FortiSIEM may allow an unauthenticated attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via crafted CLI requests,” the company said in a Tuesday advisory. Microsoft August 2025 Patch Tuesday fixes one zero-day, 107 flaws Date: 2025-08-12 Author: Bleeping Computer [AUSCERT has published security bulletins for these Microsoft updates] The monthly Microsoft Patch Tuesday for August contains 107 flaws, including 13 critical vulnerabilities and one publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerability in Window Kerberos. Of the 13 critical vulnerabilities, 9 are remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities, 3 are information disclosure, and 1 is elevation of privileges. The zero-day is a flaw in Microsoft SQL Server. Trend Micro reports two critical CVEs under active exploit Date: 2025-08-10 Author: The Register A critical vulnerability in the on-prem version of Trend Micro’s Apex One endpoint security platform is under active exploitation, the company admitted last week, and there’s no patch available. Trend Micro last week warned Apex One 2019 customers about CVE-2025-54948 and CVE-2025-54987, both with a CVSS score of 9.4 and both present in the platform’s web-based managed console. Australian Regulator Sues Optus Over 2022 Data Breach Date: 2025-08-08 Author: Infosecurity Magazine The Australian Information Commissioner (AIC) has launched civil action against Optus for a 2022 data breach that exposed the personal details of 9.5 million Australians. The lawsuit alleges that telecommunications firm Optus failed to take reasonable steps to protect victims’ personal information from unauthorized access and disclosure, in breach of Australia’s Privacy Act 1988. ESB-2025.5593.2 – Fortinet FortiSIEM An improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command (‘OS Command Injection’) vulnerability [CWE-78] in FortiSIEM may allow an unauthenticated attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via crafted CLI requests. ESB-2025.5622 – Cortex XDR Broker VM A credential management flaw in Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Broker VM causes different Broker VM images to share identical default credentials for internal services. ASB-2025.0155 – Microsoft Windows Microsoft has released its monthly security patch update for the month of August 2025. This update resolves 67 vulnerabilities. ESB-2025.5516 – Zoom Untrusted search path in certain Zoom Clients for Windows may allow an unauthenticated user to conduct an escalation of privilege via network access. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, New insights suggests that the recent Qantas data breach impacting an estimated 5.7 million customers may be the work of the notorious ShinyHunters hacking collective, rather than Scattered Spider, as was initially suspected. Investigators are now drawing connections between ShinyHunters and a growing wave of cyber attacks targeting Salesforce CRM platforms. Recent victims of similar attacks include Allianz Life, LVMH, Adidas, Google and now, potentially, Qantas. Reports suggest that the threat actors employed vishing techniques (voice phishing) in conjunction with modified versions of Salesforce’s Data Loader tool to extract sensitive customer records. This method demonstrates the group’s ability to combine social engineering with technical exploitation to bypass conventional security measures. Recent reports also reveal that Google suffered a breach in this same wave of attacks, with ShinyHunters allegedly using identical techniques to access Salesforce data linked to customer support operations. This reinforces the theory that the group is systematically exploiting CRM platforms and supply chain connections across multiple sectors. The Qantas breach highlights the evolving nature of cyber criminal alliances and the growing risks associated with cloud-based platforms, particularly when combined with sophisticated social engineering campaigns. Organisations using Salesforce and similar CRM systems are being urged to review access controls, monitor for anomalous activity, and strengthen employee awareness programs to reduce the risk of compromise. Organizations Warned of Vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Hybrid Deployment Date: 2025-08-07 Author: Security Week [Please also see AUSCERT bulletin: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ASB-2025.0144/] Microsoft on Wednesday informed organizations about a high-severity vulnerability affecting hybrid deployments of Exchange Server. According to Microsoft, the vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-53786, can be exploited by an attacker to escalate privileges. “In an Exchange hybrid deployment, an attacker who first gains administrative access to an on-premises Exchange server could potentially escalate privileges within the organization’s connected cloud environment without leaving easily detectable and auditable trace,” Microsoft explained. Mozilla flags phishing wave aimed at hijacking trusted Firefox add-ons Date: 2025-08-04 Author: The Register Mozilla is warning of an ongoing phishing campaign targeting developers of Firefox add-ons. The browser maker urged devs to "exercise extreme caution and scrutiny" when reviewing seemingly legitimate emails from senders pretending to be Mozilla or AMO (addons.mozilla.org). Although phishing emails can take many forms, Moz said this campaign usually lures devs into clicking through a malicious link to update their account. Failure to do so, or so the crims claim, would result in the dev losing access to developer features. Cisco discloses data breach impacting Cisco.com user accounts Date: 2025-08-05 Author: Bleeping Computer [Please also see AUSCERT bulletin: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ASB-2025.0143/] Cisco has disclosed that cybercriminals stole the basic profile information of users registered on Cisco.com following a voice phishing (vishing) attack that targeted a company representative. After becoming aware of the incident on July 24th, the networking equipment giant discovered that the attacker tricked an employee and gained access to a third-party cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system used by Cisco. Perplexity vexed by Cloudflare's claims its bots are bad Date: 2025-08-05 Author: The Register AI search biz Perplexity claims that Cloudflare has mischaracterized its site crawlers as malicious bots and that the content delivery network made technical errors in its analysis of Perplexity's operations. Akira Ransomware Hits SonicWall VPNs, Deploys Drivers to Bypass Security Date: 2025-08-06 Author: Hack Read GuidePoint Security uncovers a new Akira ransomware tactic targeting SonicWall VPNs. The group’s use of drivers to disable defenses is a significant threat to businesses. A new report by cybersecurity firm GuidePoint Security reveals a clever new method used by the Akira ransomware group to attack computer networks. Researchers found that following initial access into systems, the hackers have been using two specific software drivers to secretly disable security tools, a key step before deploying their ransomware. ESB-2025.5345 – Google Android: CVSS (Max): 8.6* Google patches critical remote code execution vulnerability in the System component in Android 10, which can be exploited without user interaction or extra privileges. ESB-2025.5401 – Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms on JEE: CVSS (Max): 10.0 Adobe released a critical security update for Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms on JEE (versions 6.5.23.0 and earlier) to address two severe vulnerabilities: an XXE flaw allowing arbitrary file system reads, and a misconfiguration‑based flaw enabling arbitrary code execution. ASB-2025.0143 – Salesforce: CVSS (Max): None Threat actors are impersonating Salesforce IT support via vishing and phishing to trick users into installing malicious connected apps, enabling data exfiltration. Impacted organizations face delayed extortion attempts and potential lateral movement to cloud services like Microsoft 365 and Okta. ASB-2025.0144 – Microsoft Exchange Server: CVSS (Max): 8.0 Microsoft has issued a warning about a high-severity vulnerability (CVE‑2025‑53786) affecting hybrid Exchange deployments, where on-premises servers share a service principal with Exchange Online. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, This week, our team participated in the annual APCERT Cyber Drill 2025 alongside 24 Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) from 18 economies This year’s theme “When Ransomware Meets Generative AI” tested the response capabilities of leading Asia-Pacific teams, emphasising the growing risks from the malicious use of this rapidly evolving technology. The simulated scenario, involving AI-generated malicious code and exploited open-source vulnerabilities, challenged participants to review and strengthen their incident response procedures. The drill highlighted the need for proactive preparedness as Generative AI reshapes the cyber threat landscape. AUSCERT is proud to support APCERT’s vision of fostering a safe and reliable cyberspace across the Asia–Pacific through global collaboration and shared expertise. The ACSC, alongside the FBI, CISA and NCSC UK, has released a new advisory on Scattered Spider — one of 2025’s most active and dangerous cybercrime groups. Linked to major breaches, the group targets large enterprises using identity-based attacks and sophisticated social engineering, including phishing, vishing, MFA fatigue, and SIM swaps. Once in, they hide behind legitimate remote access tools (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, Teleport), steal credentials, and deploy DragonForce ransomware with the intention of executing large-scale data theft. The advisory urges organisations to act now: adopt phishing-resistant MFA (like hardware keys), drop SMS or push-only authentication, tighten helpdesk verification, and monitor or restrict remote access tools. Offline, tested backups, detailed logging, and updated detection using IOCs and MITRE ATT&CK are also critical. Scattered Spider’s tactics are evolving fast. Strengthening MFA, access controls, helpdesk security and maintaining public awareness and education is essential to staying ahead. High-Severity SQL Injection (CVE-2025-52914) in Mitel MiCollab Allows Data Access, Command Execution Date: 2025-07-25 Author: Securityonline.info [AUSCERT has notified potentially affected members via email (where possible)] Mitel has released a security advisory addressing a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in its MiCollab platform—an issue that could allow authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary database commands and compromise user provisioning data. Tracked as CVE-2025-52914, the vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 8.8. The vulnerability resides in the Suite Applications Services component of MiCollab, a key unified communications platform used by businesses worldwide. Fire Ant Exploits VMware Flaws to Compromise ESXi Hosts and vCenter Environments Date: 2025-08-24 Author: The Hacker News Virtualization and networking infrastructure have been targeted by a threat actor codenamed Fire Ant as part of a prolonged cyber espionage campaign. The activity, observed this year, is primarily designed Now to infiltrate organizations' VMware ESXi and vCenter environments as well as network appliances, Sygnia said in a new report published today. CISA Warns of Exploited Vulnerabilities in Cisco Products Date: 2025-08-29 Author: Infosecurity Magazine [See AUSCERT Bulletin https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.4160.4] The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added three new vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on July 28. These include two highly critical vulnerabilities in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Software, a network security policy management platform that provides secure access control, authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) services for users and devices connecting to enterprise networks. Both vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2025-20281 and CVE-2025-20337, were discovered by security researchers working with the Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative and disclosed by Cisco on June 25. What if your passkey device is stolen? How to manage risk in our passwordless future Date: 2025-08-28 Author: ZDNET Part of the "passkeys are more secure than passwords" story is derived from the fact that passkeys are non-human-readable secrets — stored somewhere on your device — that even you have very limited access to. OK, so what happens to those passkeys if your device is stolen? ShinyHunters behind Salesforce data theft attacks at Qantas, Allianz Life, and LVMH Date: 2025-08-30 Author: Bleeping Computer A wave of data breaches impacting companies like Qantas, Allianz Life, LVMH, and Adidas has been linked to the ShinyHunters extortion group, which has been using voice phishing attacks to steal data from Salesforce CRM instances. In June, Google's Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) warned that threat actors tracked as UNC6040 were targeting Salesforce customers in social engineering attacks. In these attacks, the threat actors impersonated IT support staff in phone calls to targeted employees, attempting to persuade them into visiting Salesforce's connected app setup page. On this page, they were told to enter a "connection code", which linked a malicious version of Salesforce's Data Loader OAuth app to the target's Salesforce environment. ESB-2025.5186 – Tenable Patch Management An unauthenticated, remote attacker can exploit this to inject or manipulate SQL queries in the back-end database, resulting in the disclosure or manipulation of arbitrary data. ESB-2025.5182 – SQLite An attacker could use this issue to cause SQLite to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. ( CVE-2025-6965 ) ESB-2025.4160.4 – Cisco Products A vulnerability in an internal API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to upload arbitrary files to an affected device and then execute those files on the underlying operating system as root. ESB-2025.5156 – chromium Security issues were discovered in Chromium which could result in the execution of arbitrary code, denial of service, or information disclosure. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, We’re excited to announce the release of another episode of Share Today, Save Tomorrow – Episode 42: Jess Modini on Curiosity, Cyber Security, and Cross-Disciplinary Thinking, brought to you by AUSCERT. And for the first time, you can now watch the full interview on our YouTube channel, giving you a front-row seat to this engaging and insightful discussion. In this episode, Jess Modini shares perspectives drawn from her extensive background in cyber security, including five master’s specialisations and her current doctoral research in cyber epidemiology. She explores how concepts from computational biology and health sciences such as the spread of pathogens can mirror the behaviours of malware and cyber threats. The conversation dives deep into the parallels between public health and cyber defence, emphasising the importance of cross-disciplinary thinking in improving threat modelling and incident response. Tune in now to discover how breaking down traditional silos can lead to smarter, more resilient cyber defence. Cisco Confirms Active Exploits Targeting ISE Flaws Enabling Unauthenticated Root Access Date: 2025-07-22 Author: The Hacker News [Please also see AUSCERT bulletin: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.4160.2/] Cisco on Monday updated its advisory of a set of recently disclosed security flaws in Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) to acknowledge active exploitation. "In July 2025, the Cisco PSIRT [Product Security Incident Response Team], became aware of attempted exploitation of some of these vulnerabilities in the wild," the company said in an alert. HPE warns of hardcoded passwords in Aruba access points Date: 2025-07-20 Author: Bleeping Computer Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) is warning of hardcoded credentials in Aruba Instant On Access Points that allow attackers to bypass normal device authentication and access the web interface. Aruba Instant On Access Points are compact, plug-and-play wireless (Wi-Fi) devices, designed primarily for small to medium-sized businesses, offering enterprise-grade features (guest networks, traffic segmentation) with cloud/mobile app management. The security issue, tracked as CVE-2025-37103 and rated “critical” (CVSS v3.1 score: 9.8), impacts Instant On Access Points running firmware version 3.2.0.1 and below. Microsoft Confirms Hackers Exploiting SharePoint Flaws, Patch Now Date: 2025-07-21 Author: Hack Read [AUSCERT has published security bulletins for these Microsoft updates: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ASB-2025.0142/] [AUSCERT has identified impacted members (where possible) and contacted them via email] Microsoft has released new security updates to fix two serious vulnerabilities affecting on-premises SharePoint servers, warning that attackers are already exploiting them in active campaigns. The vulnerabilities, identified as CVE-2025-53770 and CVE-2025-53771, are not present in SharePoint Online, but on-premises environments using SharePoint 2019 and the SharePoint Subscription Edition are directly at risk. Sophos fixed two critical Sophos Firewall vulnerabilities Date: 2025-07-23 Author: Security Affairs Sophos has fixed five vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-6704, CVE-2025-7624, CVE-2025-7382, CVE-2024-13974, CVE-2024-13973) in Sophos Firewall that could allow an attacker to remotely execute arbitrary code. “Sophos has resolved five independent security vulnerabilities in Sophos Firewall. Every Critical and High severity vulnerability was remediated through hotfixes.” reads the advisory. “No action is required for Sophos Firewall customers to receive these fixes with the “Allow automatic installation of hotfixes” feature enabled on remediated versions (see Remediation section below). Enabled is the default setting.” Microsoft: Windows Server KB5062557 causes cluster, VM issues Date: 2025-07-22 Author: Bleeping Computer Microsoft is asking businesses to reach out for support to mitigate a known issue causing Cluster service and VM restart issues after installing this month's Windows Server 2019 security updates. As the company explains in a private advisory seen by BleepingComputer, the Cluster service (a system component essential to cluster operation) might fail to function correctly after installing the KB5062557 update released on July 8th. The same bug is also causing some nodes to fail when attempting to rejoin their cluster and triggering errors on systems where administrators have enabled the BitLocker Windows security feature on Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) drives. ESB-2025.4160.2 – Cisco Products: CVSS (Max): 10.0 Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to issue commands on the underlying operating system as the root user. Cisco has released software updates that address these vulnerabilities. ESB-2025.5029 – firefox-esr: CVSS (Max): 9.8 Multiple security issues have been found in the Mozilla Firefox web browser, which could potentially result in the execution of arbitrary code. It is recommended to upgrade firefox-esr packages. ESB-2025.4953 – Schneider Electric EcoStruxture IT Data Center Expert: CVSS (Max): 10.0 Successful exploitation of discovered vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to disrupt operations and access system data. The problem is corrected by updating the system. ESB-2025.4930 – Apache HTTP Server: CVSS (Max): 9.1 Several security issues were fixed in Apache HTTP Server. It was discovered that the Apache HTTP Server mod_rewrite module incorrectly handled certain substitutions. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to execute scripts in directories not directly reachable by any URL, or cause a denial of service. ASB-2025.0142 – Microsoft SharePoint Server: CVSS (Max): 9.8 Microsoft released the July Security Updates to address vulnerabilities in on-premises SharePoint Server, which allowed an authorized attacker to perform spoofing over a network. Deserialization of untrusted data in on-premises Microsoft SharePoint Server allowed an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, This week, Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party and affiliated group Trumpet of Patriots confirmed they were hit by a ransomware attack that exposed extensive personal data. The breach, discovered on June 23, compromised years of emails, identity documents, banking details, and employment history. While systems have now been secured and restored, the organisations were unable to notify all affected individuals directly. Authorities have been informed, and impacted individuals are urged to monitor their accounts, change passwords, and review past communications for any shared sensitive information. A new CyCognito study has identified the education sector as the most exposed to cyber risk across all industries, particularly in cloud infrastructure, APIs, and web applications. Vulnerability rates in education are significantly higher, 31% for cloud assets, 38% for APIs, and 35% for web apps—compared to the industry averages of 14%, 21%, and 20%, respectively. The increased risk is attributed to rapid digital transformation, reliance on legacy systems, underfunded cyber security, and small, overstretched IT teams. The fast shift to remote learning has also introduced numerous tools without adequate security controls, making educational institutions prime targets for ransomware, data breaches, and credential theft. AUSCERT, which counts many educational organisations among its members, is helping the sector mitigate these risks through timely threat intelligence, proactive alerts, expert incident response, and vulnerability notification services. By improving asset visibility and prioritising critical actions, AUSCERT supports long-term resilience in this high-risk environment. CISA tags Citrix Bleed 2 as exploited, gives agencies a day to patch Date: 2025-07-11 Author: Bleeping Computer [AUSCERT has identified the impacted members (where possible) and contacted them via email. Please see AUSCERT bulletin: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.4041.2] The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency has confirmed active exploitation of the CitrixBleed 2 vulnerability (CVE-2025-5777) in Citrix NetScaler ADC and Gateway and is giving federal agencies one day to apply fixes. Such a short deadline for installing the patches is unprecedented since CISA released the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, showing the severity of the attacks exploiting the security issue. Interlock ransomware adopts FileFix method to deliver malware Date: 2025-07-14 Author: Bleeping Computer Hackers have adopted the new technique called 'FileFix' in Interlock ransomware attacks to drop a remote access trojan (RAT) on targeted systems. Interlock ransomware operations have increased over the past months as the threat actor started using the KongTuke web injector (aka 'LandUpdate808') to deliver payloads through compromised websites. CVSS 10 RCE in Wing FTP exploited within 24 hours, security researchers warn Date: 2025-07-11 Author: The Register Huntress security researchers observed exploitation of the CVSS 10.0 remote code execution (RCE) flaw in Wing FTP Server on July 1, just one day after its public disclosure. Wing FTP Server is a cross-platform file-transfer solution, supporting FTP, FTPS, SFTP, and HTTP/S. It is used by over 10,000 customers worldwide for secure data exchange, including Airbus, Reuters, and the US Air Force, according to its website. New Fortinet FortiWeb hacks likely linked to public RCE exploits Date: 2025-07-16 Author: Bleeping Computer [See AUSCERT bulletin https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.4493] Multiple Fortinet FortiWeb instances recently infected with web shells are believed to have been compromised using public exploits for a recently patched remote code execution (RCE) flaw tracked as CVE-2025-25257. News of the exploitation activity comes from threat monitoring platform The Shadowserver Foundation, which observed 85 infections on July 14 and 77 on the next day. SonicWall SMA Appliances Targeted With New ‘Overstep’ Malware Date: 2025-07-16 Author: Security Week [AUSCERT has identified the impacted members (where possible) and contacted them via email] A threat actor that may be financially motivated has been targeting SonicWall appliances with a new piece of malware, Google’s Threat Intelligence Group warned on Wednesday. The threat actor, tracked by Google as UNC6148, has been around since at least October 2024. The hackers’ malware can enable data theft, extortion and ransomware deployment, but the researchers have not been able to definitively confirm that they are financially motivated. It’s worth noting that the lines between state-sponsored hacker attacks and financially motivated cybercrime have become increasingly blurry. ESB-2025.4716 – IBM QRadar SIEM: CVSS (Max): 7.5 IBM QRadar SIEM version 7.5.0 UP12 IF02 is impacted by multiple vulnerabilities in the gRPC and HTTP/2 protocols, which can lead to denial of service (DoS) conditions. IBM has addressed these issues via Auto Update. ESB-2025.4744 – VMware Products: CVSS (Max): 9.3 Critical vulnerabilities in VMware’s VMXNET3, VMCI, PVSCSI, and vSockets components allows local admin privileged attackers to execute code or leak memory on host systems or virtual machines. Broadcom has released patches across ESXi, Workstation, Fusion, and VMware Tools to remediate them. ESB-2025.4752 – Atlassian Products: CVSS (Max): 8.8 Atlassian’s monthly Security Bulletin covers a batch of recent high-severity vulnerabilities affecting their Data Center and Server products. Users are advised to update to the listed fixed versions for each affected product to mitigate potential risks. ASB-2025.0141 – Oracle Retail Applications: CVSS (Max): 9.8 Oracle has released patches addressing multiple critical vulnerabilities in several Oracle Retail products. Some flaws allow unauthenticated remote attackers to take full control or cause denial of service, urging immediate application of fixes. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, We’re excited to launch a brand new season of Share Today, Save Tomorrow with Episode 41 of the AUSCERT Podcast: “New Season + AUSCERT2025 Conference Wrap-Up.” In this episode, our very own Bek Cheb, Business Manager at AUSCERT, steps behind the mic to introduce the fresh new format and direction for the season ahead. Bek also shares key insights and standout moments from the AUSCERT2025 Conference held earlier this year. Whether you’re a returning listener or tuning in for the first time, this episode offers an engaging glimpse into what’s next for AUSCERT and the wider cyber security community. If you missed any presentations from AUSCERT2025 or want to revisit your favourites, don’t forget you can access the recordings now available on our YouTube Channel. From keynote speeches to technical deep dives, you can relive the most impactful moments of the conference at your convenience. Share these sessions with colleagues and peers because sharing knowledge is at the heart of strengthening our collective cyber resilience. This week, cyber criminals have launched a global scam involving over 17,000 fake news websites impersonating well-known media outlets such as CNN, BBC, and CNBC. These fraudulent sites publish fabricated articles featuring public figures ranging from world leaders to central bank governors falsely endorsing cryptocurrency investment schemes. Victims are lured via online ads to scam platforms like Eclipse Earn or Solara, which simulate legitimate trading environments but are designed solely to steal funds and personal information. These attacks are regionally-targeted (including Australia), using localised content, native language, and trusted local brands to gain credibility. Once a user engages, their data is often resold or used in future phishing campaigns. AUSCERT recommends verifying sources, avoiding unsolicited investment offers, and reporting any suspicious sites or ads to your internal security team or national cyber authority. Microsoft Patch Tuesday, July 2025 Edition Date: 2025-07-08 Author: Krebs on Security [AUSCERT has published security bulletins for these Microsoft updates] Microsoft released updates to fix at least 137 security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and supported software. None of the weaknesses addressed this month are known to be actively exploited, but 14 of the flaws earned Microsoft’s most-dire “critical” rating, meaning they could be exploited to seize control over vulnerable Windows PCs with little or no help from users. New ServiceNow flaw lets attackers enumerate restricted data Date: 2025-07-09 Author: Bleeping Computer A new vulnerability in ServiceNow, dubbed Count(er) Strike, allows low-privileged users to extract sensitive data from tables to which they should not have access. ServiceNow is a cloud-based platform that enables organizations to manage digital workflows for their enterprise operations. It is widely adopted across various industries, including public sector organizations, healthcare, financial institutions, and large enterprises. Task scams: Why you should never pay to get paid Date: 2025-07-04 Author: We Live Security Many of us have been experiencing a cost-of-living crisis for years, and the news headlines remain filled with doom-laden predictions of what the future might hold. Against this backdrop, it’s understandable why many of us are looking for a side hustle or for even a new, better-paid job. But the scammers know this, and are ready to take advantage. In 2024 alone, employment scams reported to the FBI made fraudsters over $264 million. Many of these are so-called “task scams,” where victims are actually tricked into paying a “deposit” in order to get paid. It might sound unbelievable. But it’s easier to fall for than you think. Qantas says it has been contacted by a group claiming to have stolen data of its frequent flyers Date: 2025-07-08 Author: news.com.au Qantas says it has been contacted by a group claiming to be behind the theft of the data of millions of its frequent flyers last week. The airline said in a statement late on Monday that “a potential cybercriminal has made contact” but it would not disclose if a ransom was being sought. “As this is a criminal matter, we have engaged the Australian Federal Police and won’t be commenting any further on the detail of the contact,” a Qantas spokesman said. ESB-2025.4636 – Siemens SINEC NMS Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to elevate privileges and execute arbitrary code ESB-2025.4620 – Juniper Security Director A Missing Authorization vulnerability in Juniper Networks Security Director allows an unauthenticated network-based attacker to read or tamper with multiple sensitive resources via the web interface ESB-2025.4591 – GlobalProtect App An incorrect privilege assignment vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect App on macOS devices enables a locally authenticated non administrative user to escalate their privileges to root on macOS and Linux or NT\AUTHORITY SYSTEM on Windows ESB-2025.4567 – GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition GitLab has remediated an issue that, under certain conditions, could have allowed a successful attacker to execute actions on behalf of users by injecting malicious content Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, This week, Qantas experienced a major cyber attack compromising the personal data of up to six million customers. The breach, caused by a social engineering technique known as "vishing," exploited a third-party call centre system and exposed names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and frequent flyer numbers. Crucially, no passwords, PINs, credit card details, or passport information were accessed, and multi-factor authentication continues to protect frequent flyer accounts. Qantas is actively investigating the incident and will contact affected customers directly. Meanwhile, cyber security experts urge individuals to stay vigilant against phishing attempts, use strong and unique passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and monitor their accounts for unusual activity. Support lines have been set up to assist those impacted. This incident highlights the importance of securing supply chains. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), offers a 12-principle framework to guide organisations through risk assessment, control, verification, and continuous improvement. The framework helps stakeholders set clear security requirements, embed them into contracts, and build long-term resilience. AUSCERT also offers a dedicated course on ‘Managing Third-Party Cyber Security Risk’, equipping participants with a deep understanding of third-party threats and the skills to identify, assess, and mitigate them. The course explores the business and data impacts of supplier vulnerabilities, outlines best-practice controls, and highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring and vendor assessments to ensure robust cyber security. Cisco scores a perfect 10 for a critical comms flaw Date: 2025-07-02 Author: The Register [See AUSCERT Bulletin https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.4373] If you're running the Engineering-Special (ES) builds of Cisco Unified Communications Manager or its Session Management Edition, you need to apply Cisco's urgent patch after someone at Switchzilla made a big mistake. There is an ostensible purpose behind the mistake, dubbed CVE-2025-20309, with a critical rating of 10.0. The credentials have been left in there to make development work easier, Cisco said in its advisory. Qantas discloses cyberattack amid Scattered Spider aviation breaches Date: 2025-07-01 Author: Bleeping Computer Australian airline Qantas disclosed that it detected a cyberattack on Monday after threat actors gained access to a third-party platform containing customer data. This attack comes as cybersecurity firms warn that hackers known as "Scattered Spider" have begun targeting the aviation and transportation industries. While it is unclear if this group is behind the Qantas attack, BleepingComputer has learned the incident shares similarities with other recent attacks by the threat actors. Microsoft security updates address CrowdStrike crash, kill ‘Blue Screen of Death’ Date: 2025-06-27 Author: CyberScoop Third-party antivirus software will no longer have access to the Windows kernel as Microsoft rolls out changes to reduce IT downtime from unexpected crashes or disruptions. When a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike last year caused possibly the largest IT outage in history, Microsoft ended up taking much of the blame. Hacker Conversations: Rachel Tobac and the Art of Social Engineering Date: 2025-06-30 Author: Security Week Social engineering is the art of persuasion. Mostly, this is a good thing. Misused, it can have disastrous effects. Rachel Tobac is a cyber social engineer. She is skilled at persuading people to do what she wants, rather than what they know they ought to do. Does this make her a hacker? “Yes. I am a hacker. I hack people. I hack people over the phone, via email, by text message, across social media – and occasionally in person.” Social engineers hack people rather than computers. Initial Access Broker Self-Patches Zero Days as Turf Control Date: 2025-07-03 Author: Dark Reading A likely China-nexus threat actor has been exploiting unpatched Ivanti vulnerabilities to gain initial access to victim networks and then patching the systems to block others from breaking in to the same network. ESB-2025.4269 – Sudo: CVSS (Max): 9.3 Sudo vulnerabilities in Ubuntu allow local attackers to bypass host restrictions or execute arbitrary commands as root, impacting several versions. Users are advised to update to the latest sudo package versions to resolve these issues. ESB-2025.4333 – FESTO Didactic CP, MPS 200, and MPS 400 Firmware: CVSS (Max): 9.8 A memory protection bypass vulnerability in FESTO Didactic CP, MPS 200, and MPS 400 firmware can allow remote attackers to write arbitrary code or read sensitive data. Users are advised to update to Siemens Simatic S7-1500/ET200SP firmware version 2.9.2 or higher to mitigate risks. ESB-2025.4337 – Voltronic Power and PowerShield UPS Monitoring Software: CVSS (Max): 10.0 Voltronic Power and PowerShield UPS monitoring software contain critical vulnerabilities that allow unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or shut down UPS-connected devices. CISA advises minimizing network exposure and isolate from business networks to mitigate these risks. ESB-2025.4411 – Mitsubishi Electric MELSOFT Update Manager: CVSS (Max): 8.1 Mitsubishi Electric MELSOFT Update Manager versions 1.000A to 1.012N contain vulnerabilities that are actively being exploited. Users are advised to update to version 1.013P or later to mitigate these risks. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, Cyber criminals are increasingly adopting and selling "uncensored" Large Language Models (LLMs) on dark web forums like BreachForums. Rather than building malicious AI tools from scratch, they are "jailbreaking" legitimate, powerful models from mainstream companies like xAI (the creator of Grok) and the French firm Mistral AI (creator of Mixtral). Many of these tools are being sold as WormGPT or variants with similar names and functionality, including FraudGPT and EvilGPT. On a potentially related note, research claims a 90% success rate in jailbreaking LLMs. AUSCERT is urging its members and the wider community to prepare for a surge in cyber incidents as the End of Financial Year (EOFY) approaches. Cybercriminals are once again exploiting this high-activity period—this time with more sophisticated tactics than ever before. AUSCERT has observed a sharp and consistent rise in phishing scams, particularly those impersonating trusted government and taxation agencies. The increased volume of payments, invoicing, and accounting activity during EOFY creates ideal conditions for threat actors to target already time-poor and pressured organisations. To help you stay prepared, AUSCERT has compiled key insights and practical guidance in our latest article. Read it here to learn how to better protect your organisation during this critical time. Citrix Releases Emergency Patches for Actively Exploited CVE-2025-6543 in NetScaler ADC Date: 2025-06-25 Author: The Hacker News [AUSCERT has published security bulletins for these updates: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.4172] [AUSCERT has identified the impacted members (where possible) and contacted them via email] Citrix has released security updates to address a critical flaw affecting NetScaler ADC that it said has been exploited in the wild. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-6543, carries a CVSS score of 9.2 out of a maximum of 10.0. It has been described as a case of memory overflow that could result in unintended control flow and denial-of-service. However, successful exploitation requires the appliance to be configured as a Gateway (VPN virtual server, ICA Proxy, CVPN, RDP Proxy) or AAA virtual server. Flaw in Notepad++ installer could grant attackers SYSTEM access (CVE-2025-49144) Date: 2025-06-25 Author: Help Net Security A high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2025-49144) in the Notepad++ installer could be exploited by unprivileged users to gain SYSTEM-level privileges through insecure executable search paths. There is currently no indication that the vulnerability is being leveraged by attackers, though technical details and a proof-of-concept (PoC) have been published – and redacted shortly after for security reasons. No, the 16 billion credentials leak is not a new data breach Date: 2025-06-19 Author: Bleeping Computer News broke today about "one of the largest data breaches in history," sparking wide media coverage filled with warnings and fear-mongering. However, it appears to just be a compilation of previously leaked credentials stolen by infostealers, exposed in data breaches, and via credential stuffing attacks. To be clear, this is not a new data breach, or a breach at all, and the websites involved were not recently compromised to steal these credentials. Instead, these stolen credentials were likely circulating for some time, if not for years. It was then collected by a cybersecurity firm, researchers, or threat actors and repackaged into a database that was exposed on the Internet. Reported Impersonation Scams Surge 148% as AI Takes Hold Date: 2025-06-24 Author: Infosecurity Magazine The volume of impersonation scams has soared 148% year-on-year (YoY) thanks in part to AI tools making life easier for cybercriminals, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). The US non-profit’s new 2025 Trends in Identity Report is based on analysis of identity crimes (compromise, theft and misuse) reported to it by victims from April 1 2024 to March 31 2025. Identity Is the New Perimeter: Why Proofing and Verification Are Business Imperatives Date: 2025-06-24 Author: Security Week Digital transformation has unlocked new opportunities – not just for innovation and growth, but also for cybercriminals seeking to exploit personal and sensitive information. According to the Future of Global Identity Verification report, more than two-thirds (69%) of organizations have experienced an increase in fraud attempts. Among companies with over 5,000 employees, the average annual direct cost of identity fraud is $13 million. That figure rises sharply with organizational size; for enterprises with more than 10,000 employees, 20% report annual direct and indirect identity fraud costs exceeding $50 million. ESB-2025.4180 – NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in NetScaler ADC (formerly Citrix ADC) and NetScaler Gateway (formerly Citrix Gateway). ESB-2025.4160 – Cisco Products Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to issue commands on the underlying operating system as the root user. ESB-2025.4093 – Apache Log4j Apache Log4j could be made to run programs as your login if it opened a specially crafted file. An attacker could possibly use these issues to enable the execution of arbitrary code. ( CVE-2022-23302 , CVE-2022-23305 , CVE-2022-23307 ) ESB-2025.4080 – IBM Security QRadar SIEM IBM QRadar SIEM includes vulnerable components (e.g., framework libraries) that could be identified and exploited with automated tools. These have been addressed in the update. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, As Privacy Awareness Week 2025 unfolds, it’s encouraging to see strong support across the industry. Organisations are actively engaging in meaningful conversations about the role of privacy and it’s clear that data protection is no longer just a regulatory obligation. It’s now recognised as a core business value and a collective responsibility. Creating a privacy-conscious digital environment requires genuine collaboration between industry, government, and individuals. By working together, we can build a future where data is protected, respected, and used responsibly. Here are a few key reminders: Collect Only What’s Necessary – Limit data collection to what’s essential to reduce risk and strengthen compliance. Embed Privacy in Culture – Treat privacy as a core organisational value, not just a regulatory requirement. Everyone Has a Role – From daily habits to major decisions, individual actions directly influence privacy and security. Privacy Awareness Week is more than a one-week focus – it’s a long-term commitment. By embedding privacy into our culture, practices, and mindset, we not only meet today’s standards but also lay the foundation for a safer digital future. Critical Vulnerability Patched in Citrix NetScaler Date: 2025-06-18 Author: Security Week Citrix on Tuesday announced patches for four vulnerabilities across three products, including a critical-severity issue in NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway. The critical flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-5777 (CVSS score of 9.3), is described as an out-of-bounds memory read caused by insufficient input validation. Only NetScaler deployments configured as Gateway (VPN virtual server, ICA Proxy, CVPN, RDP Proxy) or as Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) virtual server are affected, Citrix explains in its advisory. Critical Vulnerabilities Patched in Trend Micro Apex Central, Endpoint Encryption Date: 2025-06-13 Author: Security Week Trend Micro has released patches for ten vulnerabilities in Apex Central and Endpoint Encryption (TMEE) PolicyServer, including critical-severity flaws leading to remote code execution (RCE). The update for Apex Central resolves two critical bugs leading to RCE, tracked as CVE-2025-49219 and CVE-2025-49220 (CVSS score of 9.8). The security defects are similar, but were discovered in different methods, the company says. Google Chrome Zero-Day CVE-2025-2783 Exploited by TaxOff to Deploy Trinper Backdoor Date: 2025-06-17 Author: The Hacker News A now-patched security flaw in Google Chrome was exploited as a zero-day by a threat actor known as TaxOff to deploy a backdoor codenamed Trinper. The attack, observed in mid-March 2025 by Positive Technologies, involved the use of a sandbox escape vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-2783 (CVSS score: 8.3). Google addressed the flaw later that month after Kaspersky reported in-the-wild exploitation in a campaign dubbed Operation ForumTroll targeting various Russian organizations. High-Severity Vulnerabilities Patched in Tenable Nessus Agent Date: 2025-06-16 Author: Security Week Tenable has released patches for three high-severity vulnerabilities in Nessus Agent for Windows that could be exploited to perform file operations and execute code with elevated privileges. Tracked as CVE-2025-36631 (CVSS score of 8.4), the first bug could allow users logged in to non-administrative accounts to overwrite arbitrary local system files with log content, with System privileges. The second flaw, CVE-2025-36632 (CVSS score of 7.8), allows non-administrative users to execute arbitrary code with System privileges. Finally, CVE-2025-36633 (CVSS score of 8.8) allows users in a non-administrative position to arbitrarily delete local system files, also with System privileges. Microsoft: DHCP issue hits KB5060526, KB5060531 of Windows Server Date: 2025-06-17 Author: Windows Latest [See AUSCERT Bulletin https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ASB-2025.0104] Microsoft confirmed that the DHCP server service might stop responding or refuse to connect after the June 2025 Update for Windows Server. The DHCP issue affects Windows Server 2025 (KB5060842), Windows Server 2022 (KB5060526), Windows Server 2019 (KB5060531), and Windows Server 2016 (KB5061010). As per user reports spotted by Windows Latest, as soon as you install Windows Server 2016 (KB5061010) or another update listed above, you won’t be able to use the DHCP server. The DHCP server connection would immediately fail after 20-50 seconds of booting the server, but as soon as you remove the update, you’ll be able to use DHCP again. ESB-2025.3989 – Multi-Linux Manager Client Tools – CVSS (Max) 9.9 This SUSE update resolves eight vulnerabilities, fixes various bugs, contains four new features and has six security fixes. Affected products include openSUSE Leap, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop/High Performance Computing/Micro/Real Time/Server/Client Tools/Proxy/Retail Branch Server. ESB-2025.3938 – moodle – CVSS (Max) 10.0 This security fix resolves an SQL injection risk in the upstream AD0db library. The core Moodle LMS was NOT affected by this vulnerability, however as a precaution, this library has been upgraded to remove the risk entirely, in case any third party code/plugins uses the vulnerable code. ESB-2025.3926 – webkit2gtk – CVSS (Max) 9.8 This update resolves various vulnerabilities including denial of service, unexpected process crashes, exfiltrate data cross-origin, cross-site scripting attacks, and memory corruption. For Debian 11 bullseye, these problems have been fixed in version 2.48.3-1~deb11u1. It is recommend to upgrade webkit2gtk packages. ESB-2025.4024 – samba – CVSS (Max) 9.8 Several security issues were fixed in Samba. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to cause Samba to crash, resulting in a denial of service, escalate privileges, or possibly execute arbitrary code. ESB-2025.4023 – Python – CVSS (Max) 9.4 Python could be made to overwrite files from incorrectly handled tar archive extraction with the filtering option. An attacker could possibly use this issue to modify files in arbitrary filesystem locations and cause data loss. The problem can be corrected by updating the system. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, Next week is Privacy Awareness Week, running from 16 to 22 June. This annual initiative encourages individuals, organisations and government agencies to take privacy seriously and raise awareness about the importance of protecting personal information. The 2025 theme is “Privacy: It’s Everyone’s Business”, and we’re being asked to shout it from the rooftops! Led by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), Privacy Awareness Week is supported by state and territory privacy regulators as well as members of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities forum. Privacy is protected both in Australia and internationally through a range of laws. The OAIC primarily administers the Privacy Act 1988, which is the key piece of federal legislation governing the handling of personal information. In addition, each Australian state and territory has its own privacy laws that apply to their public sector agencies. A recent Help Net Security article highlights the growing threat of Vendor Email Compromise (VEC) attacks, which have led to over $300 million in attempted thefts within a year. VEC attacks involve cyber criminals impersonating trusted vendors to trick employees into actions like transferring funds or disclosing sensitive information. The report found that 72% of employees in large organisations (50,000+ staff) who read a VEC email went on to engage with it, with entry-level sales staff being particularly vulnerable. Industries like telecommunications and energy/utilities saw the highest engagement rates, and prior victims were more likely to be targeted again. The report also revealed that VEC attacks are significantly underreported—only 1.46% of advanced text-based email threats were flagged to security teams, leaving organisations unaware of many potential breaches. In regions like Europe, the Middle East and Africa, engagement with VEC was 90% higher than with BEC (Business Email Compromise) attacks, yet detection and response lag behind. Two Distinct Botnets Exploit Wazuh Server Vulnerability to Launch Mirai-Based Attacks Date: 2025-06-09 Author: The Hacker News A now-patched critical security flaw in the Wazur Server is being exploited by threat actors to drop two different Mirai botnet variants and use them to conduct distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Akamai, which first discovered the exploitation efforts in late March 2025, said the malicious campaign targets CVE-2025-24016 (CVSS score: 9.9), an unsafe deserialization vulnerability that allows for remote code execution on Wazuh servers. Critical Vulnerability Patched in SAP NetWeaver Date: 2025-06-10 Author: Security Week [AUSCERT has identified the impacted members (where possible) and contacted them via email] Enterprise software maker SAP on Tuesday announced the release of 14 new security patches as part of its June 2025 Security Patch Day, including a note addressing a critical-severity vulnerability in NetWeaver. Tracked as CVE-2025-42989 (CVSS score of 9.6), the critical bug is described as a missing authorization check in the NetWeaver application server for ABAP. Google patched bug leaking phone numbers tied to accounts Date: 2025-06-09 Author: Bleeping Computer A vulnerability allowed researchers to brute-force any Google account's recovery phone number simply by knowing a their profile name and an easily retrieved partial phone number, creating a massive risk for phishing and SIM-swapping attacks. The attack method involves abusing a now-deprecated JavaScript-disabled version of the Google username recovery form, which lacked modern anti-abuse protections. Fortinet, Ivanti Patch High-Severity Vulnerabilities Date: 2025-06-11 Author: Security Week [See AUSCERT bulletin for Fortinet: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.3786] Fortinet and Ivanti on Tuesday announced fixes for over a dozen vulnerabilities across their product portfolios, including multiple high-severity flaws. Ivanti released a Workspace Control (IWC) update to address three high-severity bugs that could lead to credential leaks. Tracked as CVE-2025-5353, CVE-2025-22463, and CVE-2025-22455, the issues exist because of hardcoded keys in IWC versions 10.19.0.0 and prior, which could allow authenticated attackers to decrypt stored SQL credentials and environment passwords. INTERPOL Dismantles 20,000+ Malicious IPs Linked to 69 Malware Variants in Operation Secure Date: 2025-06-11 Author: The Hacker News INTERPOL on Wednesday announced the dismantling of more than 20,000 malicious IP addresses or domains that have been linked to 69 information-stealing malware variants. The joint action, codenamed Operation Secure, took place between January and April 2025, and involved law enforcement agencies from 26 countries to identify servers, map physical networks, and execute targeted takedowns. "These coordinated efforts resulted in the takedown of 79 percent of identified suspicious IP addresses," INTERPOL said in a statement. "Participating countries reported the seizure of 41 servers and over 100 GB of data, as well as the arrest of 32 suspects linked to illegal cyber activities." ESB-2025.3716 – roundcube: CVSS (Max): 9.9 Debian addresses CVE-2025-49113 in Roundcube 1.4.15+dfsg.1-1+deb11u5. This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code via PHP object deserialization. ESB-2025.3819 – Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source: CVSS (Max): 9.1 Adobe has released a security update for Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source. This update resolves critical and important vulnerabilities.  Exploitation could result in security feature bypass, privilege escalation, and arbitrary code execution. ESB-2025.3831 – GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise: CVSS (Max): 8.7 GitLab addresses several high-severity vulnerabilities, including HTML injection and cross-site scripting flaws, which could lead to account takeover or unauthorized actions across GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions. ASB-2025.0104 – Microsoft Windows: CVSS (Max): 8.8 Microsoft's June 2025 Patch Tuesday addressed 66 vulnerabilities, including two actively exploited flaws. CVE-2025-33053 is a one-click WebDAV flaw that lets attackers run code remotely if a user clicks a malicious link. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team

Greetings, The Australian Government has enacted new legislation requiring certain organisations to report ransomware and cyber extortion payments within 72 hours. Effective from 30 May 2025, the law applies to businesses with an annual turnover of at least AUD $3 million, as well as all entities within the critical infrastructure sector. If an organisation is a reporting entity, as defined under Part 3 of the Cyber Security Act 2024, they must submit a report via the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) at cyber.gov.au/report within 72 hours of making a ransomware or cyber extortion payment or becoming aware that a payment has been made on their behalf. The regulation covers both monetary and non-monetary payments made in response to ransomware or extortion demands, whether paid directly or via a third party. Reports must include key details such as the nature of the incident, the attacker’s demands, contact information, communications, the payment amount and any other relevant information. The Department of Home Affairs will work with organisations to support the reporting process, identify challenges, and ensure smooth implementation. While the ASD will not enforce compliance within the first six months, it will support entities in responding to, mitigating, and recovering from cyber incidents. This legislation aims to increase transparency and strengthen Australia’s cyber resilience by improving visibility of ransomware activity and informing future protective measures. Critical 10-Year-Old Roundcube Webmail Bug Allows Authenticated Users Run Malicious Code Date: 2025-06-03 Author: The Hacker News [Please see AUSCERT bulletin: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.3551/] Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a critical security flaw in the Roundcube webmail software that has gone unnoticed for a decade and could be exploited to take over susceptible systems and execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-49113, carries a CVSS score of 9.9 out of 10.0. It has been described as a case of post-authenticated remote code execution via PHP object deserialization. Hewlett Packard Enterprise warns of critical StoreOnce auth bypass Date: 2025-06-03 Author: Bleeping Computer Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has issued a security bulletin to warn about eight vulnerabilities impacting StoreOnce, its disk-based backup and deduplication solution. Among the flaws fixed this time is a critical severity (CVSS v3.1 score: 9.8) authentication bypass vulnerability tracked under CVE-2025-37093, three remote code execution bugs, two directory traversal problems, and a server-side request forgery issue. Microsoft and CrowdStrike Launch Shared Threat Actor Glossary to Cut Attribution Confusion Date: 2025-06-03 Author: The Hacker News Microsoft and CrowdStrike have announced that they are teaming up to align their individual threat actor taxonomies by publishing a new joint threat actor mapping. "By mapping where our knowledge of these actors align, we will provide security professionals with the ability to connect insights faster and make decisions with greater confidence," Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president at Microsoft Security, said. The initiative is seen as a way to untangle the menagerie of nicknames that private cybersecurity vendors assign to various hacking groups that are broadly categorized as a nation-state, financially motivated, influence operations, private sector offensive actors, and emerging clusters. New Chrome Zero-Day Actively Exploited; Google Issues Emergency Out-of-Band Patch Date: 2025-06-03 Author: The Hacker News [Please see AUSCERT bulletin: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.3591/] Google on Monday released out-of-band fixes to address three security issues in its Chrome browser, including one that it said has come under active exploitation in the wild. The high-severity flaw is being tracked as CVE-2025-5419 (CVSS score: 8.8), and has been flagged as an out-of-bounds read and write vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript and WebAssembly engine. "Out-of-bounds read and write in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 137.0.7151.68 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page," reads the description of the bug on the NIST's National Vulnerability Database (NVD). Exploit details for max severity Cisco IOS XE flaw now public Date: 2025-05-31 Author: Bleeping Computer [See AUSCERT bulletin: https://portal.auscert.org.au/bulletins/ESB-2025.2902/] Technical details about a maximum-severity Cisco IOS XE WLC arbitrary file upload flaw tracked as CVE-2025-20188 have been made publicly available, bringing us closer to a working exploit. The write-up by Horizon3 researchers does not contain a 'ready-to-run' proof of concept RCE exploit script, but it does provide enough information for a skilled attacker or even an LLM to fill in the missing pieces. Given the immediate risk of weaponization and widespread use in attacks, it is recommended that impacted users take action now to protect their endpoints. ESB-2025.3572 – Splunk Universal Forwarder: CVSS (Max): 9.8 Splunk has addressed multiple critical and high-severity third-party package vulnerabilities in Universal Forwarder versions 9.1.9 to 9.4.2. Users are advised to upgrade to the latest fixed versions and manually remove deprecated binaries if present. ESB-2025.3573 – Splunk Enterprise: CVSS (Max): 9.8 Splunk has addressed multiple critical and high-severity CVEs by updating or removing third-party packages in Splunk Enterprise versions 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, and 9.1.9. ESB-2025.3597 – Schneider Electric Wiser Home Automation: CVSS (Max): 9.8 A critical buffer overflow vulnerability in Schneider Electric's Wiser AvatarOn and Cuadro H 5P Socket devices could allow remote code injection or authentication bypass. As these products are end-of-life, users are advised to disable firmware updates or remove them from service to mitigate risk. ESB-2025.3659 – Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE): CVSS (Max): 9.9 A critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-20286) in Cisco Identity Services Engine cloud deployments causes shared static credentials across environments, enabling unauthenticated remote attackers to access or disrupt systems. Only cloud-based Primary Admin nodes are affected; Cisco has released patches, with no workarounds available. Stay safe, stay patched and have a good weekend! The AUSCERT team