Three ways to start an intelligent workflow program
Today, security, IT, and engineering teams are under constant pressure to accelerate results, reduce operational burden, and unlock the full potential of AI and automation. But just investing in tools isn’t enough. Despite 70% of employees citing freeing up time for high-value work as their primary motivation for AI automation, 88% of AI proofs of […]
Notepad++ fixes hijacked update mechanism used to deliver targeted malware
Ravi LakshmananFebruary 18, 2026Vulnerabilities/Application Security Notepad++ has released a security fix to fill the gap that advanced Chinese threat actors have exploited to hijack software update mechanisms and selectively deliver malware to intended targets. The version 8.9.2 update incorporates what maintainer Don Ho calls a “double lock” design, which aims to make the update process […]
CISA reports four actively exploited security flaws in latest KEV update
Ravi LakshmananFebruary 18, 2026Threat Intelligence/Vulnerability The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Tuesday added four security flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, citing evidence of them being exploited in the wild. Here is the list of vulnerabilities: CVE-2026-2441 (CVSS score: 8.8) – Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome allows remote attackers to […]
Researchers show Copilot and Grok can be exploited as malware C2 proxies
Ravi LakshmananFebruary 17, 2026Malware/Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity researchers have revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) assistants that support web browsing and URL fetching functions could be turned into stealth command-and-control (C2) relays. This technique could allow attackers to slip into legitimate corporate communications and evade detection. This attack technique has been demonstrated against Microsoft Copilot and xAI […]
Keenadu firmware backdoor infects Android tablets via signed OTA update
A new Android backdoor built deep into a device’s firmware can silently collect data and remotely control its operations, according to new findings from Kaspersky Lab. A Russian cybersecurity vendor announced that it discovered a backdoor called Keenadu in the firmware of devices associated with various brands, including Alldocube, and that the breach occurred during […]
SmartLoader attack uses Trojanized Oura MCP server to deploy StealC Infostealer
Ravi LakshmananFebruary 17, 2026Infostealer / Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity researchers have revealed details of a new SmartLoader campaign that involves distributing a trojanized version of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server associated with Oura Health to provide an information theft vector known as StealC. “Threat actors cloned the legitimate Oura MCP Server (a tool that connects […]
How modern SOC teams use AI and context to quickly investigate cloud breaches
hacker newsFebruary 17, 2026Cloud security/digital forensics Cloud attacks move faster than most incident response teams. The data center took some time to investigate. Teams can collect disk images, review logs, and build timelines over several days. In the cloud, infrastructure has a shorter lifespan. A compromised instance can disappear within minutes. Identity rotates. The log […]
My Day Getting My Hands Dirty with an NDR System
My objectiveThe role of NDR in SOC workflowsStarting up the NDR systemHow AI complements the human responseWhat else did I try out?What could I see with NDR that I wouldn’t otherwise?Am I ready to be a network security analyst now? My objective As someone relatively inexperienced with network threat hunting, I wanted to get some […]
Microsoft discovers ‘AI summary’ prompts to drive chatbot recommendations
Ravi LakshmananFebruary 17, 2026Enterprise security/artificial intelligence A new study from Microsoft reveals that legitimate businesses are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots via the “Summarize with AI” button. This button is increasingly being placed on websites in a way that reflects traditional search engine poisoning (AI). This new AI hijacking technique has been codenamed “AI Recommendation […]
Apple tests end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging in iOS 26.4 developer beta
Ravi LakshmananFebruary 17, 2026Encryption/Mobile Security Apple on Monday released a new developer beta for iOS and iPadOS that supports end-to-end encryption (E2EE) on Rich Communications Services (RCS) messages. This feature is currently available for testing in iOS and iPadOS 26.4 beta and will be available to customers in future updates to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and […]