I’ve always liked the moments when systems behave exactly the way they’re designed to. Clean logs, predictable processes, no surprises. In cybersecurity, that kind of stability isn’t luck — it’s the result of deliberate configuration, disciplined patching, and verifying that controls behave the way we expect.
This week’s headlines highlight what happens when those assumptions drift. Microsoft patched actively exploited zero-days enabling privilege escalation and remote code execution. Apple addressed WebKit flaws used to deploy spyware from malicious web content. Multiple large data exposures traced back to misconfigurations and third-party access, while credential abuse and security control tampering enabled ransomware operations. At the same time, CISA and MITRE’s Top 25 software weaknesses remind us that the most dangerous vulnerabilities are often the most familiar.
We also saw a reminder from last week’s AI security tooling confusion: new tools can accelerate defense, but they can also amplify risk if trust, validation, and operational controls lag behind adoption.
What ties these together isn’t sophistication — it’s verification. Privilege boundaries. Patch velocity. Configuration hygiene. Credential integrity. These are engineering problems before they become incident response problems.
Even small automated checks can surface early indicators of compromise or drift:
# Look for unexpected privilege escalation paths
whoami /priv
# Monitor newly added local administrators
Get-LocalGroupMember -Group “Administrators”
# Detect new startup persistence locations
Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
These aren’t glamorous controls, but they surface anomalies early — before attackers achieve durability.
🔒 Security Tip of the Week:
Continuously validate privilege boundaries and configuration state. Detection improves when verification is automated and repeatable rather than performed only during audits or incidents…find a way to automate the scripts above and you’ll be making a material improvement with very little effort!
📌 This Week’s Outlook in a Shareable Statement:
Actively exploited vulnerabilities, credential abuse, and configuration drift continue to drive real-world breaches. Organizations that prioritize patch velocity, identity integrity, and continuous verification will reduce risk before attackers gain persistence.
Thanks for taking a few minutes to stay current. Quiet, predictable systems are rarely accidental — they’re engineered that way.
-Kyle Beverly, CTO
📰 Weekly News Roundup:
Here is the most recent Cybersecurity news for the past week:
🚨 Conduent Suffers Massive Ransomware Data Breach
Government technology contractor Conduent is facing the fallout of a massive cyber breach impacting an estimated 25 million individuals across the U.S. The Safepay ransomware group has claimed responsibility, stating they exfiltrated over 8 terabytes of sensitive data, including Social Security numbers, medical histories, and health insurance details. The breach, which initially occurred between October 2024 and January 2025, went undetected for months and is currently under investigation by the Texas Attorney General.
Government technology contractor Conduent is facing the fallout of a massive cyber breach impacting an estimated 25 million individuals across the U.S. The Safepay ransomware group has claimed responsibility, stating they exfiltrated over 8 terabytes of sensitive data, including Social Security numbers, medical histories, and health insurance details. The breach, which initially occurred between October 2024 and January 2025, went undetected for months and is currently under investigation by the Texas Attorney General.
⚠️ CISA Orders Emergency Patch for Dell RecoverPoint Zero-Day
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued an emergency order requiring U.S. federal agencies to patch a critical zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-22769) in Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines. A suspected China-nexus threat cluster, UNC6201, has been actively exploiting this hardcoded credential flaw since mid-2024 to deploy a backdoor dubbed “Grimbolt,” which allows attackers persistent unauthorized access to VMware backup and recovery environments.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued an emergency order requiring U.S. federal agencies to patch a critical zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-22769) in Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines. A suspected China-nexus threat cluster, UNC6201, has been actively exploiting this hardcoded credential flaw since mid-2024 to deploy a backdoor dubbed “Grimbolt,” which allows attackers persistent unauthorized access to VMware backup and recovery environments.
🐛 SANDWORM_MODE Supply Chain Worm Targets Developers
Security researchers have uncovered an active supply chain worm campaign utilizing at least 19 malicious npm packages. The “Shai-Hulud-like” worm, dubbed SANDWORM_MODE, relies on typosquatting to mimic popular Node.js and AI development tools. Once executed, the hidden payloads harvest developer credentials, cryptocurrency keys, and API tokens, automatically propagating by abusing stolen GitHub and npm identities to expand its reach across developer environments.
Security researchers have uncovered an active supply chain worm campaign utilizing at least 19 malicious npm packages. The “Shai-Hulud-like” worm, dubbed SANDWORM_MODE, relies on typosquatting to mimic popular Node.js and AI development tools. Once executed, the hidden payloads harvest developer credentials, cryptocurrency keys, and API tokens, automatically propagating by abusing stolen GitHub and npm identities to expand its reach across developer environments.
🏥 Ransomware Attack Disrupts Mississippi Medical System
A severe ransomware attack recently struck the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), knocking out critical IT infrastructure and electronic medical records. The disruption forced the closure of all statewide clinics and the cancellation of elective procedures, requiring hospitals to revert to manual downtime protocols. Federal and state authorities, including the FBI, are actively involved as UMMC attempts to restore its systems and investigate potential patient data compromises.
A severe ransomware attack recently struck the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), knocking out critical IT infrastructure and electronic medical records. The disruption forced the closure of all statewide clinics and the cancellation of elective procedures, requiring hospitals to revert to manual downtime protocols. Federal and state authorities, including the FBI, are actively involved as UMMC attempts to restore its systems and investigate potential patient data compromises.
💳 PayPal Working Capital Bug Exposes Customer Data
PayPal has disclosed a data breach resulting from a coding error in its PayPal Working Capital (PPWC) loan application. The flaw left highly sensitive customer information, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and contact details, exposed to unauthorized individuals for over five months, spanning from July to December 2025. The company patched the vulnerable code in mid-December and has recently begun sending out formal breach notifications and offering credit monitoring to affected users.
PayPal has disclosed a data breach resulting from a coding error in its PayPal Working Capital (PPWC) loan application. The flaw left highly sensitive customer information, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and contact details, exposed to unauthorized individuals for over five months, spanning from July to December 2025. The company patched the vulnerable code in mid-December and has recently begun sending out formal breach notifications and offering credit monitoring to affected users.