Google Play Early Access is being abused to push thousands of deceptive apps, including fake casino and reward apps promoted via social media.
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PaperCut Attacker Uses Hundreds of AI Agents to Compromise 440+ Instances
A suspected Russian-speaking cyber actor has been attributed to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to devise exploits targeting a recently disclosed pair of security flaws in PaperCut NG/MF and break into hundreds of instances.
According to independent reports from Blackpoint Cyber and GreyNoise, the activity originates from “45.142.193[.]132,” an IP address that has been linked to unauthorized port scanning and brute-force attack attempts in recent weeks. It’s worth noting the same IP address was also flagged by Arctic Wolf in connection with the exploitation activity last week.
“At this time, we cannot confirm the exact end goal of this campaign,” Nevan Beal, principal MDR analyst at Blackpoint, told The Hacker News. “The threat actor’s methodology is consistent with initial-access activity, but we do not yet have sufficient evidence to confirm whether they are operating as an initial access broker.”
New Android malware encrypts files, steals data, and harasses victims
A new Android malware strain called Mantax Otax combines ransomware and spyware capabilities to encrypt files, steal sensitive data, and spam and harass victims.
Indonesian operators distribute the malware through malicious APKs hosted outside Google Play, targeting users with phishing and social engineering messages.
After installation, the malware requests permission to use the Accessibility service, which gives it extensive control over compromised devices.
Microsoft Excel KB5002914 update breaks copy and paste for some users
Microsoft Excel users report that this week’s KB5002914 Office security update is breaking copy-and-paste operations and formula dragging, with affected users saying that removing or rolling back the update restores normal functionality.
Microsoft released the security update this week as part of its September 2026 Patch Tuesday, and reports of the problem soon appeared on both Reddit and the Microsoft Q&A forums.
“It seems that security update kb5002914 might have bricked autofill and copy paste in Excel 2016,” a Reddit user reported.
New U-M Histotripsy Center to target kidney, pancreatic, brain cancers
The University of Michigan is getting a $10 million boost to research and expand the use of histotripsy, a medical advance pioneered on the Ann Arbor campus that uses precisely targeted ultrasound waves to destroy cancerous tumors without damaging surrounding tissue.
Already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat liver tumors, U-M leaders say the money will be used to advance the technology and research so histotripsy could become a future treatment option for people with kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain tumors, hemorrhagic stroke, blood clots, epilepsy and more.
“Michigan is at its best when our brightest minds connect to tackle the most consequential challenges of our time,” said U-M President Domenico Grasso during a Sept. 10 news conference, announcing the $10 million donation from multiple sources, including the university’s engineering department, private donors and HistoSonics, the U-M startup that commercialized the technology.