Welcome to this week's threat briefing. As we settle into 2026, the Australian cyber landscape is already heating up with critical exploits targeting the very automation tools that drive our efficiency. From unauthenticated remote code execution in popular workflow platforms to the industrialisation of AI jailbreaking, this week has highlighted that "set and forget" is no longer a viable security strategy.

Here is your deep dive into the threats shaping the last 7 days.

Critical Vulnerability Spotlight: The n8n RCE

The most alarming development this week (8 Jan 2026) is the discovery of a critical unauthenticated Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in the n8n workflow automation platform (tracked as CVE-2026-21858).

The Risk: n8n is widely used by SaaS providers and tech-forward organisations to glue together APIs and services. This vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the host server without needing to log in.
Impact: For organisations using n8n to orchestrate sensitive data flows (e.g., connecting CRM data to billing systems), a compromise here effectively hands over the keys to your entire API ecosystem.
Action: If you run self-hosted instances of n8n, patch immediately. Isolate these instances from the public internet where possible.

Sector-Specific Threat Analysis

SaaS & APIs: The Gateway Under Fire

Following the n8n disclosure, the IBM API Connect platform also came under scrutiny this week. On 6 January, warnings were issued regarding a critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-13915) that is now being actively probed.

Observation: We are seeing a shift where attackers are moving away from brute-forcing front doors and instead targeting the "middleware" and API gateways that manage trust.
Advice: Review your API gateway logs for anomalous traffic patterns, specifically inspecting for injection attempts in header fields.

Retail & FinTech: The Initial Access Bazaar

A new report released this week by Cyble on the ANZ Threat Landscape has revealed a disturbing trend for 2026: Retail organisations now account for 34% of all Initial Access Broker (IAB) sales, followed closely by the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector.

The Threat: Cybercriminals are not just stealing credit cards; they are selling "footholds" into corporate networks.
Actor Profile: The threat group "Warlock" has been identified as a key player, leveraging unpatched on-premises SharePoint vulnerabilities to establish persistence before selling access to ransomware affiliates.

Healthcare: Data Rich, Security Poor

While no massive new breach was declared this specific week, intelligence indicates that the Morpheus ransomware group is actively re-tooling to target healthcare interoperability standards (like FHIR APIs). The digitisation of patient records remains a double-edged sword; ensure your third-party integrations are strictly scoped.

Government: The Scam Relocation

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and regional partners have tracked a significant movement of organised scam syndicates. As of 5 January, intelligence suggests these groups are relocating operations from Myanmar to Cambodia (specifically Malai province).

Relevance: Expect a new wave of highly sophisticated, socially engineered "pig butchering" scams targeting Australian government employees and contractors. These often begin via innocuous messages on encrypted messaging apps.

Emerging Tech: AI Systems & The "Storm"

The intersection of AI and cybersecurity is no longer theoretical. The threat actor tracked as Storm-2139 continues to demonstrate capability in "AI Jailbreaking".

Method: By compromising Azure OpenAI accounts via stolen credentials, they are modifying guardrails to generate illicit content and bypass safety filters.
Corporate Risk: If your organisation relies on "wrapper" applications around LLMs, be aware that attackers are actively looking for prompt injection vulnerabilities to manipulate your AI's output or exfiltrate data.

IoT & Infrastructure: WatchGuard Exploitation

Finally, reports from late December into this week confirm active exploitation of WatchGuard Firebox devices (CVE-2025-14733). These edge devices are often the first line of defence; if unpatched, they become the attacker's beachhead.

Summary & Recommendations

The theme for January 2026 is clear: Interconnectivity is the vulnerability. Whether it is an automation tool like n8n, an API gateway, or a third-party vendor access point, the "glue" holding your stack together is under attack.

Immediate Priorities:

Patch n8n and IBM API Connect instances immediately.
Audit specific egress traffic from your automation servers—they should only talk to known endpoints.
Refresh anti-phishing training for staff regarding "relationship" scams (pig butchering), particularly in government and defence sectors.

Contact us for a quote for penetration testing service or adversary simulation.