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⚡ THN Weekly Recap: Top Cybersecurity Threats, Tools and Tips [13 January]. The cyber world’s been buzzing this week, and it’s all about staying ahead of the bad guys. From sneaky software bugs to advanced hacking tricks, the risks are real, but so are the ways to protect yourself. In this recap, we’ll break down what’s happening, why it matters, and what you can do to stay secure. Let’s turn awareness into action and keep one step ahead of the threats. ⚡ Threat of the Week Critical Ivanti Flaw Comes Under Exploitation — A newly discovered critical security vulnerability in Ivanti Connect Secure appliances has been exploited as a zero-day since mid-December 2024. The flaw (CVE-2025-0282, CVSS score: 9.0) is a stack-based buffer overflow bug that could lead to unauthenticated remote code execution. According to Google-owned Mandiant, the flaw has been exploited to deploy the SPAWN ecosystem of malware – the SPAWNANT installer, SPAWNMOLE tunneler, and the SPAWNSNAIL SSH backdoor – as well as two other previously undocumented malware families dubbed DRYHOOK and PHASEJAM. There is a possibility that multiple threat actor groups, including the China-linked UNC5337, are behind the exploitation. Advance Your Cybersecurity Career with SANS Across the U.S. Unlock top-tier cybersecurity training at SANS with fast, focused, and expert-led courses designed to take your cyber career to the next tier in six days or less. 🔔 Top News ‎️‍🔥 Trending CVEs Your favorite software might be hiding serious security cracks—don’t wait for trouble to find you. Update now and stay one step ahead of the threats! This week’s list includes — CVE-2024-8474 (OpenVPN Connect), CVE-2024-46981 (Redis), CVE-2024-51919, CVE-2024-51818 (Fancy Product Designer plugin), CVE-2024-12877 (GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform), CVE-2024-12847 (NETGEAR DGN1000), CVE-2025-23016 (FastCGI fcgi2), CVE-2024-10215 (WPBookit plugin), CVE-2024-11350 (AdForest theme), CVE-2024-13239 (Drupal), CVE-2024-54676 (Apache OpenMeetings) CVE-2025-0103 (Palo Alto Networks Expedition), CVE-2024-53704 (SonicWall SonicOS), CVE-2024-50603 (Aviatrix Controller), CVE-2024-9138, and CVE-2024-9140 (Moxa). 📰 Around the Cyber World 🎥 Expert Webinar 🔧 Cybersecurity Tools 🔒 Tip of the Week Know Your Browser Extensions — Your browser is the heart of your online activity—and a prime target for cyber threats. Malicious extensions can steal sensitive data, while sneaky DOM manipulations exploit vulnerabilities to run harmful code in the background. These threats often go unnoticed until it’s too late. So, how do you stay protected? Tools like CRXaminer and DOMspy make it simple. CRXaminer scans Chrome extensions to uncover risky permissions or dangerous code before you install them. DOMspy helps you spot hidden threats by monitoring your browser’s behavior in real-time, and flagging suspicious activities like DOM clobbering or prototype pollution. Stay safe by reviewing your extensions regularly, only granting permissions when absolutely necessary, and keeping your browser and tools up to date. Conclusion Every click, download, and login contributes to your digital footprint, shaping how secure or vulnerable you are online. While the risks may feel overwhelming, staying informed and taking proactive steps are your best defenses. As you finish this newsletter, take a moment to assess your online habits. A few simple actions today can save you from significant trouble tomorrow. Stay ahead, stay secure.