Author: HackWatchit

Global cybersecurity agencies published new guidance to help OT (operational technology) owners and operators across critical infrastructure sectors create and maintain comprehensive OT asset inventories and taxonomies. The document outlines the process to create an OT asset inventory, develop a taxonomy of OT systems, and create a modern defensible architecture by providing net defenders with digestible foundational elements and best practices. This is critical as OT systems are vital to the core functionality of the nation’s critical infrastructure to safely and reliably operate by powering process automation, instrumentation, cyber-physical operations, and ICS (industrial control systems). The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure…

With 7.9 billion email accounts worldwide and 4.3 billion active users, emails now play an essential role in fraud detection and identity verification. Businesses leverage email not just for communication but also as a vital tool to assess risk, prevent fraud and gain greater confidence in associated identity attributes. Email addresses anchor digital identities in today’s interconnected world. Email addresses are remarkably stable, with most users keeping the same one for over a decade despite life changes like moving or changing phone numbers. This consistency makes email an invaluable resource in fraud prevention as it allows organizations to gain deeper insights into consumer behavior. Email…

Norway confirms dam intrusion by Pro-Russian hackers Pierluigi Paganini August 14, 2025 Norway’s security service PST says pro-Russian hackers took over a dam in April, opening outflow valves. Norway’s Police Security Service (PST) says pro-Russian hackers seized control of a dam’s systems in April, opening outflow valves. On April 7, the attackers took control of a dam in Bremanger, western Norway, opening a flood gate to release 500 liters of water per second for four hours before being stopped. Fortunately, no injuries occurred, but the incident underscored the risks to Norway’s hydropower-dependent energy infrastructure. The attack was a demonstrative hack…

You can request data brokers to remove your personal info from their databases. But finding their request forms is another challenge entirely, especially when they’re hidden. Recent reporting from CalMatters and The Markup found that 35 data brokers injected code into their websites that hid their opt out pages from search, making it more difficult for people to delete their data.If you don’t like the idea of your sensitive personal info being collected, bought, and sold without your knowledge, this is important news for you.And these brokers collect plenty of it. They compile often exacting profiles of people, which can…

Palo Alto Networks announced two new security solutions to help organizations confidently navigate the quantum landscape, and to keep pace with highly dynamic cloud and AI environments. These innovations provide enterprises with the visibility, agility and defenses needed to accelerate their quantum readiness and secure their workloads in a multicloud world. “The quantum threat to encryption is no longer theoretical; it’s an inevitability that demands action now. With these latest innovations that cover the entire quantum readiness lifecycle, we are pioneering the defense for this new era. Every Palo Alto Networks customer that uses our latest software will be able…

After a rigorous evaluation of nine enterprise hybrid firewall solution vendors, Cisco has been recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise Hybrid Firewall 2025 Vendor Assessment. This achievement highlights our relentless innovation and dedication to solving the most complex security challenges facing organizations today with Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall. Faced with fragmented perimeters, a volatile threat landscape, and the constant need to consolidate and simplify security tools, enterprises are consistently challenged by shifting threat landscapes, remote work requirements and deployment complexities, and shadow AI. Keeping organizations safe requires seamless integration of security throughout the network. This recognition…

A surge in brute-force attempts targeting Fortinet SSL VPNs that was spotted earlier this month could be a portent of imminent attacks leveraging currently undisclosed (potentially zero-day) vulnerabilities in Fortinet devices. Shifting attacks Greynoise, a cybersecurity intelligence service that through its global network of passive sensors collects, analyzes, and labels data about internet-wide scanning activity, shared on Tuesday that they say spotted two waves of attacks: On August 3, 780+ unique IPs triggered the company’s Fortinet SSL VPN Bruteforcer tag (which registers IP addresses observed attempting to brute-force credentials against Fortinet SSL VPNs), as well as their FortiOS profile, “suggesting…

Digital identities continue proliferating throughout modern organizations and are a significant target for bad actors. Stolen identities and privileged access credentials account for most data breaches. In fact, identities and the systems that manage them are often among the first areas where breach attempts are made. Managing the growing number of identities is increasingly complex, partly due to the many different Identity Access Management (IAM) solutions most organizations have today. Traditional solutions that comprise identity management include everything from Identity Governance & Administration (IGA) to privileged access management (PAM), Active Directory as a Service (ADaaS) and Single Sign-On (SSO). These…

The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) says that pro-Russian hackers took control of critical operation systems at a dam and opened outflow valves. The attack occurred in April and is thought to have been a demonstration of Russia’s ability to remotely hack critical infrastructure in the country. At the Arendalsuka annual national forum in the city of Arendal, the head of the PST, Beate Gangås, spoke about the incident saying that it was less of an attempt to cause damage than a display of what the hackers can do. “They don’t necessarily aim to cause destruction, but to show what they…