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Showing posts with the label neuroscience

The Rising Threat of ToolShell: Unpacking the July 2025 SharePoint Zero-Day Exploits

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Anatomy of the ToolShell Exploit Chain Beginning around July 7, 2025, adversaries exploited a deserialization flaw in SharePoint’s on-premises service (CVE-2025-53770) to upload a malicious spinstall0.aspx payload, triggering code execution within the w3wp.exe process. A secondary path-traversal flaw (CVE-2025-53771) then enabled privilege escalation and lateral movement across corporate networks . Security researchers at Eye Security and Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 observed attackers bypassing identity controls – MFA and SSO – to exfiltrate machine keys, deploy persistent backdoors, and chain ransomware operations within hours of initial compromise . State-Backed Actor Involvement Microsoft attributes the campaign primarily to Storm-2603, assessed with moderate confidence to be China-based, alongside historically linked groups Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon . These actors have a track record of blending cyber-espionage with financially motivated ransomware like Warlock and Lo...

Art and Neuroscience: The Brain's Response to Aesthetic Experience

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Art has long served as a profound reflection of the human condition, offering insights into our emotions, cognition, and cultural values. With the advent of neuroaesthetics, a groundbreaking interdisciplinary field, we are now beginning to understand the intricate ways in which the brain processes art. This exploration reveals not only the neural mechanisms behind aesthetic appreciation but also the profound implications for creativity and therapeutic practices. The Rise of Neuroaesthetics The term "neuroaesthetics" was coined in the late 1990s to describe the study of the neural basis of aesthetic experiences. Researchers like Semir Zeki have led the charge in this field, exploring how the brain reacts to visual art and beauty. By employing tools like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), scientists have identified specific brain regions involved in the perception and appreciation of art. For instance, the orbitofrontal cortex h...