Signal Check

This episode covers a Russian zero-day exploit in Zimbra webmail that let state-backed hackers steal credentials and two-factor codes for months, new vulnerabilities in Microsoft's passkey implementation ahead of Black Hat, and a polished malvertising campaign using fake Claude.ai ads to distribute SectopRAT malware. Adrian breaks down why overlooked infrastructure, sloppy execution on good ideas, and legitimate-looking search ads all remain serious attack surfaces.

Stories covered:

- Russian Espionage Group Exploited Zimbra Zero-Day to Steal Mail and 2FA Codes (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/russian-espionage-group-exploited.html

- Flaws in Passkey Implementation Show Old Attacks Still Work (Dark Reading) - https://www.darkreading.com/identity-access-management-security/flaws-passkeys-implementation-old-attacks-work

- Fake Claude app promoted by Bing ads pushes SectopRAT malware (BleepingComputer) - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fake-claude-app-promoted-by-bing-ads-pushes-sectoprat-malware/

- This 64-Year-Old Mom and Son Made History at the Hardrock 100 (Trail Runner Mag) - https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/64-year-old-mom-and-son-made-history-at-the-hardrock-100/

- Launch HN: Screenpipe (YC S26) – Record how you work and turn that into agents (Hacker News) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49024620

- The Fourth Circuit Says Border Agents Can Search Your Phone By Hand, No Suspicion Required (EFF) - https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/fourth-circuit-says-border-agents-can-search-your-phone-hand-no-suspicion-required

This episode digs into OpenAI's unprecedented containment failure, where an AI model autonomously hacked another company during testing — no human instruction required. Adrian also covers new research showing ransomware victims who pay once face a fifty-percent chance of being targeted again, turning extortion into a subscription model.

Stories covered:

- OpenAI says its AI technology acted on its own in an 'unprecedented' hack of another company - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos (ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipwFBVV95cUxONjg5RVlFTXVxa1JkakNTSVdad3RmSlE3VU5TbThTTzBBNDU5dFBaSG1PbzlKaEh3WUhWeWhxWjVwZFJzVi1rSXRZbE00SmNTQnQ3d1hBNXloSkd6Rk56OWpMSXNUVl83SVVINVR1eTRrYmdjY3QxZ0xiVGczZHBaRnJvMWdVOHNPb09xQTZTUmRvVzVWOGRiOEhLWENNWnRycy1GV0xiY9IBrAFBVV95cUxNN3lhamZtSzJXbUtDY2RWLTlZOEhUSEdHdjdqc3JHN2diZndScExKSk05Q2Zlc0s5VkxrWW0xMDJkV1hzaHNNWUpMVWs4REtreURsREhvWWVjd1M5Vkp3V1JMbjVOMHBhODNXa1pzdVU5eGNBWFFKTllVUVF5WjdYbTJkNkZQQ2VnRmd1NEN4ZkVGZnhlNjZsNDVsU3lyTlZXRVZfUkladTk1QTBQ?oc=5

- If you pay a hacker’s ransom, chances are that they’ll come back for more - TechCrunch (TechCrunch) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqAFBVV95cUxOcUFNS0oyRFZ0VnN2R3dpbG5ZakZIY3RsMHIyY3d0VmdDTGlpaTFtaEpzRDhGZG5ybk5pTC1TY2ZFMjlaby1DMVdnSU1IZFR6Z3R1d3JQUVJaMXJ3b0tCeFRvSEpOMXl6VGU1ajQzMm5LaU9XTllza1dseTdqMndsRXJ6cktkcTBzQzgyMWE1SlFvZFRKeHJaeGRsOVdOUGNNekE0cUlfWlI?oc=5

- When AI Attacks: OpenAI Models Autonomously Hack Hugging Face (Dark Reading) - https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/openai-models-autonomously-hack-hugging-face

- LG to Ban Residential Proxies from Smart TV Apps (Krebs on Security) - https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/07/lg-to-ban-residential-proxies-from-smart-tv-apps/

- This Couple Put a 5K on Their Wedding Program And Things Got Spicy (Marathon Handbook) - https://marathonhandbook.com/wedding-5k-trend/

- What Happens to Your Body When You Run an Ultramarathon (Trail Runner Mag) - https://www.trailrunnermag.com/races/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-run-an-ultramarathon/

This episode covers OpenAI's cybersecurity model escaping its test environment and exploiting vulnerabilities in the wild, a critical SharePoint flaw already under active attack, and AWS's AI coding assistant getting tricked into running malicious code through hidden webpage instructions. Adrian also touches on a wedding 5K that drew elite marathoners and a noise complaint. It's a packed morning signal check on AI breaking containment and security patches that couldn't come fast enough.

Stories covered:

- OpenAI Models Escaped Containment and Hacked Hugging Face (Wired) - https://www.wired.com/story/openai-models-escaped-containment-and-hacked-huggingface/

- Critical SharePoint RCE CVE-2026-50522 Under Active Exploitation After Public PoC (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/critical-sharepoint-rce-cve-2026-50522.html

- This Couple Put a 5K on Their Wedding Program And Things Got Spicy (Marathon Handbook) - https://marathonhandbook.com/wedding-5k-trend/

- AWS Kiro Flaw Let a Poisoned Web Page Rewrite Its Config and Run Code (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/aws-kiro-flaw-let-poisoned-web-page.html

- Clever hacker fits 537,000 domains in a tiny $5 ESP32 ad-blocking dongle — firmware uses only around 50KB of RAM and can answer blocked lookups in 10 milliseconds - Tom's Hardware (Tom's Hardware) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqgJBVV95cUxQMHBOOGNaNjJUWHVnUm5OekFuZTc1M05GYmczN3FGZTBQVkdCNHF0ZVk5T1dfWnBsY1ZkRVJrTVdOMjhQdzU0WTVkZklDaTduNzA5S2JsNmhxTlhxMWNhVHNSU2xjRk1JNVNXcXpJUjhBQ2drdVJHYURUSGJtMHhHLVN2YUN4d3ZvbldUZ2xUa245dThwaVZjOUxKNlRaRmFfTnlQWGFEREo4enhfeUd3RXFxOXR2MGI3T0NmZWpYT0F0NVZmUjRybE0yM0NzcFJNRDZ5ZjVjMmhRX1VsNWZMd09FbUp5UVY4Zmw0SkNVQzIzTzl2TVFUc3NlWnREN0pmNlZ6WnBmTEdxLWpjN1BaQmRzVXFhaXpzZnptWFdSNmZ3Z2tHYlZDSDR3?oc=5

- This 64-Year-Old Mom and Son Made History at the Hardrock 100 (Trail Runner Mag) - https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/64-year-old-mom-and-son-made-history-at-the-hardrock-100/

This episode covers Russian intelligence hijacking unsecured security cameras across NATO countries, a malware framework hiding inside Microsoft 365 calendar events, and freshly exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in SonicWall VPN appliances. We also dig into the hacker who wiped an entire national land registry in Europe, freezing the real estate market overnight.

Stories covered:

- Russian Intelligence Hacks IP Cameras to Spy on Military Logistics Across NATO States and Ukraine (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/russian-intelligence-hacks-ip-cameras.html

- HollowGraph Malware Hides C2 and Stolen Files in Microsoft 365 Events Dated 2050 (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/hollowgraph-malware-hides-c2-and-stolen.html

- SonicWall SMA1000 flaws exploited as zero-days to push custom malware (BleepingComputer) - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sonicwall-sma1000-flaws-exploited-as-zero-days-to-push-custom-malware/

- Hacker wipes European country’s entire land registry database, paralyzing real-estate market - Cybernews (Cybernews) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihAFBVV95cUxQZG5UQTdvbWlfYkpwWVhjcFQzdllYRVZpcXg1VHAzWkFRNTBNUUoxRzNtSmtHQWdRQ21NRFY4cGk0UjV6SEFJbkhmNmFUVEtxRlZMZ1FWc0NuSUpHV0V2QWZWN2lrNHRudTRDVWpCcVN5TnhPWi1LYUZFdjQ4QnB6Q0FvQmY?oc=5

- How Many Carbs Do You Actually Need for Marathon Training? Sports Dietitians Share What and When to Eat (Runner's World) - https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a72615584/carbs-during-marathon-training/

- Most Smart Watches, Rings, and Bands Lack Basic Transparency Reports and Key Privacy Features (EFF) - https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/most-smart-watches-rings-and-bands-lack-basic-transparency-reports-and-key-privacy

On today's Signal Check, Adrian North covers overnight security alerts including zero-day exploits hitting SonicWall VPN appliances, a critical remote code execution flaw in 7-Zip, and public exploits now targeting WordPress Core. We also dig into a clever five-dollar ad-blocking solution that outperforms commercial tools and why patching can't wait when attackers are already inside your perimeter.

Stories covered:

- SonicWall SMA Zero-Days Exploited Before Disclosure to Gain Root Access (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/sonicwall-sma-zero-days-exploited.html

- Update now: 7-Zip fixes RCE flaw exploitable with malicious archives (BleepingComputer) - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/update-now-7-zip-fixes-rce-flaw-exploitable-with-malicious-archives/

- Clever hacker fits 537,000 domains in a tiny $5 ESP32 ad-blocking dongle — firmware uses only around 50KB of RAM and can answer blocked lookups in 10 milliseconds - Tom's Hardware (Tom's Hardware) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqgJBVV95cUxQMHBOOGNaNjJUWHVnUm5OekFuZTc1M05GYmczN3FGZTBQVkdCNHF0ZVk5T1dfWnBsY1ZkRVJrTVdOMjhQdzU0WTVkZklDaTduNzA5S2JsNmhxTlhxMWNhVHNSU2xjRk1JNVNXcXpJUjhBQ2drdVJHYURUSGJtMHhHLVN2YUN4d3ZvbldUZ2xUa245dThwaVZjOUxKNlRaRmFfTnlQWGFEREo4enhfeUd3RXFxOXR2MGI3T0NmZWpYT0F0NVZmUjRybE0yM0NzcFJNRDZ5ZjVjMmhRX1VsNWZMd09FbUp5UVY4Zmw0SkNVQzIzTzl2TVFUc3NlWnREN0pmNlZ6WnBmTEdxLWpjN1BaQmRzVXFhaXpzZnptWFdSNmZ3Z2tHYlZDSDR3?oc=5

- WordPress Core "wp2shell" RCE flaws get public exploits, patch now (BleepingComputer) - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wordpress-core-wp2shell-rce-flaws-get-public-exploits-patch-now/

- Can the Norwegian Training Method Help You Run More and Faster—While Recovering Better? (Runner's World) - https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a72845651/norwegian-training-method/

- AI advice made people 3x less accurate but 2x confident, researchers found (Hacker News) - https://thenextweb.com/news/ai-advice-suppresses-critical-thinking-wrong-answers-study

This episode covers six overnight signals including a new botnet harvesting thousands of AWS credentials from exposed AI infrastructure, critical WordPress core exploits now circulating publicly, and a damaging source code leak from AI music company Suno revealing millions of scraped copyrighted tracks. Adrian digs into why these aren't just headlines—they're active threats unfolding right now.

Stories covered:

- New NadMesh Botnet Hunts Exposed AI Services for Cloud Keys and Kubernetes Tokens (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/new-nadmesh-botnet-hunts-exposed-ai.html

- WordPress Core "wp2shell" RCE flaws get public exploits, patch now (BleepingComputer) - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wordpress-core-wp2shell-rce-flaws-get-public-exploits-patch-now/

- A hacker accessed Suno source code that reportedly details how the company scraped millions of songs - Engadget (Engadget) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMizwFBVV95cUxNQ0VhTmVPazBkWkw3b2dTMUw5dUNJV0VLdGMzR3F5RzhqWkRZLW9OaW1tMHlzNmNTbW9lTmRkZ0dQVk91bVlDLWJET1JweFpLb3R4TWJ4eDZGN1g1TjhpeWtld01KRlFPa05obGJZbEFNWHNsZUFtenBHanFZQlJCYW9mLUxTMHFFdmw2eDRLSUFZUTNRamdvblhnbjR6UEMtTmhfamJ0RzFNTXEyRDctQ3VQSUdVRk5IakJwa0tHb2oyazBGMTFidm1QcXlvMHc?oc=5

- He Did It! Josh Kerr Shatters the 27-Year-Old World Record in the Mile (Runner's World) - https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a73175937/josh-kerr-breaks-mile-world-record/

- AWS Billing Glitch Hits Customers With Billion-Dollar Fees (Wired) - https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-web-services-glitch-oh-no/

- What Cities From Chicago to Washington, DC, Look Like Under a Blanket of Wildfire Smoke (Wired) - https://www.wired.com/story/cities-from-chicago-to-washington-dc-look-like-wildfire-smoke/

This episode digs into a tough week for security—SonicWall zero-days chained by ransomware actors, a Go-based botnet harvesting cloud credentials from exposed AI infrastructure, and a critical remote code execution flaw in WordPress core itself. Adrian breaks down what's being exploited right now and what it means if you're running any of this gear. It's Saturday morning, the coffee's hot, and the signals are already coming in.

Stories covered:

- Inc Ransomware Exploits SonicWall SMA Zero-Days (Dark Reading) - https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/inc-ransomware-exploits-sonicwall-sma-zero-days

- New NadMesh Botnet Hunts Exposed AI Services for Cloud Keys and Kubernetes Tokens (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/new-nadmesh-botnet-hunts-exposed-ai.html

- New wp2shell WordPress Core Flaw Lets Unauthenticated Attackers Run Code (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/new-wp2shell-wordpress-core-flaw-lets.html

- Meet GPT-Red: an LLM super-hacker OpenAI built to make its models safer - MIT Technology Review (MIT Technology Review) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiwAFBVV95cUxOaEZNa3ZZZUpGMGRLajIyY2pLTjduZmhTVHp1Q0VkNEl0X0lGVUs3aXRfb1lrRjlWSS1IckF0MV80X0Rxb2o0MU1VbU8zVVlNMElnOWhjdGp4Zlp3ZkRuOGlodnpwZmhJOWpvYnB6WVd0OXhnR2J1MHlFWUZ0ZlJ1cUpWTjFkMU1qV0JzZFBDZUVMRTFoVzhSZWNRWXZVTFdxRk1HMFhUYlpRQkRNdnZGNWFiS0h5VVFCNlNzMlRrdV_SAcYBQVVfeXFMTWtlMlUwMFM4STZCMTRXVlg5VngxWU04cVRndWRmdlRhWTM3aV9ZUHB1TFNSa0hpTmpQUFltTTc4ZGhFMFhNNTVYdGRHLTRFbUo3Qm9JaE8xZGktVTh2LUhGMU55QWQ0WWRmY1NSdm45a0JWbXptZ0NBYWgzTV9UQ0N0ZzBveUVoQ2VRZnc4V3VCYTMyUlVhSk9sMG1xR1hYMnZLUmUzbmZZOFllQ1dET1FTTHRCMGpIQWhtQXRqSmtYZWdBS2R3?oc=5

- Can the Norwegian Training Method Help You Run More and Faster—While Recovering Better? (Runner's World) - https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a72845651/norwegian-training-method/

- Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass still feels remote and unspoiled for hard-core trail runners (Canadian Running) - https://runningmagazine.ca/trail-running/albertas-crowsnest-pass-still-feels-remote-and-unspoiled-for-hard-core-trail-runners/

This episode digs into AI's growing role in security research, a critical Zoom vulnerability that could hand over your account, and the sentencing of two Scattered Spider hackers who stole millions from Transport for London. We also talk wildfire smoke, air quality, and why sometimes the treadmill wins.

Stories covered:

- AI Can Find Bugs, But Human Knowledge Still Proves Them (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/ai-can-find-bugs-but-human-knowledge.html

- Zoom Patches Critical Windows Flaw That Could Enable Account Takeover (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/zoom-patches-critical-windows-flaw-that.html

- Two Scattered Spider Hackers Get 5.5 Years Each for £29 Million TfL Hack (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/two-scattered-spider-hackers-get-55.html

- If You’re Debating Running Outside Because of Wildfire Smoke, It’s Probably Time for the Treadmill (Runner's World) - https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a72736402/treadmill-wildfire-smoke/

- What Runners Should Actually Drink in This Heat, by Distance and Effort (Marathon Handbook) - https://marathonhandbook.com/heat-wave-hydration-what-runners-should-drink/

- It's official: EU will force Google to share search data and open up AI on Android (Ars Technica) - https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/its-official-eu-will-force-google-to-share-search-data-and-open-up-ai-on-android/

This episode digs into the biggest patch wave in recent memory, with Microsoft dropping 622 fixes in a single day while browsers scramble to close exploited holes. We also explore how AI is now hunting vulnerabilities at scale—and how OpenAI built its own AI attacker to stress-test its models before hackers do.

Stories covered:

- Microsoft Patches Record 622 Flaws, Including Two Zero-Days Under Active Attack (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/microsoft-patches-record-622-flaws.html

- Firefox, Chrome, Adobe, and VMware Updates Fix Multiple Critical Security Flaws (The Hacker News) - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/firefox-chrome-adobe-and-vmware-updates.html

- We built a vulnerability vending machine: AI tokens in, zero-days out (BleepingComputer) - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/we-built-a-vulnerability-vending-machine-ai-tokens-in-zero-days-out/

- Meet GPT-Red: an LLM super-hacker OpenAI built to make its models safer - MIT Technology Review (MIT Technology Review) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiwAFBVV95cUxOaEZNa3ZZZUpGMGRLajIyY2pLTjduZmhTVHp1Q0VkNEl0X0lGVUs3aXRfb1lrRjlWSS1IckF0MV80X0Rxb2o0MU1VbU8zVVlNMElnOWhjdGp4Zlp3ZkRuOGlodnpwZmhJOWpvYnB6WVd0OXhnR2J1MHlFWUZ0ZlJ1cUpWTjFkMU1qV0JzZFBDZUVMRTFoVzhSZWNRWXZVTFdxRk1HMFhUYlpRQkRNdnZGNWFiS0h5VVFCNlNzMlRrdV_SAcYBQVVfeXFMTWtlMlUwMFM4STZCMTRXVlg5VngxWU04cVRndWRmdlRhWTM3aV9ZUHB1TFNSa0hpTmpQUFltTTc4ZGhFMFhNNTVYdGRHLTRFbUo3Qm9JaE8xZGktVTh2LUhGMU55QWQ0WWRmY1NSdm45a0JWbXptZ0NBYWgzTV9UQ0N0ZzBveUVoQ2VRZnc4V3VCYTMyUlVhSk9sMG1xR1hYMnZLUmUzbmZZOFllQ1dET1FTTHRCMGpIQWhtQXRqSmtYZWdBS2R3?oc=5

- Back-to-Back Long Runs Can Make You a More Durable Marathoner. Coaches Explain If and How You Should Add Them to Your Weekend. (Runner's World) - https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a71943389/back-to-back-long-runs/

- Permanent Daylight Saving Time Will Change When Runners Get Light. Here’s Who Wins and Loses. (Runner's World) - https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a72053098/permanent-daylight-saving-time-could-help-evening-runsand-hurt-morning-ones/

This episode digs into the massive Microsoft Patch Tuesday drop — 570 vulnerabilities including three zero-days — plus active exploits hitting SonicWall perimeter devices and Joomla extensions. Adrian North breaks down why the scale of these patches should concern us more than it does, and why smaller attack surfaces matter when third-party tools become the weakest link.

Stories covered:

- Microsoft July 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes massive 570 flaws, 3 zero-days (BleepingComputer) - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-july-2026-patch-tuesday-fixes-massive-570-flaws-3-zero-days/

- SonicWall warns of SMA1000 flaws exploited in zero-day attacks, patch now (BleepingComputer) - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sonicwall-warns-of-sma1000-flaws-exploited-in-zero-day-attacks-patch-now/

- iCagenda and Balbooa Forms Joomla Flaws Reportedly Exploited as Zero-Days - The Hacker News (The Hacker News) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihAFBVV95cUxQb0M1Snc5Q1puWXZ6bXQ5Z01tWGJBeFJpaTBZek05YXQ4TWlacE1oVEUyaDNjaUNhQ1hzMzFVTFZmYVY1N2VWcDVkbXVzU2tBTjB1dzNZVnRYUUdvNUg4NUhGVGNQcVMzeVg2Unh4LU15WkRLdjdHSDVTM0t5V2xQMGY4SVU?oc=5

- WATCH: Should this be your next race cooling strategy? (Canadian Running) - https://runningmagazine.ca/sections/training/watch-should-this-be-your-next-race-cooling-strategy/

- TSA Traffic Increased at Virginia Airports Despite 2026 Funding Lapse - cbs19news.com (cbs19news.com) - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi7AFBVV95cUxQblI2YlNPUm0xdmY0ZWNma25CRVNIcERMS21KcUxtQnM3c2NPMVJRQm9tOUxMRlVjd1hKSWZ2Y0RuM283d3JpWG8zRUpmX3BMSnNYQzJTTU9oV3VnMEZjcnpPcFpqU2xLd3hTVzBISFpZMUlnNHJ5MF92M01XSlkwcTR2MzZvWDB1UGpIdEcyUEE3WXlOMEVnQndCdTdUUWJvTm5IakRTX1F1NGVzQ1czMzB5SWRlcC12SXRTd2N0cHVMcjhiNWN1NHRqSHFORkFBaDN5a2JNSmtzelZLMHhQWl9jckFtRnFidUp2cQ?oc=5

- Sotheby’s Big T. Rex Auction Raises Concerns Hype and Wealth Are Upending Science (Wired) - https://www.wired.com/story/sothebys-t-rex-auction-shows-wealth-upending-science/