Ethical Hacking News
Unprecedented cyber threats have emerged globally, with France's database breach and the 0APT ransomware attack drawing widespread attention. As AI continues to play a pivotal role in escalating the speed and efficacy of attacks, it is crucial for cybersecurity professionals and users alike to remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding against these evolving threats.
The global cybersecurity landscape has been affected by a series of high-profile attacks, highlighting the vulnerability of even seemingly secure systems. A recent attack on France's database resulted in the theft of 1.2 million records, including account numbers, addresses, and tax identification numbers. Zero-day vulnerabilities in Ivanti Endpoint Manager for Mobile (EPMM) are being actively exploited by attackers. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity threats has significantly increased exfiltration speeds and made social engineering exploits more effective. Cybercriminals have obtained sensitive information from vulnerable systems, including a vulnerability in Tenga's customer support system.
The global cybersecurity landscape has been thrust into chaos by a series of high-profile attacks that have exposed sensitive data, exploited vulnerabilities, and pushed the boundaries of threat actors' capabilities. At the heart of this crisis lies a brazen attack on France's database listing every bank account in the country, which resulted in the theft of 1.2 million records. This breach not only highlights the vulnerability of even the most seemingly secure systems but also underscores the importance of vigilance and proactive measures to prevent such incidents.
France's Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty recently revealed that an unknown attacker accessed the database using stolen credentials, which were discovered after the incident. The Ministry immediately restricted access to the compromised data, but unfortunately, the miscreant was still able to uncover sensitive information about 1.2 million accounts, including account numbers, addresses, and tax identification numbers.
The incident has sparked a robust response from French authorities, with various agencies mobilized to tackle this sort of cybercrime. Meanwhile, account holders have been warned to remain vigilant for suspicious messages, emphasizing the need for continued awareness and education in this era of rapidly evolving threats.
Beyond France's database breach, other alarming developments have emerged. Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 has reported that two zero-day vulnerabilities in Ivanti Endpoint Manager for Mobile (EPMM) – CVE-2026-1281 and CVE-2026-1340 – are being actively exploited by attackers who remain unppatched systems.
Palo Alto Network's researchers warn that these exploits can establish a reverse shell, install web shells, download malware, or conduct reconnaissance to uncover further vulnerabilities. Unit 42 cautions patching these vulnerabilities is essential and suggests installing the patches should be done with minimal downtime, thus deserving prominent attention from system owners.
Additionally, security experts have shed new light on the mysterious group known as 0APT, which initially seemed like a scammer's operation but may actually represent a legitimate threat. Researchers from Cyderes' Howler Cell threat research team warn that 0APT appears to be real and has run an active ransomware-as-a-service platform with operational payloads and an affiliate model.
Howler Cell explains that the attackers behind 0APT initially appeared to be trying to attract attention but likely sought to acquire quick reputation gains by leveraging their malicious operations. This stance underscores the ongoing evolution of AI in cybercrime, which is rapidly becoming a force multiplier for threat actors, augmenting their speed, scale, and effectiveness.
Moreover, researchers have noted an alarming acceleration in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the realm of cybersecurity threats. Unit 42's 2026 Global Incident Response Report highlights that AI has significantly increased exfiltration speeds over the past year, allowing attackers to exploit vulnerabilities within a short timeframe, often even before security teams have finished reading vulnerability advisories.
Furthermore, this increasing reliance on AI is also lowering the barrier for new actors to breach systems. By making social engineering exploits more personalized and less prone to errors, AI is helping threat actors reach a broader audience with higher success rates. Consequently, cybersecurity professionals will require constant vigilance and adaptation to counter these evolving threats effectively.
In another development, cybercriminals have taken advantage of a vulnerability in Tenga's customer support system to obtain sensitive information regarding US customers who interacted with the company's representatives. Tenga has warned its affected customers that their correspondence history and email addresses were accessed by the attackers without any financial data being exposed.
As threats continue to escalate at an unprecedented rate, it is imperative for all stakeholders to remain alert, prioritize proactive security measures, and stay informed about emerging vulnerabilities and exploits. Only through this vigilance and cooperation can we hope to safeguard against these evolving cybersecurity challenges that threaten our digital world.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Global-Cybersecurity-Alert-Unprecedented-Threats-Emerge-as-Frances-Database-Breach-and-0APT-Ransomware-Attack-Raise-Concerns-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/02/22/french_bank_hack/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/attacker-gets-into-frances-database-listing-all-bank-accounts-makes-off-with-12-million-records/ar-AA1WR9Mo
https://cybernews.com/security/france-bank-accounts-breach-ficoba/
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-1281
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2026-1281/
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-1340
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2026-1340/
Published: Sun Feb 22 18:56:12 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
