CISA Flags Exploited BeyondTrust, Fortinet Bugs as Ransomware Hits Home

CISA added critical, actively exploited flaws in BeyondTrust Remote Support and Fortinet products to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on October 16, 2026, the same day CISA and the FBI warned election officials of rising phishing threats ahead of the midterms. Elsewhere, a new Semperis survey found ransomware pressure increasingly reaching employees' homes, cybersecurity job postings hit a four-year low, and Houston named a new city CIO.

CISA: Attackers Actively Exploiting BeyondTrust Remote Support Flaw

CISA warned that attackers are actively exploiting a critical authentication bypass vulnerability, CVE-2026-102764, in BeyondTrust Remote Support versions 26.2.3 and earlier, using it to gain initial access, establish persistence, escalate privileges and move laterally. The flaw was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on October 16, 2026. CISA urged organizations running affected self-hosted appliances to apply the BT26-05-RS patch immediately, rebuild from a known-good state, rotate every credential the appliance stored or injected, and review new multifactor authentication registrations on privileged accounts. (CISA)

CISA Adds Exploited Fortinet Path Traversal Bug to KEV Catalog

CISA added CVE-2025-61624, an actively exploited path traversal vulnerability affecting FortiOS, FortiPAM, FortiProxy and FortiSwitchManager, to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on October 16, 2026, alongside the BeyondTrust flaw. An authenticated attacker with an admin profile and at least read-write permissions could write or delete arbitrary files via specific CLI commands. Binding Operational Directive 26-04 requires federal civilian agencies to prioritize remediation of KEV Catalog vulnerabilities on publicly exposed assets that grant total control post-exploitation, and CISA encouraged all organizations to adopt the same risk-based approach. (CISA)

CISA and FBI Warn Election Officials of Phishing and Smishing Threats

CISA and the FBI issued a joint public service announcement warning election and campaign officials about cyber threats ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. The agencies said malicious actors may target officials, candidates and political organizations because of their access to voter registration data and sensitive campaign information, using convincing emails, texts, audio and video content designed to steal credentials or install malware. CISA and the FBI urged election officials, campaign personnel and the public to review the advisory and remain alert for suspicious messages. (CISA)

Cybersecurity Job Postings Hit Four-Year Low as CISO Hiring Swings

US employers posted 235,786 cybersecurity job listings from January through September 2026, the lowest total for that period in the four years CyberSN has tracked, based on the staffing firm's analysis of JobSpikr data. Postings fell 26.4% from the same months in 2025. CISO listings fell 38.9% from last year's record before climbing 19.5% between the second and third quarters of 2026. CyberSN CEO Deidre Diamond said the swings may reflect broader C-suite instability rather than a decline in demand for security leadership. (Help Net Security)

Houston Names Kevin Berry as Chief Information Officer

The city of Houston named Kevin Berry as chief information officer, with the appointment confirmed by City Council on October 7 after he served as interim CIO. Berry previously served as chief technology officer for Houston Public Works and brings more than 20 years of experience in enterprise technology, cybersecurity and defense technology. He succeeds Lisa Kent, who retired in June after serving as CIO since 2016. Berry now oversees Houston Information Technology Services, which supports nearly 22,000 city employees across 23 departments. (Industry Insider Texas / Government Technology)