Cybersecurity Brief

Sunday 26 July 2026

In this brief PTC, GitLab, Rockwell, Valve, +3 more
Vendors
PTC, GitLab, Rockwell, Valve
Threat actors
ShinyHunters, Cl0p, DevMan

Major Incidents or Breaches

  • Steam discussion forums are being abused in ClickFix attacks that lure users with fake fixes for gaming and computer problems, resulting in victims being infected with XMRig cryptominers [7].
  • Threat actors are sending sextortion emails demanding $2,000 in Bitcoin by leveraging email addresses exposed in data breaches leaked by the ShinyHunters extortion group [9].

Newly Discovered Vulnerabilities

  • Attackers are actively targeting a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Fastjson 1.x, a widely used Java JSON library, for which no patch is available. Exploitation can allow malicious JSON requests to execute code in affected Spring Boot applications [2].
  • A working proof-of-concept exploit for a GitLab vulnerability allowing authenticated users to execute commands as the git user on self-managed 18.11.3 servers and earlier has been published. The flaw was patched by GitLab six weeks prior [3].
  • Rockwell Automation has patched code execution vulnerabilities in its Arena Simulation Software that could be exploited by attackers to target industrial environments [12].

Notable Threat Actor Activity

  • Affiliates of the Cl0p ransomware group are exploiting unauthenticated remote code execution flaws in internet-exposed PTC Windchill and FlexPLM deployments as part of ongoing ransomware campaigns [5].
  • Russian hackers are attempting to steal emails belonging to US nuclear scientists [11].
  • The SourTrade malvertising campaign is distributing malware in fragmented pieces, leveraging malicious JavaScript to have victims’ browsers assemble the final Windows executable in memory using the legitimate Bun runtime. This approach avoids delivering a complete malicious file directly [1][8].
  • The DevMan ransomware-as-a-service portal offers affiliates a centralized web platform for building payloads, managing victim data, and handling affiliate payouts, indicating increased professionalization and streamlining of ransomware operations [6].
  • Insurance phishing campaigns are evolving from credential harvesting to real-time account hijacking, reflecting a shift in tactics to more immediate exploitation of compromised accounts [4].
  • Malicious actors are increasingly using JavaScript on fake financial and trading websites to assemble malware entirely in browser memory, reducing reliance on traditional file-based payload delivery [8].

Regulatory or Policy Developments Affecting the Security Industry

  • The US State Department has implemented a ban on known scammers from entering the United States [11].

Sources

  1. Steam forum ClickFix attacks infect gamers with XMRig cryptominers - bleepingcomputer.com
  2. ShinyHunters data leaks fuel $2,000 sextortion email scam - bleepingcomputer.com
  3. Fastjson 1.x RCE Vulnerability Targeted in Attacks With No Patched Available - thehackernews.com
  4. Researcher Publishes GitLab RCE PoC Letting Authenticated Users Run Commands as Git - thehackernews.com
  5. Rockwell Patches Code Execution Flaws in Arena Simulation Software - securityweek.com
  6. Cl0p Affiliates Target Internet-Exposed PTC Windchill and FlexPLM with Unauthenticated RCE - thehackernews.com
  7. The OpenAI Models That Hacked Hugging Face Were ‘Active on the Internet’ for Days - wired.com
  8. Malvertising Sends Malware in Pieces, Then Makes the Browser Build the Executable - thehackernews.com
  9. Malicious sites use JavaScript to build malware in browser memory - bleepingcomputer.com
  10. DevMan RaaS Portal Centralizes Payload Builds, Victim Management, and Affiliate Payouts - thehackernews.com
  11. CTM360 Research Reveals How Insurance Phishing Has Evolved Into Real-Time Account Hijacking - thehackernews.com