CERT-In warns of AI-assisted attacks on Indian financial firms, while a backdoored ARTEX Docker image exposes 62 consoles to root access.
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OpenSSH flaw lets attackers log into password-disabled Linux accounts
A newly disclosed flaw involving OpenSSH and musl, dubbed “*sshole,” allows attackers to log in to certain Alpine Linux and other musl-based Linux accounts configured to block password authentication simply by entering an oversized password.
The flaw only affects OpenSSH servers running on Linux distributions that use the musl C library, including Alpine Linux, OpenWrt, Buildroot, and Yocto, under certain authentication configurations.
Security researcher Ozgun Kultekin, who discovered and released details on the vulnerability today, says the flaw has existed since 2016 and stems from how OpenSSH handles password verification errors on systems using the musl C library.
Fake OpenAI, SpaceX events used to steal Microsoft, Google accounts
Hackers are using fake OpenAI, SpaceX, and Anthropic event invitations to lure employees into phishing attacks, using two different phishing-as-a-service platforms to steal Microsoft and Google account credentials and authentication sessions.
According to a new report from Push Security, the attackers use convincing event registration pages offering free access to premium AI services and other rewards to trick victims into signing in with their corporate accounts.
What makes the attacks interesting is that the same phishing pages integrate two separate phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platforms, Kali365 and VoidProxy, to target Microsoft and Google accounts using different authentication attacks.
Nearly 1.5 million exposed secrets targeted in new revocation program
Truffle Security has launched the Secrets Revocation Program, a free initiative that helps API key issuers revoke 1.4 million publicly exposed secrets that remain valid.
Since 2022, the company has discovered secrets embedded in public repositories, packages, container images, datasets, and applications.
Earlier this year, Truffle Security reported that it had found 543,000 valid credentials leaked in public GitHub repositories.
Hackers backdoor Linux servers using trojanized CWP web server
A new Linux malware called CWPdoor is being distributed through a trojanized version of cwpsrv, the web server behind the Control Web Panel (CWP) management interface.
CWPdoor acts as a passive backdoor that sits dormant on the compromised system until the attacker sends a specially crafted request.
Researchers at XLab, the cybersecurity research arm of QiAnXin Technology Group, describe CWPdoor as “exceptionally stealthy” due to its passive triggering and log suppression feature.
New physics model speeds up spacecraft plume simulations by 200 times
Flexcompute has developed a faster way to simulate how rocket thruster exhaust impacts nearby spacecraft in orbit.
The firm has introduced its new Physics Twin for Space Plume Impingement, powered by a Physics World Model.
According to the company, the tool is designed to help mission teams with complex rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), such as autonomous docking, satellite servicing, and refueling. It evaluates thruster exhaust risks (forces, heating, erosion, and contamination) on nearby spacecraft.
Autonomous microfactory turns digital files into DNA for power-free preservation
According to projections, the volume of digital data created, captured, copied and consumed worldwide will reach 175 zettabytes (ZB) in 2026. This is equivalent to the storage capacity of billions of hard drives, such as those found in our laptops. With the rise of artificial intelligence, this global ‘datasphere’ continues to expand at an exponential rate.
Thanks to its remarkable storage capacity and longevity, synthetic DNA is emerging as a potentially revolutionary medium for storing information.
“In theory, one gram of DNA could store the equivalent of the digital collections of the world’s largest libraries for tens of thousands of years,” explains Pierre-Yves Burgi, deputy director of the Division of Information and Communication Systems and Technologies (DISTIC) at UNIGE.
Scientists build virtual Earth to help search for alien life
A virtual Earth model simulates 5 billion years of planetary evolution to help identify signs of life on distant worlds.
Stronger cholesterol treatment shrinks more plaque in heart arteries, new clinical trial finds
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which cholesterol and fat gradually accumulate inside the walls of medium and large arteries, forming a sticky deposit called plaque. As these deposits grow, they narrow the arteries, restricting the flow of oxygen-rich blood to vital tissues and organs. Over time, this buildup can lead to ischemic heart disease (IHD) or stroke. In a recent randomized clinical trial called FLOWPROMOTE, researchers present a strategy to reverse atherosclerosis partially.
They tested whether aggressively lowering bad cholesterol in newly diagnosed patients using cholesterol-lowering statins can shrink and reverse plaque buildup in heart arteries. Over an 18-month treatment period, participants either took atorvastatin 40 mg daily, a standard high-dose statin, or rosuvastatin 40 mg plus ezetimibe 10 mg daily, a stronger statin combined with a medicine that blocks cholesterol absorption in the gut.
Plaque buildup in the heart’s arteries isn’t necessarily a point of no return because bringing cholesterol levels down aggressively can actually make existing plaques shrink. With combination therapy, 90% of patients saw their plaque volume decrease, compared with 75% on standard treatment. The findings are published in JAMA Cardiology.
Can We Build Life From Scratch? A First-of-Its-Kind Cell Is Raising New Questions About the Edge of Existence
36-gene cell can copy its DNA and divide—but its creator still doesn’t consider it alive.