Briefs

This brief details the detection of PowerShell scripts that leverage Windows API functions, a common technique employed by threat actors for process injection, token manipulation, and other evasive malicious activities to bypass traditional security controls.

Attackers may create Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policy files from abnormal processes to bypass Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) or Antivirus (AV) solutions while allowing their own malicious code to execute on compromised Windows systems, impacting defense capabilities.

This brief details a PowerShell defense evasion technique where adversaries utilize the `Start-Process` cmdlet with the `-PassThru` parameter to execute commands or programs in a hidden, background manner, enabling covert persistent access or malicious payload execution on Windows systems.

An authenticated user can exploit CVE-2022-43571, a code injection vulnerability within Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud's dashboard PDF generation component, leading to remote code execution (RCE) and potential compromise of the Splunk environment.

A critical cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-36992, affects Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud Platform, allowing attackers to achieve privilege escalation by exploiting custom URLs within Splunk dashboards via malicious POST requests to the `splunk_internal_metrics/data/ui/views` endpoint, leading to the creation of new user accounts with elevated access permissions on the Splunk server.

An attacker is attempting to enumerate valid Splunk usernames by repeatedly submitting failed authentication attempts from a single source, as detected by monitoring the `_audit` index for multiple login failures, which is a precursor to credential-based attacks like password spraying or brute force, potentially leading to unauthorized access and sensitive data exposure.

This brief identifies potential remote code execution (RCE) attempts targeting Splunk servers by exploiting CVE-2023-46214, a vulnerability related to user-supplied Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code leading to full system compromise.

A critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-45731, CVE-2024-45733) in Splunk Enterprise for Windows versions below 9.3.0, 9.2.3, and 9.1.6 allows low-privileged users to perform arbitrary file writes to the Windows system root directory (C:\Windows\System32) when Splunk is installed on a separate drive, enabling remote code execution through insecure session storage configuration.

A critical vulnerability, CVE-2024-29945, allows for the exposure of authentication tokens in debug logs within Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud, enabling an attacker with access to internal log files to gain unauthorized access, exfiltrate data, and potentially achieve full compromise of the Splunk infrastructure if unpatched versions (prior to 9.2.1, 9.1.4, and 9.0.9 for Enterprise) are in use.

This brief describes the detection of adversaries leveraging the `Get-Clipboard` PowerShell commandlet, identified through PowerShell Script Block Logging (EventCode 4104), to steal sensitive information such as credentials or PII from the Windows clipboard during the collection phase of an attack, potentially leading to unauthorized access and further compromise.

This brief details the detection of suspicious DNS queries from non-Telegram processes to api.telegram.org on Windows systems, a strong indicator of malware utilizing the Telegram Bot API for command and control (C2) communications to receive commands or exfiltrate data.

This brief identifies a detection for non-legitimate processes making DNS queries to Discord domains, indicating potential malware attempting to download additional payloads, as seen in campaigns like WhisperGate, leading to further code execution and system compromise.

Information-stealing malware such as Phantom Stealer targets WinSCP's security configuration folder to harvest sensitive SSH and FTP credentials, leading to unauthorized access to remote systems and potential lateral movement.

Roundup of Mozilla security advisories published in July 2026.

This brief details a detection strategy for processes other than legitimate FileZilla or OneDrive clients attempting to access sensitive FileZilla FTP client configuration files, specifically `recentservers.xml` and `sitemanager.xml`, leveraging Windows Security Event Log 4663 to identify potential credential theft or data exfiltration.

This brief details a hunting analytic that detects process injection attempts on Windows systems using the CreateRemoteThread technique (Sysmon Event ID 8), often employed by advanced malware like Brute Ratel C4 to evade detection and escalate privileges, by monitoring processes originating from non-standard file paths.

This brief details the detection of non-Discord applications accessing the Discord LevelDB database on Windows endpoints, a critical activity often indicative of credential theft or sensitive data exfiltration by infostealer malware, which can lead to unauthorized access to user profiles and messages.

This brief details a detection for suspicious FTP connections initiated by processes located in non-standard directories on Windows systems, a behavior indicative of malware like AgentTesla used for Command and Control (C2) or data exfiltration, leading to unauthorized data transfer and potential system compromise.

A vulnerability, identified as CVE-2026-49424, has been discovered in FreeBSD versions 14.3 (prior to 14.3-RELEASE-p16), 14.4 (prior to 14.4-RELEASE-p7), and 15.0 (prior to 15.0-RELEASE-p11) that could allow an attacker to compromise data confidentiality.

This brief describes a detection for suspicious activity on Windows systems where an uncommon or unauthorized process attempts to access browser user data profiles, a common behavior observed in Trojan Stealers like SnakeKeylogger to harvest sensitive browser information and credentials for exfiltration.

Adversaries commonly leverage file creation in the Windows `%startup%` folder (T1547.001) to establish persistence, ensuring malicious code executes automatically upon system boot or user logon, potentially leading to system compromise and unauthorized access.

This brief describes the detection of unauthorized access by non-Chrome processes to the Chrome user default folder, a behavior associated with RATs, trojans, and APTs like FIN7, aiming to exfiltrate sensitive data such as login credentials, browsing history, and cookies.

This brief details a detection analytic for the creation of executables or scripts, such as .exe, .dll, or .ps1 files, in suspicious Windows file paths like `\windows\fonts\` or `\users\public\`, a technique frequently employed by adversaries for defense evasion and persistence, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution and privilege escalation.

CVE-2026-4321 describes a critical SQL Injection vulnerability with a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8 in the Destekz product by Raera - Ankara Web Design and Digital Advertising Agency, affecting all versions through June 2nd, 2026, which remains unpatched due to the vendor discontinuing support for the product, enabling unauthenticated attackers to potentially achieve full system compromise and data exfiltration.

An incomplete fix for CVE-2026-25754 in the `@adonisjs/bodyparser` package, tracked as CVE-2026-48795, allows remote unauthenticated attackers to bypass security measures via nested prototype pollution payloads in `multipart/form-data` requests, potentially leading to authorization bypasses or remote code execution.

A high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2026-49478) in Sigstore Fulcio's OIDC discovery client allows blind Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via cross-host redirects, facilitates JWKS substitution for cache poisoning, and causes Kubernetes ServiceAccount token leakage to external attackers, potentially compromising supply chain integrity and cluster resources.

A heap buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2025-10996) in Open Babel's `OBSmilesParser::ParseSmiles` function allows attackers to achieve denial of service or arbitrary code execution by crafting and supplying a malformed SMILES input string to affected versions up to 3.1.1.

A heap buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2025-10997) in Open Babel's ChemKin parser allows an attacker to achieve memory corruption when a victim processes a specially crafted ChemKin file, potentially leading to denial of service or arbitrary code execution.

A high-severity memory-safety vulnerability (CVE-2022-42885) in Open Babel's GRO residue parser allows an uninitialized pointer dereference when processing a specially crafted GRO input file, potentially leading to application crash or arbitrary code execution.

A high-severity memory-safety vulnerability (CVE-2022-43467) in Open Babel's PQS `coord_file` parser allows an attacker to achieve an out-of-bounds write by tricking a victim into opening a specially crafted PQS file, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or denial of service in systems processing untrusted chemistry file formats.