Good Morning Security Gang
We’ve got a loaded episode: React2Shell exploitation is surging, ransomware payments have smashed through $4.5 billion, threat groups are hiding EDR killers, Apache Tika faces a new critical flaw, and AWS IAM is being exploited through consistency delays. On top of that, Google’s locking down Gemini in Chrome, Poland arrests Ukrainian hackers, and President Trump floats an AI regulation overhaul.
Buckle up — let’s get into it.
React2Shell Exploitation Surges Across the Web
Just a day after we discussed it, React2Shell attacks are now spiking in the wild. Researchers are seeing real-world exploitation chains that start with client-side injection, DOM-based XSS, or prototype pollution, and escalate to server-side command execution via misconfigured SSR templating or debug endpoints.
The result? Customer data exfiltration, admin session hijacking, and CI/CD token theft from developer consoles. Even analytics snippets can be the entry point for these compromises.
If you’re in charge of defending web apps, you need to:
Kill dangerous DOM sinks, including
dangerouslySetInnerHTML.Enforce CSP headers with script source restrictions.
Turn on React Strict Mode and dependency auditing.
Pin your framework versions and remove debug routes.
Add WAF rules to block known React2Shell payloads and step-up MFA for admin actions.
React2Shell is shaping up to be this quarter’s Log4j moment for front-end ecosystems — except this time, it’s cross-layer and harder to detect.
Ransomware Payments Surpass $4.5 Billion
According to a new U.S. Treasury report, ransomware payments have now exceeded $4.5 billion in the past 12 months — reversing the supposed decline narrative.
This isn’t just another stat — it’s a warning that the cybercrime economy has become the world’s fourth largest economy, rivaling Japan in scale. That’s $4.5 billion that could have gone to jobs, shareholders, or innovation, instead funneling into criminal networks.
Boards are asking: “If spending is up, why are losses still rising?” And that’s a fair question. Security spending continues to climb, but attack surfaces are growing faster than defenses.
“I said it last week when I was at an event with the great Kevin Mandia and the legendary Tom Noonan – cybercrime is a $6 trillion a year business, and that number is unsustainable. That’s the fourth-largest economy in the world.” James Azar
My advice:
Review your cyber insurance policies — retention and exclusions are tightening.
Prioritize patching and MFA across all remote access points.
Enforce least privilege for service accounts and disable NTLM.
Maintain immutable backups and run time-to-restore drills.
Pre-negotiate IR retainers and outside counsel before an incident happens.
This is the financial reality of our profession — and if we don’t address it strategically, regulators and insurers will do it for us.
Threat Actors Hide EDR Killers Behind New Packer
Ransomware affiliates are now using a custom Shana.exe packer to hide EDR killers and obfuscate behavior. The packer throttles API calls, blinds heuristic sensors, and drops kernel-level drivers to terminate endpoint agents.
“Defense in depth isn’t just a slogan; it’s your only hope when EDR dies first.” James Azar
Traditional EDRs don’t stand a chance when the payload is wrapped like this. The new standard should be defense in depth at the endpoint, not “set it and forget it” EDR.
That means:
Block unsigned drivers and enable kernel-mode code integrity.
Detect service tampering and mass stop events for security services.
Use application control policies that only allow signed installers.
Alert on child processes spawned from archive managers.
James Azar’s pro tip? Layer your tools. If you’re using Defender, complement it with CrowdStrike or SentinelOne, then top it with something kernel-level like Mimic. Because single-point EDRs are becoming single points of failure.
Apache Tika Faces Critical XXE Vulnerability
Apache Tika, a library used for file indexing and content extraction, has a critical XML External Entity (XXE) injection flaw that enables Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) and file disclosure.
If exploited, attackers can extract internal credentials, system metadata, and network details simply by uploading malicious documents for parsing.
To mitigate:
Upgrade to the latest Tika release.
Disable XXE processing in parser configurations.
Run Tika in sandboxed containers with no egress access.
Restrict file parsing to read-only temp directories.
Monitor for outbound calls from Tika pods and hosts.
It’s another reminder that “utility libraries” like Tika are attack magnets — everyone uses them, but few monitor them.
Attackers Exploit AWS IAM “Eventual Consistency”
Adversaries are now abusing the propagation delay between IAM policy changes and enforcement in AWS environments. This “eventual consistency” allows attackers a brief but exploitable window (seconds to minutes) to perform actions — such as creating roles, exfiltrating data, or escalating privileges — even after permissions have supposedly been revoked.
Mitigation requires strong governance and detection-first thinking:
Use session policies and permission boundaries.
Apply deny-by-default guardrails at the organization level.
Enable real-time alerts for IAM key creation and assume-role events.
Quarantine suspicious accounts and rotate credentials to zero during incidents.
Even cloud automation comes with latency — and attackers are living in those milliseconds.
Google Hardens Chrome’s Gemini AI
Google is tightening Chrome’s AI guardrails to block prompt injection attacks that abuse browser-integrated AI assistants. Chrome’s Gemini AI now uses stricter origin isolation and refuses cross-domain reads triggered by malicious sites.
Organizations should:
Enable Chrome AI security policies enterprise-wide.
Restrict which extensions and origins can access AI features.
Log all AI agent exports for compliance and auditing.
Google’s move reflects a growing recognition: AI security is browser security now.
Poland Arrests Ukrainian Hackers with Advanced Equipment
Polish police arrested three Ukrainian nationals using advanced hacking gear, including RF devices, rogue AP kits, and skimmer-style electronics. The group targeted retail, hospitality, and transport venues, deploying rogue Wi-Fi networks to harvest credentials and credit card data.
The suspects posed as IT contractors, using Flipper Zero devices and custom laptops for intrusions. The arrests follow a rise in Ukrainian-Russian-aligned sabotage cases in Poland — a stark reminder of how cybercrime thrives in geopolitical shadows.
For enterprises:
Train staff to avoid unknown Wi-Fi networks.
Audit guest network segmentation.
Disable SSID auto-connect on corporate devices.
Europe is becoming a cyber proxy battlefield, and retail networks are now prime soft targets.
Trump Administration Moves Toward Federal AI Regulation
President Trump has hinted at a new AI Executive Order that would preempt state-level AI regulations, establishing a single federal standard for risk disclosure, compliance, and model safety.
He said: “We’re going to win in AI — we can’t have 50 states doing 50 different rules.”
As I said on the show, Mr. President — while you’re at it, how about a federal data breach notification law and national privacy regulation? It’s time we stopped making enterprises juggle 50 different disclosure frameworks.
A unified federal standard could finally reduce compliance fragmentation — and cost.
Action List
⚛️ Patch React apps and enforce strict CSP and dependency audits.
💰 Review ransomware playbooks and rehearse decision trees.
🔒 Implement multi-layered EDR with kernel-level protection.
📂 Patch Apache Tika and sandbox file parsing services.
☁️ Harden IAM governance and monitor AWS CloudTrail in real time.
🌐 Enable Chrome AI isolation and log AI actions.
🇵🇱 Train staff on rogue Wi-Fi awareness and validate physical security.
🤖 Track upcoming AI and privacy federal regulation changes.
James Azar’s CISO’s Take
Today’s show was about layers — technical, regulatory, and strategic. React2Shell shows how fast the exploit-to-execution window has become. Ransomware economics show that we’re funding our own adversaries. And the arrest in Poland reminds us that geopolitics and cybercrime are two sides of the same coin.
My biggest takeaway? We’re fighting two wars — one in the network, one in the balance sheet. Boards want ROI, attackers want payout, and practitioners are stuck in the middle trying to build resilience while staying under budget. Our job as CISOs isn’t just to stop breaches — it’s to make sure when they happen, they don’t bankrupt the business or the mission.
Stay alert, stay caffeinated, and as always — stay cyber safe.
