Security news, decoded.

FFmpeg has patched a newly reported “PixelSmash” issue (CVE-2026-8461), a heap out-of-bounds write in the MagicYUV decoder that can be triggered by specially crafted video files in AVI, MKV, or MOV formats. The flaw matters because it may lead to remote code execution on affected FFmpeg-based products under specific conditions (e.g., when ASLR is disabled or combined with other weaknesses), and it can also cause denial-of-service crashes; reported targets include Jellyfin and media software such as Kodi, Emby, Nextcloud, PhotoPrism, and OBS Studio. The fix is included in FFmpeg version 8.1.2, and anyone using libavcodec with MagicYUV support should update and assess exposure.

ShapedPlugin says multiple WordPress Pro plugins were backdoored in a supply chain incident after attackers tampered with its official release and licensed update distribution. The affected plugins are Product Slider Pro for WooCommerce (versions before 3.5.4), Real Testimonials Pro (version 3.2.5), and Smart Post Show Pro (versions before 4.0.2), delivered through ShapedPlugin’s Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) infrastructure at account.shapedplugin[.]com—while free versions on WordPress.org were not impacted. Security researchers link the incident to CVE-2026-10735 (CVSS 9.8) and CVE-2026-49777 (CVSS 10.0), highlighting the risk to legitimate license holders via trusted vendor updates and the potential for credential theft and persistence.

This week’s Check Point Research roundup highlights multiple incidents and vulnerabilities affecting several vendors. A supply-chain attack targeting ShapedPlugin WordPress plugins delivered a hidden malicious WooCommerce component to steal admin, database, and 2FA credentials, while Fortinet FortiSandbox flaws CVE-2026-39813, CVE-2026-39808, and CVE-2026-25089 are reported as being exploited via unauthenticated API requests. Other actively targeted issues include Microsoft Defender CVE-2026-50656, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager CVE-2026-20262, and Splunk Enterprise CVE-2026-20253, where exploitation can enable privilege escalation or remote code execution—making patching and exposure review urgent.

A heap over-read in the Squid web proxy can expose another user’s cleartext HTTP request, potentially including credentials or session tokens, to attackers who already have permission to use the same proxy. The issue, called Squidbleed, is tracked as CVE-2026-47729 and is reported to affect Squid’s default configuration, with the attack requiring access patterns tied to Squid’s FTP parsing (including an FTP server on port 21). This matters because it can break confidentiality in shared proxy environments such as offices, schools, and public Wi‑Fi; however, HTTPS traffic behind CONNECT remains opaque to Squid.

Calif.io researchers reported a long-standing memory leak issue in Squid Proxy, tracked as CVE-2026-47729, affecting the FTP handling logic dating back to 1997. By manipulating an attacker-controlled FTP server, the proxy can read past a memory buffer and potentially disclose remnants of prior users’ uncleared HTTP requests, which is especially concerning in shared proxy deployments (e.g., corporate networks, schools, and public Wi‑Fi). While the impact is mainly limited to cleartext HTTP scenarios where Squid terminates TLS, sensitive credentials and session data may still be exposed without detection.

A recent analysis from XM Cyber warns that attackers can bypass AI security controls by pivoting through outdated or misconfigured systems that the AI agent depends on. It highlights an example chain involving Apache Tomcat with CVE-2025-24813, where lack of patching can lead to credential theft, Active Directory compromise, and then access to S3 data used by the AI agent’s knowledge base. This matters because CVE-driven weaknesses in “legacy” network and identity layers can translate into full compromise of AI agent outputs without directly attacking the AI stack itself.

Attackers are actively exploiting a medium-severity information exposure weakness in the Gravity SMTP WordPress plugin (all versions before 2.1.5) tracked as CVE-2026-4020 (CVSS 5.3). The flaw allows unauthenticated access to a REST API endpoint that can return the full “System Report” JSON, including server and WordPress configuration details as well as stored connector data like API keys/tokens used for email integrations. This matters because leaked credentials could enable attackers to send emails through the compromised site and use the detailed reconnaissance to pursue further vulnerabilities; Defiant reports exploitation in the wild since early May and a surge in attempts during June.

Fortinet has responded to the ongoing FortiBleed campaign, which is reportedly targeting its customers’ firewalls and VPNs with large-scale credential harvesting rather than exploiting a new product vulnerability. The activity centers on reusing previously obtained credentials and brute-force attempts against devices with weak password practices and missing multi-factor authentication, affecting Fortinet deployments across many regions. The vendor says earlier FortiCloud SSO login bypass issues—CVE-2026-24858 and CVE-2025-59718/CVE-2025-59719—are the related defects that were patched, underscoring why users must complete the recommended remediations and harden admin/VPN access.

QiAnXin’s XLab reports that its AryStinger malware has infected at least 4,300 legacy routers and repurposes them for pre-intrusion reconnaissance and proxying (scanning, service fingerprinting, subdomain enumeration, tunneling, and on-demand command execution). The activity targets routers using Realtek RTL819X chips and exploits older, already-public issues: CVE-2013-3307 (Linksys) and CVE-2016-5681 (D-Link), with the majority of infected devices attributed to D-Link models such as DIR-850L. A separate strain was also observed against QNAP systems via CVE-2025-11837 in QNAP's Malware Remover, underscoring how unsupported networking gear can be used to build resilient attacker infrastructure.

Researchers report the AryStinger malware botnet has infected more than 4,000 outdated D-Link routers, turning them into remotely controlled “executors” used for scanning, proxying, tunneling, and command execution. The botnet targets devices with multiple known weaknesses, including CVE-2013-3307, CVE-2016-5681, and CVE-2025-11837, with primary impact on D-Link DIR-850L and D-Link DIR-818LW. This matters because compromised routers can also tamper with DNS settings, hijack browsing, and monitor traffic for potential data theft or further intrusions.

QNAP has released patches addressing 14 vulnerabilities affecting QTS, QuTS hero, QuTS cloud, and QVP devices, with issues including command injection, credential theft, and denial-of-service conditions. Reported CVE IDs include CVE-2025-66273, CVE-2025-66279, CVE-2026-22893, and CVE-2025-59382, which together enable attackers to execute commands, tamper with password reset flows, or crash services. Because NAS appliances are high-value targets reachable from the network edge, applying the fixed firmware updates (e.g., QTS 5.2.10, QuTS hero h5.2.9, QuTS cloud C5.2.9, QVP 2.8.0) is important even though no active exploitation has been confirmed.

Threat actors are actively exploiting a patched vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Gravity SMTP (installed on roughly 100,000 sites) to expose sensitive information. The issue, tracked as CVE-2026-4020 (CVSS 5.3), is an unauthenticated information disclosure flaw that can leak configuration details, secrets, and third-party email integration API keys/tokens via a REST endpoint. This matters because exposed credentials can be reused to send email through connected services, and attackers can also gather detailed system information to support follow-on attacks; the vendor fix is available in Gravity SMTP version 2.1.5.

Threat actors are exploiting an unauthenticated information disclosure vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Gravity SMTP, impacting deployments on an estimated 100,000 sites. The issue is tracked as CVE-2026-4020 and affects all versions from 2.1.4 and earlier; it was addressed in version 2.1.5 (released March 17). By accessing an exposed REST API endpoint, attackers can retrieve a detailed JSON “System Report” that may include API keys, email service credentials for providers like Amazon SES, Google, Mailjet, Resend, and Zoho, and environment/configuration details—enabling account and credential abuse and helping plan further attacks.

Microsoft researchers describe the AutoJack exploit chain, which can let a single web page hijack an AI browsing agent into remote code execution on the host by targeting the MCP WebSocket handler in AutoGen Studio. Reported impact centers on pre-release versions 0.4.3.dev1 and 0.4.3.dev2 (while the standard PyPI install of 0.4.2.2 is stated to be unaffected) and is fixed in GitHub main at commit b047730. The broader risk pattern is tied to previous findings in Microsoft ecosystems, including CVE-2026-26030 and CVE-2026-25592, underscoring that “localhost” trust boundaries can fail when agents can both browse untrusted content and reach privileged local services.

IBM X-Force published a two-year investigation into the Interlock and Rhysida ransomware ecosystem, highlighting how the two operations share multiple enabling components such as loaders, crypters, and backdoors. Interlock (tracked as Hive0163) and Rhysida (operating as RaaS since at least May 2023) reportedly show overlapping infrastructure ties, including the Supper backdoor (SocksShell or WINDYTWIST) and code similarities across families like NodeSnake, InterlockRAT, and JunkFiction. The analysis also notes exploitation of CVE-2026-20131 and CVE-2023-36036 for initial compromise and privilege escalation, underscoring why defenders should monitor the entire kill chain—not just the final ransomware payload.

A critical vulnerability in themefusion Avada (Fusion) Builder, tracked as CVE-2026-8713 (CVSS 9.1), allows unauthenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files on affected servers without login. Versions at or below 3.15.3 are impacted, and the ability to remove sensitive files can lead to full compromise of a WordPress site. Site owners should upgrade to Avada Builder v3.15.4 or later immediately, even though there is no confirmed public exploitation reported yet.

Rebora Security Research reports critical Chrome extension vulnerabilities affecting SiderAI and MaxAI, with issues tracked as CVE-WATCHTOWER. The defects, named Spyder and MaXSS, let attackers abuse extension content scripts to trigger actions without user interaction, including stealing sensitive data and issuing unauthorized commands. Because these extensions are installed on more than 10,000,000 and 1,000,000+ devices respectively, the flaws significantly increase the risk of large-scale browser compromise.

F5 issued urgent out-of-band fixes for two high-impact NGINX vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-42530 (HTTP/3 use-after-free) and CVE-2026-42055 (conditional HTTP/2 heap-based buffer overflow). Both can be triggered by a remote, unauthenticated attacker and carry a CVSS v4.0 score of 9.2, with issues affecting NGINX worker process stability and potential security impact depending on system hardening. This matters because the flaws target widely deployed HTTP/2/HTTP/3 and specific NGINX module paths, so even limited configuration exposure can still affect a large number of deployments.