CCTR.1.JAN.26
Monday morning cyber coffee read CCTR.1.JAN.26. The WEF Four Futures for the New Economy: Geoeconomics and Technology in 2030 report is out. It outlines four scenarios for the global economy based on geopolitical context and the pace of technological adoption.
Across all four futures, cybersecurity shifts from an IT function to a core pillar of economic stability, national security and board accountability. In a Digitalised Order, cyber risk scales with connectivity. In Cautious Stability, it hides in legacy systems and chronic underinvestment. In Tech-based Survival, cyber becomes an active weapon. In Geotech Spheres, it fragments along geopolitical fault lines. While the report is not a cyber-focused analysis and does not predict the future, it provides a valuable stress-testing lens for boards and executives to anticipate cyber risk across different geopolitical and technology trajectories.
TRL-Alt-Int3l research has identified a threat campaign in which attackers exploited exposed FortiWeb appliances and applications vulnerable to React2Shell (CVE-2025-55182) to gain initial access. The threat actors deployed Sliver C2 for command and control and used Fast Reverse Proxy (FRP) to expose internal services externally, enabling persistence and lateral movement across affected environments. This activity highlights a significant visibility blind spot for organisations relying on edge appliances. These devices typically lack built-in AV or EDR, and organisations rarely deploy independent telemetry on them. If your security strategy assumes EDR coverage equals visibility, your edge appliances are likely your weakest link.
Treat edge appliances as high-risk endpoints, not trusted infrastructure. Aggressively patch and upgrade all internet-facing appliances. Assume breach, run purple team scenarios, and hunt for post-exploitation artefacts on edge systems https://ctrlaltintel.com/threat%20research/FortiWeb-Sliver/ IBM has released a patch and urged customers to urgently remediate a critical authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2025-13915, CVSS 9.8) in its API Connect enterprise platform. Successful exploitation allows unauthenticated threat actors to remotely access exposed applications. API gateways sit directly on the trust boundary between the internet and core services. An authentication bypass at this layer enables broad, high-impact compromise and downstream data exposure. You know the drill. Patch and hunt for signs of exploitation. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ibm-warns-of-critical-api-connect-auth-bypass-vulnerability/ Shai Hulud v3 has re-emerged with a new variant. There is currently no evidence of widespread infection, suggesting the activity may represent payload testing and an op-sec failure. Monitor for indicators associated with Shai Hulud variants. https://www.aikido.dev/blog/shai-hulud-strikes-again---the-golden-path
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