North Korean cybercriminals exploited a previously unknown weakness in Microsoft Windows in a campaign targeting defense organizations, using newly identified malware to gain access to computers.

The Pyongyang-backed Lazarus Group took advantage of the zero-day vulnerability, designated CVE-2026-68820, as part of a long-running cyberespionage campaign, Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point said in a report published Tuesday.

The flaw, which affected a Windows component responsible for handling network connections, was being exploited since at least early July and potentially allowed attackers to obtain the highest level of system privileges, giving them extensive control over breached