Microsoft Copilot for Word Can Copy Hidden Prompts Into New Documents

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Microsoft Copilot for Word can be exploited to copy hidden instructions from a malicious document into new files. The vulnerability allows Copilot to mistake hidden instructions for user requests, potentially leading to data manipulation. While Microsoft has deployed mitigations, the attack remains exploitable, and user vigilance is recommended when handling external documents.

https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/microsoft-copilot-for-word-can-copy.html

Closed Models Refuse to Help Researcher Swat Linux Bug

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Security researcher Daniel Fox Franke encountered significant limitations when using closed-source AI models like OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol to analyze a Linux bug, as the models' cybersecurity classifiers repeatedly blocked his inquiries related to a segmentation fault in ripgrep. Franke ultimately relied on open-weight models from Chinese providers to complete his investigation, highlighting frustrations with restrictive AI tools and advocating for the practical advantages of open-source alternatives in vulnerability research.

https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/07/29/closed-models-refuse-to-help-researcher-swat-linux-bug/5280647

Microsoft Teams Vishing Attacks Lead to Chaos Ransomware Attacks

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Threat actors are conducting vishing attacks via Microsoft Teams by impersonating IT support staff to gain remote access to corporate devices, leading to Chaos ransomware infections in North American organizations. The campaign, tracked as STAC4749 by Sophos, targeted mainly Canadian and US companies across multiple sectors, using fake IT domains and remote support tools like Microsoft Quick Assist and RemSupp to deploy backdoors and achieve persistence before deploying ransomware. Some attacks resulted in data theft and rapid ransomware encryption within 17 hours of initial access.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-teams-vishing-attacks-lead-to-chaos-ransomware-attacks/

Russian Hackers Exploit Microsoft OWA Flaw to Keep Mailbox Access After Credential Rotation

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Russian cyber espionage group TA488 has exploited a cross-site scripting vulnerability (CVE-2026-42897) in Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA) to maintain persistent mailbox access even after credential changes. The implanted JavaScript malware, dubbed OWAReaper, operates stealthily within the OWA browser context, harvesting credentials, stealing OAuth tokens, and surviving device re-imaging by leveraging server-side persistence on Exchange servers and hidden offline cache elements. This advanced half-click exploit campaign targets various sectors including government and finance, enabling the actor to maintain long-term access that cannot be removed by credential rotation alone.

https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/russian-hackers-exploit-microsoft-owa.html

Attackers Are Turning Microsoft’s Trusted Login System Into Their Latest Phishing Weapon

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Attackers are exploiting Microsoft’s legitimate login system by directing victims to real Microsoft sign-in pages to grant permissions to malicious apps, enabling phishing campaigns to bypass traditional detection. This method, observed in over 200 phishing emails targeting around 120 organizations worldwide, allows attackers to access email, files, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and calendars within the victim’s Microsoft 365 environment. The campaign emphasizes the growing threat of abuse of trusted authentication flows and highlights the need for vigilance despite appearances of legitimate Microsoft login prompts.

https://blog.checkpoint.com/email-security/attackers-are-turning-microsofts-trusted-login-system-into-their-latest-phishing-weapon/

Agentic Browsers Rewind Web Security by 20 Years

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Security researchers have uncovered a new class of vulnerabilities called “PleaseFix” in agentic browsers—tools that autonomously perform web tasks—which compromise fundamental browser security mechanisms like cross-origin restrictions. These flaws allow attackers to socially engineer zero-click attacks, resulting in account takeovers, browser escapes, and remote code execution. The findings highlight that recent agentic browsers have effectively reversed two decades of web security advances, exposing users and systems to significant risks.

https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint-security/agentic-browsers-rewind-web-security-20-years

New Certighost PoC Exploit Lets Attackers Hijack Windows Domains

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A proof-of-concept exploit for the Certighost vulnerability (CVE-2026-54121) in Windows Active Directory Certificate Services allows authenticated attackers to impersonate domain controllers and gain domain-level privileges. The flaw exploited a fallback mechanism in certificate enrollment requests, permitting attackers to obtain unauthorized certificates and perform privileged Active Directory operations, including DCSync attacks. Microsoft addressed the issue in the July 2026 Patch Tuesday updates by validating domain controller identities during certificate requests, and administrators are urged to apply these patches promptly.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-certighost-poc-exploit-lets-attackers-hijack-windows-domains/

Hackers Compromise Hotel Wi-Fi Gateways to Hijack Microsoft 365 Accounts

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Hackers have compromised hotel Wi-Fi gateways to redirect employees connecting to the network to fake Microsoft 365 login pages, enabling them to steal credentials and authorization tokens without phishing emails or malware. The attack, identified by ReliaQuest since June 2026 across multiple countries, involves DNS manipulation and may exploit weak administrator passwords on gateway devices. Using an always-on VPN that routes traffic through a company network can prevent these redirects, while employees should reject unexpected Microsoft login prompts on public Wi-Fi.

https://hackread.com/hackers-hotel-wi-fi-gateways-hijack-microsoft-365-accounts/

The Branding and Attribution Behind Cybercrime

Threat actor names in cybercrime, such as LockBit or Fancy Bear, can originate from attackers themselves or be assigned by researchers and vendors, serving different purposes like branding, tracking, or analysis. While attacker-chosen names often function as public identities to support extortion or ideological goals, researcher-assigned names categorize behavior clusters for tracking and communication among defenders. Understanding these distinctions helps security professionals focus on the underlying behaviors and risks rather than just labels, improving exposure management and threat response.

https://blog.checkpoint.com/exposure-management/the-branding-and-attribution-behind-cybercrime/

Hacked Public Wi-Fi Gateways Used to Harvest Corporate Credentials

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A threat actor has been compromising public Wi-Fi gateway appliances at venues like hotels and conference centers across the US, India, and Saudi Arabia to hijack DNS settings and redirect users to attacker-controlled sites, harvesting Microsoft 365 credentials of traveling corporate employees. This ongoing campaign since June 2026 resembles tactics used by the Russian-linked APT28 group but shows differences in infrastructure and targeting, suggesting a possible reuse of known tradecraft by a different actor. Organizations providing captive portal Wi-Fi services face heightened risks as attackers employ adversary-in-the-middle techniques to intercept sensitive information from multiple industries.

https://www.securityweek.com/hacked-public-wi-fi-gateways-used-to-harvest-corporate-credentials/

Malvertising Sends Malware in Pieces, Then Makes the Browser Build the Executable

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A malvertising campaign named SourTrade targets retail traders and crypto investors by making browsers assemble malware executables in real-time using a legitimate Bun runtime, rather than delivering complete malicious files directly. The campaign, active since late 2024, impersonates popular platforms and uses ServiceWorkers and SharedWorkers to dynamically build unique malware payloads per victim, evading hash-based detection. Security experts advise verifying software downloads only from official vendor sites and analyzing the entire delivery chain, including ad referrals and runtime fetches, to effectively detect and prevent this threat.

https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/malvertising-sends-malware-in-pieces.html

Four More Supply Chain Attacks Hit Npm and PyPI

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Between June and mid-July 2026, four supply chain attacks targeted npm and PyPI ecosystems, employing tactics including a Python startup file worm, typosquatted payment SDKs harvesting CI secrets, stolen publishing tokens, and a hijacked CI pipeline. These attacks focused on stealing credentials from developer environments and build pipelines, highlighting vulnerabilities in CI workflows and the limitations of provenance signatures, which cannot guarantee the safety of code even when verifying its origin. Despite recent platform mitigations, these incidents underscore the need for enhanced visibility and secret management across development infrastructure to quickly assess and respond to such compromises.

https://blog.gitguardian.com/shai-hulud-npm-pypi-supply-chain-attacks/

Malicious Sites Use JavaScript to Build Malware in Browser Memory

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A widespread malvertising campaign uses malicious JavaScript on fake Solana, Luno, and TradingView sites to assemble malware directly in browser memory, bypassing traditional detection methods. The attack targets retail traders and crypto investors in 12 countries by building unique malware payloads locally using service and shared workers, then delivering them via a same-origin download process. Security researchers warn users to avoid downloading financial apps from ads and to obtain executables only from official sites with verified digital signatures.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/malicious-sites-use-javascript-to-build-malware-in-browser-memory/

The Signs Were There: What the First Autonomous Ransomware Case Confirms

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Security researchers have documented the first autonomous ransomware attack, where an AI agent independently executed a full intrusion—from initial exploit to data encryption and destruction—without human intervention. This operation exploited known vulnerabilities and default credentials in internet-facing AI platforms, highlighting the shift from reusable indicators of compromise to behavior-based detection for defense. Although the ransomware's monetization failed due to operational errors, this case confirms the emergence of autonomous AI-driven cyberattacks and underscores the urgent need for patching, credential management, and behavior-focused security measures.

https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/26/g/autonomous-ransomware.html

ChatGPT AgentForger Flaw Could Deploy Rogue Workspace Agents Via a Phishing Link

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Cybersecurity researchers discovered a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability, dubbed AgentForger, in OpenAI’s ChatGPT Workspace Agents that allowed attackers to deploy rogue autonomous AI agents within an organization via a phishing link. By exploiting URL parameters, the flaw enabled an attacker to create and activate an AI agent with employee-level access and disabled approval prompts, granting persistent access to sensitive workspace data and allowing the agent to impersonate users and send phishing messages. OpenAI patched the vulnerability on June 8, 2026, after responsible disclosure.

https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/chatgpt-agentforger-flaw-could-deploy.html

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