linux

The Next Enterprise Exposure Wave: Old Management Surfaces, New Root Paths

John Z Black Mar 18, 2026

Security Operations & Resilience #management-plane #ip-kvm #telnet #linux #root-access #hardening #attack-surface

An unpatched telnetd with unauthenticated root RCE. Nine critical IP-KVM flaws. A Linux privilege escalation tied to systemd timing. Different CVEs, same underlying problem: forgotten management plumbing.

The SocksEscort Takedown: Your Linux Server Might Be Someone Else's Criminal Proxy

John Z Black Mar 13, 2026

Cybercrime #socksescort #botnet #proxy #linux #takedown #law-enforcement #infrastructure

US authorities dismantled SocksEscort, a proxy-for-hire botnet built on silently infected Linux devices. Here's why this takedown matters more than it seems, and why 'it's Linux, it's fine' isn't a security posture.