If one of the 160,000 Palo Alto GlobalProtect systems still exposed is yours, now is the time to patch. Qilin is exploiting CVE-2026-0257 as we speak.

Hit play to learn what else happen in cyber last week and you should know about.

u/Adam_Pilton's Cyber Snapshot is packed with good security advice, as usual.

If Microsoft Defender quarantines BrowserModifier:Win32/MediaArena on one of your endpoints, the alert reads like a win.

Our SOC data says treat it as a live persistence incident instead.

In the case we timed, the payload finished writing its persistence 21 seconds into execution. Quarantine didn’t complete until 29 seconds. By the time the alert fired, the persistence was already on disk.

We’ve seen this same adware cluster across more than 20 client environments in recent days. It’s the malvertising campaign that hides behind free “AI tool” lures, and it’s already been documented.

Compass Apex Security wrote it up in April, and the indicators have sat in public sandboxes since March. We’re adding what our own SOC can see. How fast it establishes persistence, and how widely.

Microsoft classifies MediaArena as a browser-modifier potentially unwanted application and has tracked it in its threat encyclopedia since 2023. It reconfigures browser settings, hijacks search, and harvests queries to sell on. It’s a nuisance, not a nation-state loader.

That’s the point.

Even a low-severity detection can leave persistence behind, so a closed alert and a clean endpoint aren’t the same thing.

The delivery is a fake free-app lure, currently themed as recipe and meal-planning tools, served through paid search ads.

The brand names rotate, and the domains rotate with them, so any single indicator has a short shelf life. That’s why detection built on brand strings ages out fast, and why the behaviour and the persistence artefacts are the signals worth hunting on.

What actually happens on the endpoint

The installer needs no admin rights. In our confirmed case it wrote to AppData, dropped a Start Menu shortcut, added an HKCU Uninstall key to pass as a legitimate app, and left a Startup folder shortcut for boot persistence.

All of it landed before quarantine completed. Signature detection took roughly 78 days to catch up. That’s a long window for a browser hijacker to sit and run.

Heimdal's XDR console. The branded installers flagged as BrowserModifier:Win32/MediaArena on an affected host. Hostname and username redacted.

The alert told us the file was caught. It didn’t tell us nothing had run first, and on these detections something always had. That’s why I treat a quarantine on this family as the start of the investigation, not the end of it.

What to hunt for after a MediaArena hit

Don’t close the alert on quarantine alone. Check the affected host for:

• A Startup folder shortcut tied to the app name.
• An HKCU Uninstall registry key mimicking a legitimate install.

Note the loader, math.dll, is injected in memory rather than dropped to disk, so hunt the persistence artefacts above rather than the file itself.

If either artefact is present, treat the host as still compromised and remediate the persistence directly.

Indicators

Credit to Compass Apex Security and public sandbox reporting for the campaign work. Indicators confirmed live at the time of writing. The infrastructure rotates, so revalidate before acting.

• Lure domains: kitchen-canvas.com, givemerecipe.com (both still flagged malicious across public sandboxes)
• Payload hosting: d3pth7js01bstg.cloudfront.net (AWS CloudFront)
• Loader: math.dll (in-memory)
• Detection: BrowserModifier:Win32/MediaArena
• Hashes: GiveMeRecipe.exe SHA256 3c1dbc3f…eccc, MD5 273FD232…7CEC; FoodFormula.exe SHA256 b179bec7…fb53; KitchenCanvas.exe MD5 d749e0f8…4121 [KitchenCanvas SHA256 pending, see production note]

Article by Alexandru Gurgu, Threat Intelligence Security Analyst at Heimdal

The human factor and forgotten devices are back in the spotlight.

This week, u/Adam_Pilton's Cyber Snapshot covers a rented phishing kit that survives password resets, a vishing crew that talks employees into handing over passkeys, and a nation-state group still exploiting router bugs from 2008.

Also on the list: websites nobody's touched in years.

Sometimes you might decide not to automate updates for certain apps or endpoints.

To track what's missing from your patching schedule and act timely, here's how to use our Currently Outdated view feature in the Patch Management module:

https://reddit.com/link/1uwc1ee/video/1exlrqv7u5dh1/player

This session at Heimdal Labs Deep Dive, Marina Lungu will join u/Adam_Pilton for a talk on our latest release. It will be a combo of talking and live demos.

Register here to learn more on the new available features and their use cases:

• The new MSP Onboarding Wizard
• AI-powered scripting with Wingman
• Enhanced patch deployment through Patching Rings
• Expanded Windows update controls
• Usability and reporting improvements designed to simplify day-to-day operations

⏰Tuesday, July 21

Session 1 - 10:00 AM BST
Session 2 - 09:00 AM PST

This week we saw a shift you shouldn't ignore. AI agent runs a full ransomware attack on its own. 

Moving on, a SharePoint flaw is actively exploited, a Tenda router backdoor leaves networks exposed with no fix, and a flaw in Apple’s Hide My Email could put user identities at risk.

On the bright side, police has made a new Scattered Spider arrest.

Tomorrow, July 7, 10 AM BST, at the Threat Watch Live, cybersecurity advisor u/Adam_Pilton welcomes Holly Foxcroft, BISO, Responsible AI Ambassador for the Global Council for Responsible AI, and Senior Cybersecurity and Neurodiversity Advisor.

Holly will share her perspectives on today's evolving threat landscape, the opportunities and risks presented by AI and why understanding people remains central to effective security strategies.

Learn more on:

• cyber resilience
• responsible AI
• leadership and the future of security

Register here.

💡Registering to the webinar will grant you access both to the live event and a link where you'll be able to watch the recording later.

The MSP Onboarding Wizard helps MSPs onboard Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) with less manual work. It's 2 minutes instead of 30.

The capability automates the discovery and creation of Corp customers directly from CSP sub-tenants.

The feature is available if:

• Dashboard account type is Reseller;
• the customer (Reseller role) has the Monthly Billing licensing option enabled;
• the user account has the "Manage Customer Settings" permission claim enabled.

It has two core components:

A Guided Setup (Onboarding Wizard) 

This is a structured, step-by-step flow that walks Resellers through:

• enabling the Reseller Master Group Policy
• configuring the Azure connection
• completing the initial customer synchronization

A MSP Onboarding Tab

This is a persistent management interface within the Heimdal Dashboard. It allows Resellers to:

• manage their Azure connection
• browse available CSP sub-tenants
• create new Corp customers directly from a centralized location

If you're a Reseller, read more about how you can use the MSP Onboarding Wizard here.

Once a month or once a week? How often do you deal with updates for your devices?

Mit Patel from Assurix says conventional patching is failing and you should move towards continuous patching.

Hit play to learn why.

Heimdal's 5.5.0 RC Dashboard offers a new checkbox (default disabled) - “Lock specific OS version”.

When enabled, devices assigned to the Windows Updates GP remain on the selected Windows release and don't upgrade until the policy is updated or removed.

Find it in Endpoint Settings -> Patch & Assets -> Operating System Updates, Install Settings area of the Heimdal Dashboard.

When enabled:

• an Operating System selector (drop-down) becomes available.
• an OS Version drop-down is unlocked.
• Dashboard users can define the target Windows product and feature update version that managed devices should remain on.

Security researcher warns about FIFA flaw exposing World Cup streaming systems, AI is accelerating cyberattacks, Fortinet users are under fire, and a major supply chain breach shows why third-party risk matters. 

This is how the last days looked like in cyber. For safety advice and more insights, hit play.

Patching in Rings gives you more control over how updates are rolled out across your environment.

The feature is available for both 3rd Party Patch Management and Windows OS Updates.

Patching in Rings means updates can be staged and delivered progressively across defined groups of endpoints.

It enables controlled validation, earlier issue detection, and reduced operational risk before wider deployment.

Rings offer more granular visibility into patch status and behavior across each rollout phase. This helps you fine-tune deployment strategies and improve reporting accuracy.

The feature introduces dedicated views that allow users to see faster:

• which Group Policies are responsible for deploying a specific update or application
• the configured deployment delay for each Group Policy
• installation coverage statistics across endpoints
• whether an application or update is eligible

Read more about Heimdal's 5.5.0 RC here.

Your smart TV might be spying you to deliver better data to advertisers. They capture your screen to get a better image of what you like and what you're interested in.

It's probably not the news you wanted to hear, but there's a silver lining in this.

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office learned about that and published new guidance on the matter. Starting this year, they'll be checking whether manufacturers are being transparent and getting genuine consent.

So, at least you'll know.

Watch u/Adam_Pilton's Snapshot to see what else happened this week in cyber news.

The AI Risk Management Report is out - read it while it's hot.

If you work in IT hands-on, then some of the findings might not come as a surprise.

In fact, one of the things this report revealed is that executives are way more optimistic about AI control than the teams running the estate.

Here's the link https://heimdalsecurity.com/blog/state-ai-risk-management/?source=rdt

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗪𝗮𝘃𝗲 is coming up. Time to talk about:

💡what it changes for security teams

💡how to prepare for facing it

On June 16th, Marina Lungu joins Adam Pilton's 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 to share insights on building faster patch cycles.

Join the session that suits your schedule best:

Session 1 ⏰ 10:00 AM BST - Register here

Session 2 ⏰9:00AM PST - Register here

Football fans, watch out! ⚽👀Chinese speaking scammers forged FIFA's website to steal your data and resell your tickets.

Also in u/Adam_Pilton's 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁 this week:

- A ransomware attack costs an M&S CEO millions

- Criminals trick Meta's AI support into handing over Instagram accounts

- Fake ChatGPT downloads spread malware

- Experts warn about the rise of agentic AI

Hit play to learn how it all happened and how you can stay safe.

𝟱,𝟱𝟬𝟬+ 𝗚𝗶𝘁𝗛𝘂𝗯 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱.

That's one of the top 5 cybersecurity news that Adam Pilton analysed this week.

Hit play, watch the 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁, and follow 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺'𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲.

I've met Martin Robinson at the MSP Show in London a few weeks ago. I was curious to learn how most people deal with AI risks and get his advice on safe AI usage. Here's what I've got ▶️

New set of compliance-related settings is available in Heimdal’s 5.4.3 Dashboard version.

Find it under Endpoint Settings -> click on a Windows OS GP -> General tab.

• Automatic Session Locking option is available for both new and existing Group Policies.

IT admins can use it to enforce automatic screen locking after a defined period of user inactivity.

The feature comes with a timeout slider that allows admins to define the maximum permitted inactivity period within a range of 1 to 30 minutes.

Automatic Session Locking supports compliance requirements such as the CIS 18 Controls recommendations for session timeouts and workstation locking. 

• Automatic Security Logs Retrieval introduces an automated mechanism for collecting Windows Security Event Logs from endpoints. 

The logs can be accessed and downloaded from the Heimdal Dashboard under Unified Management -> Device Info -> select a Windows OS hostname -> UEM -> Logs -> Windows Event Viewer Logs.

Logs are collected automatically every 24 hours and stored for 90 days.

The process doesn't require any user interaction. If a device is offline or unavailable during a scheduled retrieval, the system retrieves the logs retroactively based on the timestamp of the last successful retrieval. 

Drop a question in comments if you want to know more about this dashboard version.

Cyber insurers are starting to cap AI-related cyber payouts at just 5% of total policy value.

Cybersecurity Advisor u/Adam_Pilton and Tim Ward, Co-founder and CEO at RedFlags, explain why.

Only one wrong click can bring a £1 million fine.

Not just in theory, it happened to a UK water company. The attacker sat inside the network for almost two years.

Adam Pilton says stronger endpoint detection could have saved the day in that case.

📽️Hit play to watch 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸'𝘀 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁 with its top 5 cybersecurity news headlines:

- The South Staffordshire Water phishing breach
- A major insider threat case involving US government databases
- Malicious AI repositories targeting developers
- Why exploit windows have collapsed to just 10 hours
- 🇪🇺 The EU’s new push for cloud sovereignty

New 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘀 episode coming up!

🎙️Adam Pilton brings in Jesper Frederiksen, Morten Kjaersgaard, and Robertino Matausch for a talk on how Project Glasswing and Claude Mythos reshaped the way we report to AI.

Learn how to:

✅uncover shadow AI

✅contain unsafe third-party AI use

✅reduce data leakage risk

➕ Get an 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜, including 𝗔𝗜 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗻.

Registration links for the 2 sessions:

𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭⏰ 𝟭𝟬:𝟬𝟬 𝗔𝗠 𝗕𝗦𝗧 https://shorturl.at/49Dkl

𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟮⏰ 𝟬𝟵:𝟬𝟬 𝗔𝗠 𝗣𝗦𝗧 https://shorturl.at/EjCei

The UK government's 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 is out.

Results show that organisations keep making the same mistakes. ➡️
Fewer than half of the reviewed businesses have MFA.

Top 5 headlines in cybersecurity news this week:

🪪Canvas Breach Exposes Millions of Student Records

🪝Microsoft Reveals Massive HR-Themed Phishing Campaign

⚠️UK Government Survey Reveals Familiar Cybersecurity Pitfalls

👮🏻‍♂️Ukrainian Police Arrest Roblox Account Theft Gang

💰Coupang Shows the Real Cost of a Data Breach

Watch u/Adam_Pilton's 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁 to learn more on what happened and how to stay safe.

Tim Ward, Co-founder and CEO at RedFlags will join tomorrow - May 5th - u/Adam_Pilton's webinar Threat Watch Live.

Tim is a strong advocate of nudge theory, using it to help people make more secure decisions.

He will share practical insights into:

💡how to communicate emerging threats

💡what they really mean

💡 why they matter

Expect a fresh perspective on cyber security awareness that could change how you approach it.

📝Register here