In Part 2, we’re exploring four key areas: the hacker mindset, phishing tactics, technical hygiene, and emerging threats. You’ll also see guidance on password manager security, patch management strategy, zero trust practices, and threat detection best practices.

Understanding these tactics will help you sharpen your defenses and start to think like a hacker.

A Hacker’s Mindset: Zero Trust and Social Engineering

Hackers often exploit assumptions and take advantage of helpfulness. Adopting zero-trust practices and understanding common phishing tactics can help you stop social engineering attacks in their tracks. Combining these approaches with advanced cybersecurity tips makes it much harder for attackers to succeed.

Never Trust, Always Verify

In cybersecurity, the saying “Trust, but verify” isn’t enough. Adopting zero-trust practices means that everything and everyone must be verified before access. Some examples of zero-trust practices include:

• Verify identities: Always confirm someone’s identity independently before sharing information.
• Do not reuse passwords: Use unique passwords for every account and keep personal and corporate accounts separate.
• Use passkeys and MFA: Passkeys replace passwords with stronger cryptography, and multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection.
• Password manager security: A secure password manager helps generate and store unique credentials safely, reducing the risk of leaks.
• Recognize phishing tactics and avoid public Wi-Fi: Learn to spot phishing attempts and never trust public networks.

Applying these zero-trust practices and building habits ensures you keep both your personal and organizational data safe.

Spotting Social Engineers

“Attackers will look for the weakest link, and usually that’s social engineering,” says one of our experts. “Being nice will compromise a system more quickly than a weak password. Being confident about saying no to someone who wants your help to get in is one of the best security practices. Social engineers prey on kindness. ”

Social engineers will exploit your politeness by trying to create scenarios that pressure you to act quickly or help someone. They know exactly how to seem friendly and authoritative. They also rely on the assumption that most people want to be helpful, which can help them bypass technical security measures. Setting clear boundaries, like refusing to provide credentials over the phone, verifying requests independently, or pausing before responding, is essential.

Advanced Phishing and Scam Awareness

Phishing remains one of the most persistent threat vectors in cybersecurity. Attackers know how to exploit urgency, fear, and trust to trick people into revealing sensitive information. Understanding phishing tactics and how professionals identify scams can help you avoid common pitfalls.

Dissecting Scam Tactics

Phishing attacks often rely on urgency, fear, and trust to trick targets. Some common techniques include:

• Spoofed domains: Scammers exploit quick glances, hoping that distractions or time pressure will prevent careful inspection. For example, a scam email pretending to be from E-ZPass might show a URL like ezpass[.]com-siba[.]xin. At first glance, it appears legitimate, but the actual domain is com-siba[.]xin, a completely unrelated top-level domain.
• Mismatched sender addresses: Email displays name can easily be faked, so always hover over the email to verify the real sender.

Always pause, slow down, and verify. Treat every unexpected request with skepticism, analyze URLs carefully, and confirm suspicious claims through official channels. Avoid becoming a “moron in a hurry” (this is a real legal standard), and always proceed with caution.

The Gift Card Red Flag

In some cases, scammers may demand payment via gift cards, claiming fines or urgent penalties. Remember that legitimate organizations, including the FBI, will never request gift cards as payment.

One of our experts backs this up: “No company or organization on the planet will offer or require you to pay any expense with literal gift cards – Target, Google, Apple, whatever. It doesn’t happen, and if it’s offered or preferred by someone stating you owe money, it’s not real and you should immediately hang up and call your bank.”

Seasoned professionals treat any request for gift card payments as an instant red flag. They know that scammers rely on urgency and fear to bypass rational thinking. Recognizing this tactic means you can pause, verify, and refuse to engage.

Pro-Level Technical Habits

Strong technical hygiene habits protect your systems and infrastructure. Security professionals follow advanced cybersecurity tips in their daily routines, such as keeping software patched and securing networks and devices. This helps to prevent breaches before attackers can exploit them.

Monitor Your Digital Footprint

Tracking your online presence is a simple yet powerful advanced cybersecurity tip. Use sites like haveibeenpwned.com to see if your emails or personal info have been exposed. Many password manager security tools, like Keeper’s BreachWatch, will also alert you to leaked passwords.

Cybersecurity pros also use email subaddressing (user+target@gmail.com) to monitor which companies share or compromise their data. Watching your digital footprint gives early breach warnings and strengthens both personal and organizational account security.

Securing Password Managers

Even trusted tools like password managers benefit from extra layers of protection. One advanced tactic is to append a short PIN or string to each generated password. For example, if the password manager creates YourGeneratedPWString, add 1111 when using it on a site. The stored password remains YourGeneratedPWString, so a breach won’t reveal the full credentials.

This technique adds a layer of defense-in-depth. This means that if the password manager is breached, the stored credentials alone are not directly usable. It strengthens your password manager security, complementing MFA, strong master passwords, and monitoring for overall protection.

Rethinking Patch Management

Thoughtful timing is key to an effective patch management strategy. Not every update should be installed immediately. One of CyberMaxx’s pros notes that newly released patches can introduce untested features or bugs, which creates potential risks. For example, a Windows update in August 2025 required an emergency out-of-band patch to fix device reset and recovery problems. Waiting a few days can allow critical issues to surface and be resolved.

Layering Everyday Defenses

One of our experts emphasized that resilience doesn’t come from a single habit, but from the way simple habits reinforce each other. Password managers, URL checks, email scrutiny, and device hygiene may seem basic, but when layered together, they form a shield that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Here’s how these everyday defenses connect to build pro-level security:

1. Use a password manager to generate and store strong, unique credentials.
2. Review URLs before visiting websites to prevent spoofed domains from slipping past a glance.
3. Check sender domains in emails before opening messages to spot impersonation attempts.
4. Turn off Bluetooth when not in use to remove unnecessary entry points for attackers.
5. Stay informed on trends and evolving tactics so new scams and techniques don’t catch you off guard.
6. Share what you learn with others to strengthen habits across your team and community.

These small actions stack together, building professional-level resilience across your personal and organizational security.

Emerging Threats: Voice Cloning and AI Risks

As AI technology advances, attackers are finding new ways to launch sophisticated scams. Voice cloning is a prime example, as it allows attackers to mimic trusted voices with startling accuracy. This glimpse into the next wave of attacks shows how AI can make phishing and social engineering even more convincing, emphasizing a greater need for proactive defense.

The Danger of AI Voice Cloning

Attackers are using AI voice cloning at alarming rates to create realistic impersonations. It’s easier than you might think: answering an unknown call from an attacker allows them to capture a few seconds of your voice. With that snippet, they can use AI to generate a clone. When combined with personal data from past breaches, this can create a detailed profile for fraud or social engineering.

The risk is high because AI makes impersonation more convincing, enhancing phishing tactics. Scammers can mimic your voice to trick friends, family, or colleagues into sharing sensitive information or authorizing transactions.

Stay vigilant, let unknown numbers go to voicemail, and avoid sharing personal information over the phone. You should also take the time to verify any unexpected requests through trusted channels.

Why Thinking Like a Hacker Matters

Thinking like a hacker isn’t about paranoia. It’s all about staying one step ahead. Security professionals know that attackers exploit assumptions, urgency, and human trust. Adopting a proactive mindset means you can anticipate threats before they happen.

Four key themes guide this approach:

1. Applying zero-trust practices
2. Analyzing phishing tactics
3. Maintaining rigorous technical hygiene
4. Preparing for AI-driven risks like voice cloning and deepfakes.

Employees who regularly verify unexpected requests, scrutinize URLs, use strong, unique credentials, and keep systems patched create multiple layers of defense. Combining these actions with monitoring digital footprints and reinforcing secure habits across teams makes it significantly harder for attackers to succeed.

Organizations that embed these practices achieve stronger resilience and reduce the risk of human and technical weaknesses. Thinking like a hacker helps teams protect themselves, which boosts security across the rest of the enterprise. In the long run, this ensures a proactive, adaptive posture against evolving threats.

Stay Ahead by Thinking Like a Hacker

Hackers succeed because they think creatively, and they know how to exploit small assumptions and overlooked details. Defenders must adopt the same mindset by approaching security with skepticism and adaptability. Anticipating tactics like social engineering, phishing, and emerging AI-driven threats means you can act before attackers strike.

To make things easier, we suggest you start small by adopting just one of our advanced cybersecurity tips this week. This might be enabling MFA on a previously unprotected account, taking the time to review any unusual emails carefully, or downloading a password manager. Each step builds your resilience.

Consider CyberMaxx as your partner in helping you to stay ahead of threats and turn personal vigilance into enterprise-level defense. Thinking like a hacker means you can protect your own data while also strengthening the rest of your organization. In the long run, this is essential for staying ahead of evolving threats.

The post Think Like a Hacker: Pro-Level Cybersecurity Insights You Can Steal appeared first on CyberMaxx.

The MDR market is becoming increasingly crowded, which can cause confusion and frustration for those looking to invest in their cybersecurity.

Analyst firms still play a crucial role in providing clarity about the market and establishing standards for security vendors overall. Their research provides vendor-neutral perspectives that can inform your top-level strategy. Sometimes, translating broad analyst guidance into concrete plans can be challenging.

Review sites and AI resources also crowd the landscape with advice, creating even more noise and challenges with decision-making.

Our MDR Buyer’s Guide aims to provide an actionable success blueprint for MDR that aligns with analyst-defined best practices.

This guide includes:

• What you should/shouldn’t look for with an MDR provider
• Must-haves vs nice to haves
• Simple one-page “MDR Buying Guide Checklist”

The post Managed Detection and Response MDR Buyer’s Guide appeared first on CyberMaxx.

I’ve been in cyber for more than a hot moment now and have learned a heap ton about dos and don’ts (it would not be a great look for me as a marketer if I didn’t, right?) I actually surveyed our employees here at CyberMaxx to learn the tips they have picked up while working here as well.

The team delivered!

So much that we’ve got blog posts chock-full of tips. This post is focused on practical guidance on everyday cybersecurity habits that actually work. These tips include password security best practices, the importance of MFA, and phishing awareness.

Stronger Passwords and Smarter Access

Your credentials are an attacker’s favorite target. Weak passwords, reused logins, and simple human errors can make it surprisingly easy for criminals to gain access to accounts. The good news is that you can make a big difference today with just two practical upgrades: using a password manager and using passphrases or MFA.

Why Password Managers Make a Difference

When we ask our CyberMaxx security pros for their top cybersecurity awareness tips, one employee sums it up perfectly: “Password managers 4 life.”

Password reuse is one of the most common methods by which attackers gain access to accounts. That’s why password managers are true game-changers for everyday cybersecurity habits. They help generate secure passwords and store them securely. This approach makes strong, unique credentials achievable even for non-technical users.

With a password manager, you can use a different password for every account. You don’t need to memorize them, which strengthens your overall password security best practices.

Passphrases Over Passwords

One CyberMaxx security pro says, “Use passphrases, not passwords, and turn 2FA on when possible. Think before you click: if it’s too good to be true, it usually is. And use credit cards, not debit cards, online.”

Passphrases use longer, unique word combinations that make them far more difficult for attackers to crack than standard passwords. They can also be easier for you to remember. Turning on 2FA (or MFA) adds an extra layer of protection, so even if your passphrase is compromised, your account remains secure.

The “too good to be true” warning applies to login prompts as well as suspicious emails or offers. If something seems unusual or feels a little off, it probably is. Always take the time to pause and verify before entering your credentials.

Phishing Awareness and Safe Browsing

Phishing is one of the most common ways attackers gain initial access, as it exploits attention and urgency. Strengthening your phishing awareness is crucial for improving your everyday cybersecurity habits. You should avoid clicking on inbound links from unexpected sources and always verify requests out of band.

Think Before You Click

One CyberMaxx security expert advises, “Don’t click on links in emails or texts you receive to make payments or to access applications you use. Instead, go to the website and log in to your account or the app directly.”

This simple habit prevents attackers from tricking you with spoofed login pages designed to steal credentials. Navigating directly to the official site means you avoid malicious links that could bypass MFA or capture your password.

Trust But Verify Calls and Messages

“I always tell my family and friends, ‘If you receive an email or text from your bank (or anywhere) that is out of the norm, go to the original source. For example, log in to the website from your browser, or call the bank’s phone number on the back of your credit card,” says one expert.

“If someone calls you, hang up the call and call the main phone number. I tell them to make a joke with the caller. Say something like, ‘I have to call the main number I have in my files. Surely, you can understand that with all the crazy scammers in the world out to do bad stuff, they should go to jail for it.’ Your bank will encourage you to do so, but scammers will do the opposite. Now, my circle practices this on the regular, and I feel proud when they tell me they have.”

This advice reinforces the out-of-band rule. When a request seems unusual, pause and verify through a separate, trusted channel.

Hang up suspicious calls, call the official number, and log in via the known URL or app. Getting in the habit of doing this consistently stops attackers from tricking you into giving up credentials or sensitive information. In the long run, it significantly strengthens your phishing awareness and everyday cybersecurity habits.

Physical and Device Hygiene

The choices you make in the physical world (such as what you scan, what you leave unlocked, and how often you update your devices) quietly shape your cybersecurity risk. This section highlights five concrete habits you can adopt today to protect your devices and data.

QR Codes in the Wild

One of our security pros wisely advises, “Do not scan QR codes in the wild, even if they’re offering free ice cream.”
Free ice cream sounds tempting, but the QR code is likely serving up malware rather than sprinkles. QR code security is essential, given that codes can be an easy entry point for attackers, via a technique known as “quishing” (QR code phishing).

When you scan a malicious code, it can direct you to spoofed websites, trigger unwanted downloads, or capture your login credentials. Unlike URLs that you can inspect, QR codes hide the destination. That hidden destination can make it difficult to verify safety at a glance.

Enhance your QR code security by treating random QR codes with the same caution as untrusted links. Only scan codes from trusted sources, and when in doubt, navigate directly to the official website or app. Thinking carefully before you scan helps you reinforce your everyday cybersecurity habits and reduces your chance of falling victim.

Securing Devices and Networks

“Lock your laptop when you walk away from it. Use a mobile hotspot instead of a public wifi,” advises one expert. Physical access and unsecured networks are often overlooked entry points for attackers. Securing devices and avoiding public Wi-Fi connections minimizes opportunities for attackers to access sensitive data.

Keeping software, browsers, and apps up to date ensures known security flaws are patched. Doing so prevents attackers from exploiting outdated systems. “If an update is available in your browser (e.g., Chrome), always take a few seconds out of your day and proceed with the update. It’s very quick, yet so important. Updates have patches for old vulnerabilities that were known to be exploited. Taking those few extra seconds can potentially save your company millions by preventing threat actors from stealing cookies and cached credentials,” another expert says.

Another security pro recommends periodically clearing out your clipboard on your mobile phone when using copy and paste. “You want to ensure no passwords or other sensitive information is hanging out in the clipboard,” they explain.

Finally, make sure your home network is secure. “Always change your home router’s default name, admin password, and wifi password,” says one expert. Default credentials are easy for attackers to find, making home networks an easy target if they aren’t changed.

These device and network hygiene practices form a crucial layer of protection. Together, they minimize risk and strengthen everyday cybersecurity habits, keeping both your personal and organizational data safe.

Why Everyday Habits Matter

Building consistent habits beats one-off awareness when it comes to cybersecurity. Small, everyday behaviors stack over time, creating a stronger defense against threats. Using unique passwords, understanding the importance of MFA, thinking before you click, keeping devices updated, and securing your networks may seem minor individually. Together, they can drastically reduce the chances of phishing successes, credential leaks, and device exposures.

Over time, these small, consistent actions transform individual vigilance into measurable risk reduction. When your employees consistently practice safe behaviors, your entire enterprise becomes more robust against attacks.

CyberMaxx’s mission is to help organizations scale this vigilance by turning personal, everyday security habits into enterprise-grade protection. Through emphasizing habit formation, we empower people to make a meaningful difference to their personal security. This focus helps to reinforce the collective security posture of the wider organization.

From Awareness to Action: CyberMaxx’s Role

Individual cybersecurity habits are powerful, but their impact multiplies when organizations support them at scale. That’s where CyberMaxx comes in, combining everyday vigilance with advanced MDR (Managed Detection and Response) and XDR (Extended Detection and Response) solutions. Over time, this helps teams embed strong security practices across the entire organization.
CyberMaxx’s approach reinforces human-risk mitigation, from phishing defense to device and network monitoring. We provide the tools and insights that turn personal cybersecurity habits into enterprise-wide protection, enabling your employees to become part of a broader, coordinated defense.

In this way, CyberMaxx acts as a force multiplier. We empower organizations to amplify the effectiveness of individual habits by providing comprehensive monitoring and rapid response. That support enables you to transform cybersecurity awareness tips into scalable protection.

Building Safer Habits for a Safer Future

As Cybersecurity Awareness Month reminds us, consistent vigilance compounds over time, making it harder for attackers to succeed and easier to protect your most important data.

In addition to providing you with cybersecurity awareness tips, CyberMaxx is here to guide and support your organization on this journey. Through combining expert insight with MDR, XDR, and human-risk mitigation solutions, we can help your teams scale individual habits into enterprise-grade protection.

Explore our services and discover how CyberMaxx can help your organization strengthen its defenses and turn everyday cybersecurity habits into enhanced protection.

The post Everyday Cybersecurity Habits That Actually Work (From Real Security Pros) appeared first on CyberMaxx.

Threat actors have found a simple loophole: Rather than confronting MFA head-on, why not simply bypass it? Through exploiting technical nuances and common human flaws, they’ve turned a foundational security control into a false sense of comfort.

It’s a new battlefront, and MFA alone is no longer enough.

New Risks Facing MFA

Many of us still remember when MFA was the impenetrable barrier. Your IT or security team pushed it as the last (and only) control you needed to keep accounts safe.

And while still essential, cybercriminals didn’t just roll over and quit. They adapted using multi-factor authentication bypass methods. After all, why target the mechanism when you can go after the layers around it?

MFA Fatigue Attacks

Imagine this: You’re sitting at the dinner table when suddenly, your phone lights up with dozens of MFA push notifications. You don’t know where they came from. Eventually, you become frustrated, confused, or tired enough to accidentally “Accept” one of them.

That’s an MFA fatigue attack. Threat actors bombard users with requests until one “slips past the goalie.”
And they’re more effective than you might realize. Microsoft conducted a study on its apps, documenting 382,000 MFA fatigue attacks in a single year. The worst part is how it leverages social engineering to prey on victims. One percent of users blindly accept the first push notification they receive. (imagine getting dozens at once)

Token Theft & Replay

This method bypasses the user altogether. After stealing credentials (typically via phishing), attackers intercept the authentication token, a digital key that proves a user is already logged in. They then “replay” this stolen token to impersonate the legitimate user and gain access.

These attacks make the MFA challenge obsolete. It’s almost as if it never occurred, because the system already sees a valid session in progress.

Session Hijacking

Here, attackers completely skip both the login and MFA prompts.

They’ll target active user sessions and hijack a session cookie, allowing them to take over an existing session.

So, for instance, let’s say you’re logged into your online banking service. The bank’s website issues a session cookie (your temporary “wristband”). The threat actor could view and steal that wristband through malware or an adversary-in-the-middle attack. From the site’s point of view, it only recognizes a valid session and allows them in without requiring a password or second factor.

Why Traditional MFA Alone Isn’t Enough

These techniques reveal a dangerous truth: Stand-alone MFA creates a vulnerability bubble and a false sense of security. In fact, 60% of phishing-related breaches use bypass techniques that MFA couldn’t stop. The most common? MFA fatigue attacks.

Here’s why MFA is beginning to fall short:

User Behavior as a Weak Link

Humans remain the most susceptible to errors. It’s why phishing and other social engineering tactics are so successful.

We’re also far less patient than we used to be. We like things quick and convenient. So, when we are bombarded with push notifications (as seen in MFA fatigue attacks), it’s easy to slip up and click “Accept.”

Ironically, developers designed MFA as a failsafe for our errors. But now? It’s made us more fragile.

Attacker Innovation Outpacing Static Controls

Even if you solve the user awareness issue, static defensive tools would still fall short due to attacker resilience. Threat actors are constantly innovating. They adapt tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) faster than companies can update their security controls.

One example of this is account takeover (ATO) attacks. Despite the massive adoption of MFA and all these efforts to curb ATO threats, they still increased by 24% last year.

MFA once looked impenetrable. However, it now leaves gaps that most experts didn’t consider at the time.

Detection & Prevention Techniques for MFA Bypass

The cure for MFA bypass is the same best practice for any cybersecurity program: proactiveness, layers of defense, and continuous visibility.

Risk-Based Authentication

Static MFA is too simple. If someone enters a username and password, the protocol gets triggered.

Risk-based authentication, however, adds more context. Where was the login location? Is the device new or commonly used? Does the login replicate a similar behavior by the user or an anomaly?

Suppose there were a login attempt from a foreign country on a dated, unmanaged device. In that case, you can set up policies to trigger a step-up authentication challenge or outright block the session, even with correct credentials.

Monitoring for Abnormal Access Patterns

Cyber threats typically stem from the abnormal. And visibility is key to monitoring anomalies.

Security teams must see all suspicious access patterns. Is someone rapidly reusing tokens from various IP addresses? Or logging in multiple times within minutes from two places that are not geographically close? Are logins outside of known business hours?

Identifying these trends helps prevent token theft and detect session hijacking.

Session Management & Revocation Controls

Reduce the attacker’s window of opportunity by enforcing short session and token lifetimes. (Bonus tip: Make them especially short for more sensitive applications)

You can also set session revocation policies. Therefore, if a password change or login originates from a random IP address, the session is automatically terminated.

And don’t forget to auto-refresh user tokens frequently. Even if a threat actor gains access through a stolen key, you can at least minimize the damage by preventing long-term system access.

How CyberMaxx Strengthens Identity Defense

Modern attacks demand more than tools. They require expertise, and CyberMaxx layers identity defense into a strong managed detection and response (MDR) service.

Static MFA won’t counter evolving tactics. But constant vigilance will.

Integrating Identity Signals into Threat Detection

Data powers everything CyberMaxx does. Our security analysts don’t view identities “in a vacuum.” We combine telemetry feeds and evaluate how authentication logs, access requests, and session data correlate.

We also use threat hunting research to track attack activity outside your network. This research allows us to better protect and detect.

These intelligence feeds transform identity signals into a powerful detection source, revealing attacks that other solutions miss.

Real-Time Response to Token Abuse

What’s the point of robust detection if you don’t take action?

When CyberMaxx identifies token theft or anomalous session activity, our MDR team is ready on the front lines.
We can rapidly isolate compromised accounts, revoke active sessions, and contain the threat before it leads to a full-scale breach.

Value for Clients

Threat actors aren’t getting complacent. And neither should your MDR provider.

Our adaptive security moves as fast as your attackers. We add layers that extend beyond static MFA to harden your environment against bypass techniques and enable rapid response if anything slips through.

Defending Beyond MFA

MFA isn’t obsolete but incomplete. While still vital for identity security, it’s just one piece. MDR expertise, continuous monitoring, and layered controls (like session management and auto-revocation) support adaptive defenses for token theft prevention and session hijacking detection.

It’s how CyberMaxx can stop modern identity attacks before they compromise your business.

The post Beyond MFA: Stopping Modern Identity Attacks appeared first on CyberMaxx.

Supply chain security incidents occur more frequently than most people realize. In July, Australian airline Qantas revealed a cyberattack that affected a third-party platform used by the airline’s contact center. Current reports reveal that the attack exposed the records of up to 6 million customers. Unfortunately, this is just one of many incidents.

Why Third-Party Risk is on the Rise

The growing number of third-party breaches means vendor ecosystems are now a significant focus of cybersecurity frameworks.

Real-World Examples of Vendor Breaches

Recent supply chain attacks show the real risks associated with vendor vulnerabilities and highlight the importance of third-party risk management.

In 2023, the Cl0p ransomware gang exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer software application, which was used by nearly 1,700 organizations. It leaked sensitive information belonging to clients, including universities, banks, and government agencies.
Earlier, in late 2020, the CISA announced that attackers had compromised SolarWinds Orion’s software update process by injecting malicious code that reached thousands of customers. This allowed unauthorized access to critical networks and data, which made it one of the most significant supply chain security failures in recent history.

Why Vendors are Appealing Targets

It’s typical for attackers to exploit vendors’ lower security standards to gain access to larger networks. They often lack the same budgets, staff levels, or processes necessary to maintain top levels of security. This provides attackers with an easier path than targeting a well-defended large enterprise directly.

Understanding the Scope of Third-Party Risk

A single supply chain can include many organizations, ranging from IT service providers and software vendors to logistics and payment processors. This can make it tricky to comprehend the full spectrum of risk.

Direct vs. Indirect Vendor Risks

There are two categories of vendor risk: direct and indirect. Direct vendor risk comes from vendors that have direct access to your networks, systems, or data. This could include a Managed Service Provider (MSP) with remote administrative access, or a payroll processor that handles employees’ banking information.

Indirect vendor risk arises from vendors that aren’t directly connected to your systems, but could still impact you if they were to be compromised. For instance, they may have your data stored on their systems. This could include a marketing agency that stores customer lists.

The Challenge of Vendor Visibility

Often, due to complex supply chains, legacy systems, and a lack of centralized oversight, many organizations lack a precise list of their current vendors and dependencies. When an incident happens, many organizations struggle to determine if they’re exposed, which delays their response.

Frameworks and Best Practices for Managing Vendor Risk

Approaches such as the NIST Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) framework can help you conduct a thorough vendor risk assessment and enhance your third-party risk management strategy.

Overview of NIST C-SCRM and Other Frameworks

The NIST C-SCRM framework is designed to enable organizations to identify, assess, and mitigate the risks associated with using third-party suppliers. It provides detailed guidance for organizations to integrate supply chain security risk into their enterprise risk management by establishing clear policies, roles, and responsibilities.

There are also other frameworks available. For instance, the ISO/IEC 27036 Series provides principles for organizations to securely manage outsourced ICT services and ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability in supply chain interactions.

The CISA also provides information on cybersecurity best practices to help organizations reduce third-party risk.

Due Diligence, Contracts, and Continuous Monitoring

Before onboarding vendors, it’s important to assess their security posture by reviewing their policies, incident history, and relevant certifications. Check which other suppliers they rely on, and use security audits to find any gaps. You should also confirm which data they need access to and apply the principle of least privilege accordingly.

Throughout the vendor relationship, you should regularly reassess the vendor to check their risk profile. Remove any unused credentials and inform vendors that they should notify you immediately if their credentials are compromised.

Questions Every Organization Should Ask Vendors

Some questions you should ask as part of a thorough vendor risk assessment include:
What security certifications or standards do you follow?

• Do you use subcontractors or third-party vendors, and how do you verify their qualifications?
• Can you share examples of how you handled past security incidents?
• Do you agree to regular security reviews or audits?
• How do you ensure continuity if your systems are disrupted?

Asking these questions will help you understand how committed your vendors are to cybersecurity.

Steps to Strengthen Your Third-Party Risk Management Strategy Today

It can be challenging to know where to begin when it comes to strengthening your third-party risk management strategy and conducting a comprehensive vendor risk assessment. We have recommended some steps below.

Start with a Vendor Inventory

Identifying and categorizing all vendors by access level and business criticality helps you understand which vendors pose a risk to your organization. Knowing exactly which vendors are high-impact means you can respond faster in a crisis.

Implement Tiered Risk Assessments

Creating risk tiers to align review depth with vendor criticality is an essential part of a robust third-party risk management strategy, as it means you can focus your efforts where they matter most. Doing so helps you stay efficient when managing a large number of vendors.

Collaborate with Security Partners

Working together with a trusted cybersecurity partner like CyberMaxx means they can act as an extension of your internal team and provide you with a robust cybersecurity roadmap. This is especially critical for high-risk vendors, as it means you can respond much more quickly in a crisis.

How CyberMaxx Helps Mitigate Third-Party Risk

CyberMaxx cybersecurity services help organizations to enhance their third-party risk management strategy through proactive defense and detection.

Continuous Threat Detection Across the Extended Enterprise

CyberMaxx’s Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Extended Managed Detection and Response (XDR) solutions surpass the offerings of typical security providers. They monitor vendor-related traffic and anomalies across the network, such as unusual logins or accounts being used outside of approved hours. This enables analysts to combine data across endpoints and servers, revealing signs of compromise and allowing them to respond to threats before they cause lasting damage.

Risk-Based Alerting and Response

CyberMaxx cybersecurity services prioritize and escalate alerts related to third-party activity. This reduces your organization’s mean time to respond (MTTR) and promotes faster triage and response. Ultimately, this prevents attackers from moving deeper into the network.

Customizable Dashboards and Transparent Reporting

CyberMaxx cybersecurity services provide tailored reports and intuitive, customizable dashboards that offer clients full visibility into their supply chain security. This means you can see vendor-related activity at a glance to track which third-party accounts are active and monitor high-risk vendors. You can also view detailed summaries of vendor-related incidents, escalations, and response actions. This provides a clear insight into how controls function over time.

Don’t Let a Vendor Breach Be Your Breach

Third-party vendors often serve as the entry point for supply chain attacks. CyberMaxx cybersecurity services provide the tools and support to help you continuously monitor, detect, and respond to vendor risks. This enhances your organization’s third-party risk management strategy, helping you remain secure and resilient.

The post Is Your Vendor Access the Weakest Link in Your Security Chain? appeared first on CyberMaxx.

How the Vulnerability Worked

The flaw arose from two interacting issues. Security researcher Dirk-Jan Mollema found that an undocumented “Actor” token mechanism used by internal Microsoft services could be requested from a benign tenant and then accepted by a legacy Azure AD Graph API in a different tenant because the API failed to reliably validate the originating tenant claim. That combination lets an attacker present an Actor token from their own tenant and authenticate as arbitrary users in target tenants.

Impact and Exploit Potential

Practical impact was severe. An attacker who obtained and replayed such a token could read and modify directory data, create service principals, change roles, and take control of applications and policies (effectively full tenant compromise in many cases). Because Actor tokens were not subject to Conditional Access controls and, in some paths, generated little or no tenant logging, detection, and containment would have been difficult. Multiple security analyses labelled the vulnerability critical and noted it could have undermined the trust boundary of cloud identity itself.

Microsoft’s Response and Mitigation

Microsoft confirmed it received the vulnerability report in mid-July 2025, rolled out a targeted mitigation to stop cross-tenant acceptance of Actor tokens, and accelerated decommissioning of the legacy Graph API usage paths implicated in the issue. Microsoft and third-party observers reported no evidence of active exploitation prior to the fix. Administrators were advised to ensure their tenants had received Microsoft’s update and to remove or replace any remaining dependencies on Azure AD Graph in favor of Microsoft Graph. No further actions are required at this time.

Recommended Actions for Administrators

Longer term the incident reinforces two operational lessons for cloud identity: reduce your attack surface by retiring legacy APIs, and demand strong, tenant-aware token validation and telemetry from identity providers. For defenders, the immediate actions are straightforward: verify Microsoft’s patch state for your tenant, inventory, and migrate away from Azure AD Graph, and review privileged roles and service principals for unexpected changes. Independent writeups and the original researcher’s technical disclosure provide detailed indicators and exploit mechanics for teams that need to hunt or harden.

The post Critical Entra ID Vulnerability CVE-2025-55241: Microsoft Issues Emergency Fix for Cross-Tenant Token Exploit appeared first on CyberMaxx.

So, as an insurance company, how secure is your third-party ecosystem?

The Growing Cybersecurity Risks in the Insurance Industry

The insurance industry is a vast network of agencies, carriers, and wholesale vendors. And because you’re dealing with personally identifiable information (PII), financial data, health records, and other sensitive information, it’s already a prime target for cybercriminals.

Add in how connected the network is, and you’re in a situation where one weak link or security failure can trigger a domino effect of breaches.

A Web of Interconnectedness and Third-Party Risks

Independent insurance agencies are essentially brokers between the insured (customer) and the carriers providing the policy. A single agency might represent 20+ carriers (Think of your Travelers, Nationwide, Hanover, etc.). Similarly, these carriers have thousands of agencies selling their products. Carriers might also use third-party services to support the operation or track specific data.

What does this mean for security risk? There is a lot of data sharing and system dependencies. Agencies have access to online portals and files for each carrier. When they first engage a potential insured (either a company or individual), they collect personal information and input it into the different carrier portals. Then, if they bind the coverage, the agencies can manage the policies from these portals.

See the challenge here? If one link in that chain is compromised, the fallout can be catastrophic.

For example, let’s say an agent’s password was compromised for one carrier system. If they were recycling that password, cybercriminals could access all the carrier systems. Now, you’re dealing with exposed personal, financial, and health information and policies controlled by an adversary.

Real-World Breach Examples in Insurance

Third-party risks are a real problem in cybersecurity for insurance. One report analyzed all data breaches targeting the top 150 insurance carriers. Of those incidents, 59% were caused by a compromised third party.

One notable incident, a global MOVEit attack, exploited a vulnerability of PBI Research Services, a third party that monitors death records for life insurance policies. Genworth, an insurance provider, had over 2.5 million policyholder records compromised. The attack also trickled down to Prudential, which exposed over 320,000 customer records.

Because of the size and scope of the breach, the incident resulted in over $12.15 billion in response, regulatory fines, liability payments, and other costs.

Common Cyber Threats Targeting Insurance Companies

Cybercriminals are working smarter and not harder. They understand the upside of a successful third-party attack and how to deliver devastating blows to the insurance industry.

Ransomware and Data Theft

Ransomware is a top concern for agencies, carriers, and anyone else supporting the insurance industry.

Cybercriminals can shut down your entire operation by locking you out of records you need to sell and manage policies. They can also use stolen credentials to steal data. There’s so much financial, health, and personal information stored and the ability to go up and down the insurance supply chain. That said, it’s not surprising that credential-based attacks are now the top-ranked threat among insurers.

Supply Chain Attacks

Here’s another headache: supply chain attacks. Threat actors exploit weaknesses in third-party vendors for the “bigger fish.”

Rather than go for one insurance agency, they can target a carrier hosting information collected by thousands of agencies. Or go for one provider, such as an IT company or information resource, that supports many carriers (like you saw in the MOVEit incident).

One compromised insurance partner = A cascading impact on the whole industry.

Compliance and Regulatory Risks

The “threat” of an attack isn’t just the impact of the insurance operation. Regulators are cracking down on third-party risk management.

If you don’t secure third-party data or hold providers to a certain standard, you risk a breach, fines, and legal consequences. A growing number of states are adopting the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Model Law for information security. These guidelines explicitly cover third-party risks and how to mitigate them.

HIPAA compliance also outlines how to assess and manage the risk of third parties with access to patient data (such as insurance companies and their providers).

The Role of Security Gap Analysis in Mitigating Third-Party Risk

Third-party risk isn’t something to scoff at. A security gap analysis is a great starting point for companies to pinpoint weak links of providers in the insurance supply chain.

Identifying Critical Vulnerabilities

First and foremost, a security gap analysis evaluates both internal and third-party security controls.

Are vulnerabilities like outdated software or weak access controls leaving “a weak link in the chain?” Is encryption being used? What about robust endpoint protection? Is there solid governance and policies for passwords, software usage, and incident response?

Strengthening Third-Party Risk Management

Finding gaps is one thing; now, it’s time to close them.

The main goal here is achieving cyber resilience. Hence, you can use continuous monitoring to proactively find and eliminate weaknesses and periodic risk assessments to ensure you’re constantly reducing the chances (and impact) of an attack.

But there’s a catch. It’s not enough to secure your own house; agencies and carriers need to work together to enforce stronger security standards nationwide.

How CyberMaxx Helps Secure the Insurance Industry

We at CyberMaxx pride ourselves on understanding the insurance world. Its interconnectedness and complexity aren’t something any cybersecurity company can handle. Whether you’re a carrier underwriting and providing coverage, an agency selling policies, or a service provider supporting the industry, we can help:

Comprehensive Gap Analysis for Insurance Companies

You have hidden vulnerabilities. We’ll uncover them.

With a comprehensive gap analysis across your entire insurance ecosystem, we can provide a clear roadmap for strengthening your defenses.

From endpoint protection and network security to compliance and managing third-party risk, we’ll get you to cyber resilience.

Implementing Stronger Security Controls

The buck doesn’t stop there. After a security gap analysis, we’ll help you implement stronger controls and enforce better cybersecurity policies.

The goal: Mitigate third-party risks and ensure regulatory compliance for state, federal, and insurance-specific guidelines.

Our “offense fuels defense” philosophy will keep your organization ahead of the curve by staying resilient against current and evolving threats.

Cybersecurity for Insurance: It Might Not Be Your Fault, But it is Your Problem

Third-party risk isn’t going away. But the good news: you don’t have to face it alone. A proactive approach via a security gap analysis can make all the difference.

Everyone in the insurance supply chain is exposed if just one link fails. So what’s your next move? Will you help secure the entire ecosystem? Or wait for a third-party vulnerability to be exposed?

The post Assessing Third-Party Risk: Protecting the Insurance Industry From Agency to Carrier appeared first on CyberMaxx.

These providers deliver tailored threat detection that’s more agile, proactive, and adaptable to your environment. They offer faster response times, more transparent communication, and easier customization of detection rules, escalation paths, and reporting formats. With a right-fit MDR partner, your organization gains more than a service provider. You also gain a long-term collaborator focused on strengthening your security posture and building cyber resilience.

Key Benefits of Choosing the Right-Sized MDR Partner

Below are the most significant advantages organizations experience when they choose a right-fit MDR provider:

1. Personalized Service & Attention

Right-sized MDR providers deliver tailored support that prioritizes your unique needs. Instead of being treated like another ticket in a queue, you gain a partner invested in your success. Larger MDR firms often rely on rigid support tiers that make it difficult to reach senior analysts, but with the right-fit partner, you benefit from:

• Faster response times and direct access to senior analysts or leadership.
• Deeper understanding of your environment, team, and business goals.
• Easier customization of detection rules, reporting formats, and escalation paths.

CyberMaxx maintains the optimal analyst-to-client ratio by providing a Shift Manager on every shift 24x7x365, and assigning a Customer Service representative and named Executive sponsor, making senior-level expertise and support always within reach. This level of attention enables your team to contain incidents quickly, minimizing disruption and reducing business risk.

2. Flexibility & Agility

Larger providers may have rigid processes, but right-sized partners can adapt more quickly to your evolving challenges. This flexibility translates into smoother collaboration and easier adoption. Their agility shows up in several ways:

• Ability to test and adapt to new threats or business changes.
• Seamless integration with your existing tech stack and workflows.
• Less bureaucracy, resulting in faster onboarding and implementation.

For example, CyberMaxx recently implemented a custom detection rule for a healthcare client within 48 hours, a process that can take weeks with larger providers. The result is smoother collaboration and security operations that move at the pace of your business.

3. Deep Partnership & Collaboration

A right-fit MDR partner becomes an extension of your team rather than a distant vendor. With larger providers, you may struggle to get strategic alignment beyond transactional service delivery. Right-sized providers foster collaboration through:

• Joint investment in strengthening your security posture.
• More proactive threat hunting and actionable strategic guidance.
• Better alignment with your internal security and compliance priorities.

The Customer Service Manager is your advocate, supporting business objectives and adapting to a dynamic landscape with focus and urgency. This partnership creates a stronger, more resilient defense strategy over time.

4. Cost Efficiency

The largest providers often bundle unnecessary services into expensive, long-term contracts. Right-sized MDR partners strike the right balance between cost and capability by offering flexible pricing that scales with your business. That advantage typically includes:

• Lower overhead translates into better client value.
• Scalable pricing models that adapt as your organization grows.
• Avoiding unnecessary spending on services or features you don’t need.

Instead of paying for scale you don’t need, you can redirect resources toward other critical security initiatives.

5. Threat Detection Innovation & Specialization

Bigger doesn’t always mean more advanced. Large MDR firms may be slow to roll out new capabilities due to their size and complexity. Right-fit providers often outpace them in adopting cutting-edge technologies and in delivering specialized expertise, including:

• Faster adoption of cutting-edge technologies or methodologies.
• May offer unique capabilities not found in larger providers, like more advanced custom threat detection capabilities that can help maintain a higher security posture.
• Industry- or compliance-specific expertise tailored to your risk profile.

CyberMaxx invokes Continuous Threat Exposure Monitoring, where there is zero latency between identifying novel threats to having these instrumented for protecting your business assets.

6. Transparency & Trust

Trust is essential in cybersecurity partnerships, and it can be challenging to achieve with large providers where communication is complex and layered. Right-sized MDR providers build stronger trust through:

• Clear communication through dedicated support.
• Easier to access and understand dashboards, data, and reporting.
• Stronger sense of accountability, trust, and partnership.

This transparency lets you see how your partner manages threats and gives you confidence that they act in your best interest.

Building Long-Term Cyber Resilience with the Right MDR Fit

Security leaders must treat cybersecurity decisions as more than a question of size. The idea that larger providers always deliver stronger results overlooks the importance of alignment, flexibility, and specialization. Unlike large providers that trade agility for scale or smaller firms that lack enterprise-grade resources, CyberMaxx delivers both: scalability with personalized attention.

CyberMaxx represents this balance. We bring the scale organizations expect while maintaining the agility and partnership that make security effective. The result is a collaborator committed to strengthening your posture and building long-term resilience, ensuring your business receives comprehensive and trustworthy protection. Your business deserves comprehensive protection delivered with clarity, speed, and trust, and CyberMaxx ensures you get precisely that.

What CyberMaxx clients are saying:

“CyberMaxx, a trusted partner, not a vendor”

I cannot speak more highly of my organization’s relationship with CyberMaxx. They have been a dedicated and trusted partner of our organization for over three years now. Since contracting, they have frequently gone above and beyond to support our organization. CyberMaxx assisted us with a massive security incident, bringing resources onsite and remote support, even when they were not under contract. During our contract renewal, they were transparent, fairly priced, and produced multiple pricing models for our consideration.

“A Trusted Partner”

They have been dedicated to our success. They are reliable, trustworthy, and always available when we need support. They provide a dedicated and always available account rep and are there for any issues we are experiencing.

“CyberMaxx Delivers”

CyberMaxx delivers the quality expertise that we were looking for in this area. Quick response times to alerts, questions, and inquiries make them top in their field on this product. They learn and understand the needs of their customers.

The post Beyond Size: How to Choose the Right MDR Partner appeared first on CyberMaxx.

Within the last year, 99% of organizations have had an API-related security issue. Because APIs are often invisible to many traditional security tools, they offer a convenient blind spot that threat actors can expose.

And if your Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider can’t see them, neither can you. API security for MDR buyers is becoming a real challenge.

It’s time to bring these hidden risks to light.

Why APIs Are a Growing Threat Surface

APIs are the ultimate connectors essential for businesses to pull data and bring services from different applications. But their accumulation has multiplied the attack surface. Shadow APIs, zombie APIs, and automated bot abuse create dangerous blind spots that security teams aren’t addressing.

Shadow and Zombie APIs

If you can’t control something, how can you protect it? That’s the challenge with shadow APIs. They’re undocumented endpoints thrown in by developers that can’t be easily found or managed. Maybe they were under a tight deadline and threw in a test API, but never decommissioned it. Or an employee who wanted to automate data entry by having two apps communicate, but didn’t notify IT.

Then there’s zombie APIs. These are the active but forgotten legacy endpoints. You commonly see this with old websites and microsites. The backend API continues to run even if the site is down.

Both shadow and zombie APIs create invisible entry points for attackers, and the impact has been clear. Over the last 12 months, API security incidents have doubled, with unauthenticated attackers responsible for 61% of attempts.

Bot Abuse and Automated Attacks

The issue with APIs is the scalability of attacks. Threat actors can deploy bots to do all the dirty work and automate specific attacks:

• Credential stuffing: Automated login attempts from stolen user names and passwords
• Data scraping: Pulling large amounts of data from API endpoints
• Denial of service (DoS) attacks: Overwhelming an API with requests or calls to shut down the system

Bot abuse has contributed significantly to the surge in malicious API activity. API traffic accounts for 71% of all web traffic. Last year, 46% of all Account Takeover (ATO) attacks targeted API endpoints.

Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

APIs bring businesses together to do more. An eCommerce clothing store might use a payment processing API to collect online payments. A Software as a Service (SaaS) product might integrate a CRM via API to collect customer data. Or a manufacturer’s ERP connecting with a warehouse system to monitor inventory.

The problem? This interconnectedness creates risks across the supply chain. One partner’s vulnerability is another’s data breach. And the impact is abundantly clear.

In 2024, third-party or vendor-related vulnerabilities accounted for 64% of major incidents.

Why MDR Buyers Can’t Afford to Ignore APIs

API security for MDR buyers must be part of the equation. Unmanaged APIs directly undermine the core MDR value proposition: Comprehensive threat detection and rapid response. And ignoring this surface leaves a critical gap for your business.

MDR Blind Spots Without API Coverage

Last year, 37% of organizations were victims of an API-related attack (up from 17% in 2023). Therefore, if your MDR provider focuses solely on endpoints and networks, it’s missing a significant channel of threat activity.

Attackers are aware of this gap. It’s how they pivot through APIs and exfiltrate data nearly undetected. Can’t analyze API traffic?

Then you’re blind to a primary attack path.

Impact on Compliance and Liability

API-targeted breaches don’t just mean lost data or down systems. They can trigger severe compliance penalties. Regulations such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR impose substantial fines on those who fail to protect personal and sensitive data.

And how would incidents and compliance violations impact your brand? It wouldn’t be a good look to potential customers. And that impact is reflected in the financial statements.

Retailers, for example, pay an average of $526,531 in fines, remediation, and lost profits due to API security breaches.

How MDR Enhances API Security

Point security solutions at the API endpoint or a gateway still leave you exposed. MDR, however, integrates API discovery and monitoring into a unified API threat detection strategy. This integration enables a rapid response if something is amiss and ensures that security teams do not overlook the attack vector.

API Enumeration and Discovery

The problem with API-only point security is that it only works on the APIs you know. But what about the undocumented shadow and zombie APIs?

MDR runs in-depth traffic analysis and integration scans for complete visibility. The platform enables you to create an inventory of your API ecosystem with integrations, calls, and other overlooked connections. Doing so helps eliminate the unknown.

Detecting Abnormal API Calls

Once you discover the hidden APIs, you can spot suspicious activity. MDR correlates API traffic. Teams apply security information and event management (SIEM) and extended detection & response (XDR) systems to establish a baseline for “normal.” From there, you can automatically flag anomalies.

Are there unusually large payloads or sequences of commands (which could indicate injection attacks)?

What about spikes in IP or user agents (which might be data scraping)? Or repeated authorization attempts (possibly credential stuffing)? Data access beyond the user’s normal permissions (account takeover)?

All this context turns simple traffic information into actionable intelligence.

Integration With Unified API Threat Detection

Don’t separate API data from other monitoring sources.

Modern MDR weaves it into the broader security workflow. It ensures that API, endpoint, network, identity, and cloud data work together as one. Unusual API calls with a suspicious endpoint login or unexpected connections to unknown servers might indicate a

looming threat.
MDR has become increasingly effective in comprehensive detection capabilities. It also demonstrates how quickly services can now identify threats. The median dwell time (the duration cyber actors spend intruding and lingering) decreased to 13 days in 2023.

That’s nearly half of what it was in years prior.

CyberMaxx’s Approach to API Security

API monitoring isn’t guaranteed in all MDRs. CyberMaxx includes API protection in its MDR and treats it as a foundational component of threat detection. It’s how we eliminate blind spots others overlook.

Unified Visibility Across Attack Surfaces

With security monitoring, we “take off the blinders.” API traffic is tracked and analyzed in the full context of endpoint, network, identity, and cloud activity.

Is an API suddenly receiving thousands of requests per minute from an endpoint across the world? Did the account making those requests receive excessive cloud storage permission in one change? The list goes on.
Connecting these dots reveals whether it’s an isolated anomaly or something more malicious.

Proactive Threat Response

CyberMax MDR doesn’t just alert; it takes action via zero-latency response.

Abnormal API behavior triggers our automated (but human-guided) response. Whether a credential stuffing surge, flood of API POST requests, or something more sinister, we investigate.

From there, threats are contained instantly and prevented from spiraling into a major incident. Reducing dwell time is the key to success. And that’s where we thrive.

Value for MDR Buyers

CyberMaxx treats APIs as first-class citizens, not afterthoughts. The hidden world of backend integrations means that API security for MDR buyers should be a top priority.

Our coverage extends to every corner of the modern attack surface —comprehensive threat monitoring with no blind spots.

Securing the Hidden World of API

APIs are no longer a secondary risk; they are the front line. Ignore them, and you undermine the entire security program, negating the value of your MDR investment.

CyberMaxx brings unity to your strategy. Our MDR offers visibility across APIs, endpoints, cloud, and identities with integrated response. Don’t let what you can’t see become your biggest breach.

The post APIs: The Hidden Attack Surface MDR Can’t Ignore appeared first on CyberMaxx.

• Cisco Patches Critical Vulnerability in Firewall Management Center
• Two Vulnerabilities in N-able’s N-central added to CISA KEV List
• WordPress Scheduling Plugin Vulnerable to Arbitrary File Upload
• WordPress Custom API WP Plugin Vulnerable to SQL Injection

Cisco Patches Critical Actively Exploited Vulnerability in Firewall Management Center

Cisco released patches for more than 20 new vulnerabilities affecting its Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC), Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD), and Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) products. The most concerning is CVE-2025-20265 (CVSS 10/10), which affects the FMC platform that monitors/manages the FTDs and other tools. If exploited, an unauthenticated attacker can execute code remotely within the platform. Cisco has also stated that this vulnerability is under active exploitation. CyberMaxx strongly recommends patching this urgently.

Affected Versions

• A full list of affected versions can be found here.

Recommendations

• Apply the latest patches.
• CyberMaxx also recommends restricting FMC access to only Private/Trusted IP addresses.

More Reading / Information

• https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/publicationListing.x?product=Cisco&sort=-day_sir#~Vulnerabilities
• https://thehackernews.com/2025/08/cisco-warns-of-cvss-100-fmc-radius-flaw.html

Two Vulnerabilities in N-able’s N-central added to CISA KEV List

N-Central is a Remote Monitoring and Management tool offered by N-able. Two vulnerabilities in the platform, CVE-2025-8875 and CVE-2025-8876, have been exploited in the wild and added to CISA’s KEV List. The technical details of these vulnerabilities have not been shared yet; however, with reports of ongoing attacks, it is highly recommended to upgrade to the latest version. This affects on-premises versions only.

Affected Versions

• All on-premise versions prior to 2025.3.1.

Recommendations

• Upgrade to N-central 2025.3.1.

More Reading / Information

• https://status.n-able.com/2025/08/13/announcing-the-ga-of-n-central-2025-3-1/
• https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-warns-of-n-able-n-central-flaws-exploited-in-zero-day-attacks/

WordPress Scheduling Plugin Vulnerable to Arbitrary File Upload

The plugin WordPress Online Booking & Scheduling Calendar for WordPress by vcita is vulnerable to a file upload vulnerability. When exploited, a malicious actor can upload any type of file to your website, including a backdoor. This vulnerability is being tracked as CVE-2025-54677 (CVSS 9.1/10).

Affected Versions

• Online Booking & Scheduling Calendar for WordPress by vcita Plugin version 4.5.3 or earlier.

Recommendations

• Update to version 4.5.5 or later.

More Reading / Information

• https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-54677
• https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/meeting-scheduler-by-vcita/vulnerability/wordpress-online-booking-scheduling-calendar-for-wordpress-by-vcita-plugin-4-5-3-arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability?_s_id=cve

WordPress Custom API WP Plugin Vulnerable to SQL Injection

The miniOrange Custom API plugin for WordPress contains an SQL Injection vulnerability. This flaw allows attackers to insert malicious SQL commands due to improper handling of special characters. Exploitation could allow a malicious actor full access to the database. This vulnerability is being tracked as CVE-2025-54048 (CVSS 9.3/10).

Affected Versions

• miniOrange Custom API version 4.2.2 or earlier.

Recommendations

• Update to version 4.2.3 or later.

More Reading / Information

• https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-54048
• https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/custom-api-for-wp/vulnerability/wordpress-custom-api-for-wp-4-2-2-sql-injection-vulnerability?_s_id=cve

Recommendations

Please review your environment to ensure the above-mentioned issues are patched in a timely manner. It is security best practice to regularly update and/or patch software to the latest versions. The vulnerabilities above highlight the security benefits of limiting deployed software to “vendor-supported versions” only. This dramatically increases the likelihood that new vulnerabilities have a patch issued for them. Likewise, CyberMaxx strongly encourages maintaining an inventory of current software in your environment, which helps ensure and inform your patch and vulnerability management program.

The post Security Advisory: Weekly Advisory August 20th, 2025 appeared first on CyberMaxx.