Cybersecurity

META DESCRIPTION: Weekly cyber threat intelligence for Aug 5–12, 2025: Fortinet SSL VPN brute-force surge, RaaS acceleration, AI-enabled attacks, and nation‑state espionage trends.

Weekly summary on Cybersecurity: Threat intelligence for the date range August 5, 2025 to August 12, 2025 is available, highlighting increased brute-force activity against Fortinet SSL VPNs, accelerating ransomware-as-a-service operations, AI-enabled threats, and notable nation-state campaigns[4][2][1][5].

• Fortinet SSL VPNs saw a significant spike in coordinated brute-force attempts, with GreyNoise observing more than 780 unique IPs participating around August 3 and distinct assault waves before and after August 5, shifting targeting from FortiOS profiles to FortiManager after that date[4].

• Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) continued to add speed and complexity to attacks, with groups like Qilin, RansomHub, and Lynx repeatedly observed in the first half of 2025; exploitation of known CVEs persisted despite patches, complicating pre-encryption detection[2].

• AI weaponization reached industrial scale, with adversaries exploiting vulnerabilities in AI software for initial access and using AI tools to enhance attack capabilities, expanding enterprise attack surfaces to AI development platforms and model repositories[1].

• Nation-state activity persisted: campaigns linked to groups like BlindEagle and China-linked operators were observed in H1 2025, while separate reporting highlighted Turla’s espionage activity posing as a cybersecurity vendor to target embassies[2][5].

References [1] Authentic8. (2025, August 9). Cyber Intel Brief: Nation-state AI deception, Salesforce breaches, ransomware surge. Retrieved from https://www.authentic8.com/blog/cyber-intel-brief-nation-state-ai-deception-salesforce-breaches-ransomware-surge

[2] Darktrace. (2025, August 5). 2025 Cyber Threat Landscape: Mid-Year Review. Retrieved from https://www.darktrace.com/blog/2025-cyber-threat-landscape-darktraces-mid-year-review

[3] Imperva. (2025, August 4). Threat Intelligence: August 4, 2025. Retrieved from https://imperva.substack.com/p/threat-intelligence-august-4-2025

[4] The Hacker News. (2025, August 12). Fortinet SSL VPNs hit by global brute-force wave before and after August 5. Retrieved from https://thehackernews.com/2025/08/fortinet-ssl-vpns-hit-by-global-brute.html

[5] CYFIRMA. (2025, August 8). Weekly Intelligence Report – 08 August 2025. Retrieved from https://www.cyfirma.com/news/weekly-intelligence-report-08-august-2025/