Microsoft Fixes Bugs Behind One-Click Attacks

Microsoft’s February security updates include fixes for security vulnerabilities that are used by hackers for one-click attacks, TechCrunch reported Wednesday (Feb. 11).

In these attacks, hackers plant malware or gain access to a computer by simply tricking victims into clicking on a malicious link or opening a malicious Office file, according to the report.

One bug highlighted in the report is CVE-2026-21510, which was found in the Windows shell that powers the operating system’s user interface and which allows hackers to bypass Microsoft’s SmartScreen security feature when a victim clicks on a malicious link.

Another bug spotlighted by TechCrunch is CVE-2026-21513, which was found in Microsoft’s MSHTML browser engine and which allowed hackers to get around Windows security features and plant malware.

In other recent news in the cybersecurity space, the World Economic Forum said in its Cyber Risk in 2026 outlook, released Jan. 12, that artificial intelligence is expected to be the most consequential factor shaping cybersecurity strategies this year. Ninety-four percent of the executives surveyed for the report cited AI as a force multiplier for both defense and offense.

The PYMNTS Intelligence and Spreedly collaboration “Orchestrating Trust: The Future of Fraud Prevention in Payments” found that fraud orchestration is emerging as a structural response to a new environment in which fragmented defenses are no longer sufficient in a payments environment defined by speed, scale and constantly evolving attack methods.

Orchestration replaces a reliance on isolated tools or teams with a command-and-control layer that coordinates identity checks, behavioral signals, machine learning models and payment routing in real time.

The Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) said in December that reported ransomware incidents and payments dropped in 2024 after law enforcement disrupted two high-profile ransomware groups.

Reported ransomware incidents and payments reached an all-time high in 2023, with 1,512 incidents and a total of $1.1 billion in payments. Following the disruption of the two ransomware groups, those figures declined in 2024 to 1,476 incidents and a total of $734 million in payments.

The activities that drove this decline were the disruptions of the ALPHV/Blackcat and LockBit ransomware groups.