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Horizon3 & Deloitte forge cyber resilience alliance. Tue, 25th Aug 2026 (Today) Horizon3 has formed an alliance with Deloitte in Australia focused on cyber resilience for organisations across Australia and New Zealand. The partnership combines Horizon3's NodeZero security platform with Deloitte's cyber advisory, transformation, resilience and managed services. Together, they will work with enterprises seeking more frequent testing of cyber defences and clearer evidence of which weaknesses attackers can exploit. Boards, regulators, customers and insurers are putting more pressure on companies to show they can withstand cyber incidents. At the same time, many organisations still rely on periodic assessments and fragmented security tools, leaving gaps between tests. Horizon3 and Deloitte said their approach is designed to help clients move beyond theoretical risk scoring and broad lists of findings. Instead, it focuses on identifying exploitable attack paths, ranking the most significant exposures and checking whether remediation has reduced risk. NodeZero is designed to validate attack paths across internal systems, internet-facing assets, cloud environments, identities, web applications and hybrid estates. Deloitte will add strategic and operational support to help clients interpret findings and act on them across security and IT teams. Shift in testing The alliance reflects a broader shift in cyber security from point-in-time reviews to continuous validation. Companies face growing scrutiny not just to report risks, but to show that controls work in practice. The need has become more urgent as security teams contend with faster-moving threats, vulnerabilities linked to artificial intelligence tools and increasingly automated attack methods. The companies said their work together is intended to help executive teams understand cyber exposure in business terms rather than through technical scores alone. For Deloitte, the arrangement adds an attacker-perspective testing platform to its cyber consulting and managed services work in Australia. For Horizon3, it opens access to a large advisory and delivery network in a market where companies are seeking more measurable ways to assess resilience. Gareth Cox, Vice President, Sales, APJ, Horizon3, said the alliance responds to demand for clearer evidence of risk. "Organisations across Australia and New Zealand do not need more cyber noise. They need proof," said Gareth Cox, Vice President, Sales, APJ, Horizon3. "By combining Deloitte's strategic advisory and delivery strength with Horizon3's ability to safely discover exposure, prioritise based on impact and remediate with clarity, we can help executive leaders make faster, better-informed security decisions, reduce risk and demonstrate measurable resilience over time." Client focus The two companies will target organisations seeking stronger assurance over the effectiveness of cyber controls across broad, complex technology estates. That includes businesses running a mix of on-premise systems, cloud services and externally exposed applications. The alliance is also intended to help security and IT teams improve prioritisation. Rather than treating all findings as equal, the goal is to highlight the exposures that create material business risk and verify that fixes have worked. Liz Douglass, Partner and Cyber Lead, Deloitte Australia, said the need for continuous evidence is growing as the threat environment changes. "In an increasingly dynamic threat environment, organisations need more than periodic assurance exercises. They need continuous, evidence-based insight into where they are exposed and how to strengthen resilience. Our partnership with Horizon3 expands our ability to help clients translate attacker-perspective validation into practical action across strategy, operations and transformation," said Liz Douglass, Partner and Cyber Lead, Deloitte Australia. Horizon3 said more than 7,000 organisations use its technology, including defence agencies, large enterprises, banks and healthcare providers. The company positions NodeZero as a platform that can test defences, uncover exploitable paths and verify fixes in an ongoing cycle. Cox said the relationship pairs Horizon3's exposure validation with Deloitte's ability to help clients turn that evidence into action. "Horizon3 provides evidence of real exposure through attacker-perspective validation, and Deloitte helps clients translate that evidence into action, operating change, and sustained cyber resilience," said Cox. "That is what makes this alliance meaningful for executive leaders."

Active exploitation alert: critical GitLab CVE-2026-19478 code injection vulnerability targets unpatched instances. Executive summary. CVE-2026-19478 is a critical code injection vulnerability impacting GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE). Publicly disclosed in August 2026, this vulnerability has been weaponized by threat actors within days, resulting in active exploitation campaigns targeting unpatched, internet-facing GitLab instances. The flaw, which scores 9.4 on the CVSS v3.1 scale, enables unauthenticated attackers to manipulate, delete, or forge records in public projects via a maliciously crafted GraphQL directive. The rapid exploitation underscores the urgent need for immediate remediation and highlights the evolving threat landscape where adversaries leverage newly disclosed vulnerabilities at unprecedented speed. Threat actor profile. Current intelligence indicates that exploitation of CVE-2026-19478 is being conducted by a mix of opportunistic cybercriminals and potentially more sophisticated actors. The initial wave of attacks has been characterized by broad, automated scanning and exploitation, as observed by security research organizations such as watchTowr and Horizon3.ai. These actors are leveraging public proof-of-concept (PoC) code and automated tools to identify and compromise vulnerable GitLab instances. While no specific advanced persistent threat (APT) group attribution has been made, the scale and automation of attacks suggest involvement from both financially motivated cybercriminals and actors seeking to disrupt software supply chains. The use of AI-assisted reconnaissance and exploitation tools has further accelerated the weaponization timeline, reducing the window between disclosure and exploitation to mere hours. Technical analysis of malware/ttps. The core of CVE-2026-19478 lies in improper input validation within the GitLab GraphQL API endpoint (/api/graphql). Attackers exploit this by injecting a specially crafted GraphQL directive, such as @gl_introduced, which bypasses authentication and authorization controls. This enables remote, unauthenticated manipulation of project metadata and repository contents. Upon successful exploitation, attackers can perform destructive actions including deletion of public projects, removal of entire repositories, and the forging of merge records - making it appear as though code changes or security fixes have been applied when they have not. Additionally, attackers can ban legitimate project maintainers, effectively locking out authorized users and facilitating further malicious activity. Technical indicators of compromise (IOCs) include anomalous requests to the /api/graphql endpoint containing the @gl_introduced string, unexpected project deletions or modifications, and the presence of merge records that do not correspond to actual code changes. Attackers are leveraging automated scripts and exploitation frameworks, some of which have been publicly released by security researchers and subsequently weaponized by malicious actors. The exploitation chain does not require any user interaction or credentials, making it highly attractive for mass exploitation. The attack vector is purely network-based, and the vulnerability affects all unpatched versions of GitLab CE/EE prior to 18.11.11, 19.0.8, 19.1.6, and 19.2.4. Exploitation in the wild. Within hours of public disclosure, exploitation of CVE-2026-19478 was observed in the wild. watchTowr reported successful exploitation attempts against their honeypot infrastructure almost immediately after the vulnerability details were published. Horizon3.ai released a rapid response test for their NodeZero platform, confirming that active exploitation was underway. Security professionals have reported widespread scanning and exploitation attempts on platforms such as Reddit and LinkedIn, with attackers targeting internet-facing GitLab instances globally. Indicators of compromise include web server logs with requests to /api/graphql containing the @gl_introduced directive, sudden and unexplained project deletions, and the appearance of forged merge records. The exploitation activity is not limited to a specific sector or geography; rather, it is opportunistic and automated, targeting any vulnerable GitLab instance accessible over the internet. The rapid proliferation of PoC code and automated exploitation tools has contributed to the scale and speed of these attacks. Victimology and targeting. Victims of CVE-2026-19478 exploitation are organizations running self-managed, unpatched versions of GitLab CE or EE. The attacks have been indiscriminate, affecting a wide range of sectors including technology, finance, education, and government. Any organization with a public-facing GitLab instance that has not applied the latest security patches is at risk. The primary targets are public projects and repositories, as the vulnerability allows unauthenticated access and manipulation. However, the potential for lateral movement and further compromise exists if attackers are able to escalate privileges or pivot within the victim's environment. The impact includes loss of intellectual property, disruption of software development workflows, and potential supply chain compromise if malicious code is injected into widely used open-source projects. Mitigation and countermeasures. Immediate action is required to mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2026-19478. Organizations should upgrade their GitLab CE/EE instances to the latest patched versions: 18.11.11, 19.0.8, 19.1.6, or 19.2.4. GitLab.com and GitLab Dedicated are already running patched versions and are not affected. If immediate patching is not feasible, organizations should restrict unauthenticated access to the /api/graphql endpoint, either by implementing network-level access controls or by temporarily disabling public repository access. Monitoring and reviewing web server logs for requests containing the @gl_introduced directive and other anomalous activity on the GraphQL endpoint is critical for early detection of exploitation attempts. Incident response teams should audit all recent project deletions, modifications, and merge records to identify potential unauthorized actions. Restoring from known-good backups and resetting credentials for affected maintainers may be necessary in the event of compromise. Long-term, organizations should implement a robust vulnerability management program, ensure timely application of security patches, and leverage threat intelligence feeds to stay informed of emerging threats. Integrating runtime application self-protection (RASP) and web application firewalls (WAFs) can provide additional layers of defense against similar exploitation techniques. References. The following sources provide additional technical details and ongoing updates regarding CVE-2026-19478: About Rescana. Rescana is a leader in third-party risk management (TPRM) and cyber threat intelligence. Its platform empowers organizations to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate cyber risks across their digital supply chain. By leveraging advanced analytics and real-time threat intelligence, Rescana enables security teams to make informed decisions and strengthen their overall security posture. For more information about its solutions or to discuss your organization's cybersecurity needs, Rescana is happy to answer questions at [email protected].

Hadrian lands $1.4B to mass-produce submarine parts, Whatnot hits $20B, and the week mega-rounds became a defense and hard-tech arms race. Hadrian raises $1.37B to automate defense manufacturing, Whatnot doubles to $20B valuation, and August's mega-rounds show funding flowing to factories, nuclear, and batteries - not just chatbots. Published August 8, 2026 This week's funding tracker reads like a pivot away from the AI model wars and straight into the physical world. Hadrian raised $1.37 billion in a Series D at an $8 billion valuation to build automated factories that mass-produce defense components - think submarine parts, not software subscriptions. It is one of the largest rounds in recent memory that isn't tied to training clusters or model APIs. The thesis is simple: the U.S. needs to manufacture critical defense hardware faster, and Hadrian's betting that robotics and automation can scale production without the lead times that currently plague DoD suppliers. The round signals that venture dollars are moving downstream from pure software into the capital-intensive, regulation-heavy world of making things. When a defense-tech startup commands an $8B valuation in 2026, it means LPs are pricing in geopolitical risk and reshoring demand as core investment drivers. Nuclear, batteries, and energy infrastructure take half the mega-round list. Valar Atomics closed $1 billion in Series B at a $6 billion valuation, making it the second nuclear startup to cross ten-figure funding this quarter. The company had already signed a development deal with Nvidia in June, which probably helped close the round. When GPU vendors are co-investing in reactor startups, it is a safe bet that data center power consumption is the real product roadmap. Base Power secured $1 billion in Series D at a $13 billion post-money valuation for residential battery storage. That is a higher valuation than most enterprise SaaS companies will ever see, and it reflects the fact that distributed energy storage is now a VC category with exit multiples that rival software. Residential batteries solve grid reliability, peak shaving, and EV charging - all problems that scale with housing density and vehicle electrification. The funding proves that hard-tech infrastructure can command software-like valuations when the TAM is measured in every house with a garage. Whatnot doubles its valuation in ten months by staying weird. Whatnot raised $545 million in Series G, nearly doubling its valuation from $11.5 billion in October 2025 to around $20 billion. The round was led by ICONIQ, Lightspeed, and Avra. For context, Whatnot is a live-streaming commerce app where people auction Pokémon cards, sneakers, and vintage toys in real time. It is not an AI play, not a vertical SaaS, not a fintech rails company - it is a niche social commerce platform that found product-market fit by letting obsessive collectors haggle over webcams. The valuation jump shows that consumer apps can still 10x in a downturn if they own a category no one else is serving. Whatnot's moat is community and format: live video auctions create urgency and parasocial trust in a way that static product pages cannot. When a live-commerce app is worth $20B, it means investors believe the format will expand beyond collectibles into broader retail. If you are building a consumer product in 2026, the takeaway is clear: own a behavior, not a feature set. Cybersecurity and stablecoins get funding, but at smaller checks. Horizon3 announced a $250 million Series E at a more than $2 billion valuation, led by NightDragon and NEA. That was roughly triple its Series D valuation from last year. The company does pentesting and attack surface management - basically automated red-teaming for enterprises that do not want to hire consultants every quarter. Yellow Card raised $40 million for stablecoin payments infrastructure, with backers including SC Ventures by Standard Chartered, Sony Innovation Fund, Polychain Capital, and Blockchain Capital. Stablecoin rails are now being priced as fintech plumbing - boring, regulated, but necessary if cross-border payments are going to route through USDC instead of correspondent banks. When a traditional bank like Standard Chartered is co-investing, it means the infrastructure layer is no longer speculative. Khosla led eight deals in July; Y Combinator led in volume. Khosla Ventures led eight deals of $5 million or more in July, including a $300 million Series A for Oratomic and a $120 million Series C for Norm AI. That makes Khosla the most active lead investor by reported dollars in the month. Coatue backed a $10 billion financing for Blue Origin, which probably skews the leaderboard but also shows that space infrastructure is now a VC asset class. Nvidia backed a $5 billion financing for Safe Superintelligence, continuing its pattern of writing massive checks into AI labs and anything adjacent to GPU demand. Y Combinator was the most prolific investor by deal count, which tracks with its batch model - high volume, smaller checks, spray-and-pray at the seed stage. The funding landscape in August 2026 is split: billion-dollar rounds are clustering in defense, energy, and physical infrastructure, while software and fintech are raising smaller growth rounds. If you are pitching a deck right now, the meta-strategy is obvious - either go after a hard problem that requires factories and reactors, or own a niche consumer behavior no one else is monetizing. The middle is getting squeezed.