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Meta Pauses Work With Mercor After Data Breach Puts AI Industry Secrets at Risk

Major AI labs are investigating a security incident that impacted Mercor, a leading data vendor. The incident could have exposed key data about how they train AI models.

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China-Linked TA416 Targets European Governments with PlugX and OAuth-Based Phishing

A China-aligned threat actor has set its sights on European government and diplomatic organizations since mid-2025, following a two-year period of minimal targeting in the region. The campaign has been attributed to TA416, a cluster of activity that overlaps with DarkPeony, RedDelta, Red Lich, SmugX, UNC6384, and Vertigo Panda. "This TA416 activity included multiple

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Hybrid work, expanded risk: what needs to change

A practical look at securing identities, devices and applications wherever work happens

Webinar Promo The shift to hybrid work has reshaped the enterprise perimeter. Users are logging in from home networks, shared spaces and unmanaged devices, while applications span on-prem systems and multiple clouds. Traditional security models were not designed for this level of fragmentation, leaving many organizations struggling to maintain visibility and control without adding friction.…

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Microsoft Details Cookie-Controlled PHP Web Shells Persisting via Cron on Linux Servers

Threat actors are increasingly using HTTP cookies as a control channel for PHP-based web shells on Linux servers and to achieve remote code execution, according to findings from the Microsoft Defender Security Research Team. "Instead of exposing command execution through URL parameters or request bodies, these web shells rely on threat actor-supplied cookie values to gate execution,

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npm-sentinel: 21 malicious npm packages in 24h including LLM API MITM, encrypted skill backdoors, and Redis weaponization via postinstall

Built an automated npm package scanner that uses heuristic scoring + LLM analysis to flag malicious packages in real time. Ran it for 24 hours against ~2000 recent npm registry changes and found 21 malicious packages across 11 campaigns.

Four novel attack vectors documented:

  1. LLM API MITM (T1557): makecoder@2.0.72 overwrites ~/.claude/ via postinstall, reconfigures Claude Code client to proxy all API calls through attacker server. Application-layer MITM on AI assistant conversations.

  2. Encrypted skill distribution (T1027, T1105): skillvault@0.1.14 fetches encrypted payloads from private API, decrypts locally, installs as persistent Claude Code skills. Server-side swappable without npm update.

  3. AI agent as RAT (T1219, T1036.005): keystonewm/tsunami-code ship functional coding assistant CLIs routing all interactions through attacker's ngrok tunnel. Exploits AI tool trust model where users grant full filesystem access voluntarily.

  4. Redis CONFIG SET + raw disk read via postinstall (T1190, T1006): 6 fake Strapi plugins use Redis to write shell payloads to 7 directories, dd if=/dev/sda1 to extract credentials bypassing file permissions, Docker overlay traversal for container escape.

All IOCs, decoded payloads, and MITRE mappings on the site. None of the 21 packages were flagged by any public scanner at time of discovery.

submitted by /u/Busy-Increase-6144
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Using undocumented AWS CodeBuild endpoints to extract privileged tokens from AWS CodeConnections allowing lateral movement and privilege escalation through an organisation's codebase

My write up around a research project I've been doing in my spare time around investigating the security of AWS CodeConnections. This post covers the techniques I used to hook a CodeBuild job to monitor the requests the CodeBuild bootstrapping makes before user code is run. Using this information I then also show the endpoints I found that can be used to retrieve the raw GitHub App token or BitBucket JWT App token CodeConnections uses which tends to be very privileged in a lot of environments, granting far more access than to just the single repository where the CodeBuild job is being run.

submitted by /u/thomaspreece
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If you're running OpenClaw, you probably got hacked in the last week

CVE-2026-33579 is actively exploitable and hits hard.

What happened: The /pair approve command doesn't check who is approving. So someone with basic pairing access (the lowest permission tier) can approve themselves for admin. That's it. Full instance takeover, no secondary exploit needed. CVSS 8.6 HIGH.

Why this matters right now:

  • Patch dropped March 29, NVD listing March 31. Two-day window for the vulns to spread before anyone saw it on NVD
  • 135k+ OpenClaw instances are publicly exposed
  • 63% of those run zero authentication. Meaning the "low privilege required" in the CVE = literally anyone on the internet can request pairing access and start the exploit chain

The attack is trivial:

  1. Connect to an unauthenticated OpenClaw instance → get pairing access (no credentials needed)
  2. Register a fake device asking for operator.admin scope
  3. Approve your own request with /pair approve [request-id]
  4. System grants admin because it never checks if you are authorized to grant admin
  5. You now control the entire instance — all data, all connected services, all credentials

Takes maybe 30 seconds once you know the gap exists.

What you need to do:

  1. Check your version: openclaw --version. If it's anything before 2026.3.28, stop what you're doing
  2. Upgrade (one command: npm install openclaw@2026.3.28)
  3. Run forensics if you've been running vulnerable versions:
    • List admin devices: openclaw devices list --format json and look for admins approved by pairing-only users
    • Check audit logs for /pair approve events in the last week
    • If registration and approval timestamps are seconds apart and approver isn't a known admin = you got hit

Let me know if you're interested, happy to share the link.

submitted by /u/NotFunnyVipul
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Oklahoma Tax Breach and FBI Impersonation Scam: This Week in Scams

Suspects wanted by the FBI

A tax system breach in Oklahoma is putting highly sensitive personal information at risk. And unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of situation scammers love to exploit. 

Hackers reportedly accessed W-2 and 1099 files through Oklahoma’s online tax portal, according to state officials, exposing the kind of information that can open the door to tax fraud, identity theft, and highly targeted phishing attempts. 

Before the follow-up scams start rolling in, this is the kind of moment where layered protection matters. McAfee+ Advanced includes identity monitoring and data cleansup that can help alert you if your personal information starts circulating where it shouldn’t, and Scam Detector can flag suspicious messages if scammers try to use this breach as a hook. 

What Happened in Oklahoma 

According to a statement by the Oklahoma Tax Commission and reported by KOCO News 5, a local ABC affiliate, suspicious activity inside the state’s Oklahoma Taxpayer Access Point system was identified in December 2025. The agency says impacted individuals have been notified directly by mail, and complimentary credit monitoring and fraud assistance are being offered. 

When W-2s, 1099s, Social Security numbers, and tax-related records are exposed, scammers can use that information to: 

  • File fraudulent tax returns  
  • Try to open new accounts  
  • Build phishing emails or texts that feel unusually real  

Either way, the goal is the same: use real information to make the next scam more believable. 

Red Flags of a Scam After a Breach Like This 

The breach itself is real. But what often follows is a second wave of scams pretending to help. 

Watch For: 

  • Emails or texts about your “tax account” that create urgency  
  • Messages asking you to verify personal information  
  • Fake alerts about refunds, filings, or suspicious activity  
  • Links telling you to log in and “secure” your account  

That’s where people can get hit twice: once by the breach, and again by the scam that follows it. 

What To Do If You’re Impacted 

First, don’t panic. Then: 

  • Take advantage of any free credit monitoring or fraud assistance being offered  
  • Monitor your bank accounts, tax records, and credit reports closely  
  • Consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze if needed  
  • Be extra careful with any message referencing taxes, refunds, or account access 
  • Go directly to official sites instead of clicking links in emails or texts  

And that, my friends, is scam number one in this week’s This Week in Scams. 

Let’s get into what else is on our radar. 

The FBI Impersonation Scam Showing Up Across the U.S. 

Scammers pretending to be federal agents are making the rounds across the country, and this one is built to make people panic fast. 

Field offices, including Chicago and Houston, are warning the public about fraudsters posing as FBI agents in calls, texts, and emails. In some cases, the scammers claim you’re connected to an investigation. In others, they say you’re a victim of fraud and need to act immediately to protect yourself. 

Sometimes they do not stop there. They may also pretend to be bank employees working alongside the FBI, all to make the story feel more convincing and get access to your money or personal information. 

Suspects wanted by the FBI
The FBI has shared images of these suspects pretending to be agents. If you are contacted by these officials, report it to the FBI.

Why This Scam Works

This scam plays on the same pressure tactics we’ve seen over and over again: authority, urgency, and confusion. 

If someone claims to be a federal agent, many people freeze up and assume they need to cooperate immediately. That’s exactly what scammers are counting on. 

The FBI has been clear about this: federal law enforcement will not ask you for money or sensitive personal information over the phone, by text, or by email. 

The Red Flags in This Message

  • Unsolicited outreach from someone claiming to be federal law enforcement  
  • Pressure to act immediately  
  • Requests for money, gift cards, prepaid cards, or personal information  
  • Instructions to keep the conversation secret  
  • Stories involving a bank “working with” the FBI  

If it feels dramatic, high-pressure, and just a little off, trust that instinct. 

What To Do if You Get One Of These Messages

  • Do not respond  
  • Do not send money or share personal information  
  • Contact the agency directly using publicly listed contact information  
  • Save the message for your records  
  • Report it to the FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), or online at tips.fbi.gov.

This is also exactly the kind of message McAfee’s Scam Detector is built to flag before you get pulled in. 

How McAfee Helps You Stay Ahead of Scams and Breaches 

McAfee+ Advanced gives you multiple layers working together so you are not left figuring it out after the damage is done: 

  • Identity Monitoring alerts you if your personal info shows up where it should not, so you can act fast
  • Personal Data Cleanup helps remove your information from data broker sites, making you harder to target in the first place
  • Scam Detector flags suspicious texts, emails, links, and even deepfake videos before you engage
  • Safe Browsing helps block risky sites if you do click
  • Device Security helps detect malicious apps or downloads
  • Secure VPN keeps your data private, especially on public Wi-Fi  

This kind of layered protection is critical in cases like ghost student scams, where the first sign of fraud often comes after financial damage has already happened. 

Safety tips to carry into next week 

  • Be extra cautious after any real breach makes headlines  
  • Do not trust unsolicited messages just because they reference real institutions  
  • Never send money to someone claiming to be law enforcement  
  • Go directly to official websites instead of clicking links  
  • Use tools that flag suspicious messages in real time so you do not have to guess 

The reality is, scams are getting better at looking official. 

You should not have to be an expert to spot them. That’s why McAfee is here to help. We’re Safer Together.

We’ll be back next week with more scams making headlines. 

The post Oklahoma Tax Breach and FBI Impersonation Scam: This Week in Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.

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