Author: HackWatchit

Rick Wisser & Gail Menius // Frequently we get asked about where to store passwords.  Should they be stored in a word/excel /txt file on your computer? Maybe, written down in a secret little book? The best one: Just to use the same password for everything??? Nooooo….. We could go into the anatomy of a password but Gail has a blog post that already covers the basics, you can find it here. Well today we will answer those questions. With password management there are a lot of software solutions out there, such as KeePass, LastPass, and Dashlane, as well as…

Technology in government continues to change rapidly, and agencies must work closely with each other and private sector partners to drive innovation and success. What initiatives have been successful and what are plans for the future? During this webinar, you will gain the unique perspective of top federal and industry technology experts: Ramesh Menon, Chief Technology Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency  Dan DelGrosso, Chief Technology Officer, Defense Threat Reduction Agency Lance Scott, Chief Technology Officer, Federal Electronic Health Record Management Office, Joint Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs Office Moderator: Luke McCormack, Host of the Federal Executive Forum Panelists also will share…

At OffSec, two words echo louder than any slogan: “Try Harder.” The deeper you venture into the OffSec ecosystem, whether as a learner, team member, or leader, the more you realize: “Try Harder” isn’t just a motto. It’s a way of life. And full disclosure: it doesn’t mean Try Harder until you’re mentally (or physically) burned out, nor does it mean ‘Pay’ Harder. So, what do we really mean when we say “Try Harder”? Let’s break it down! The history of “Try Harder” Before it became OffSec’s unofficial mantra, “Try Harder” started as a simple suggestion to a frustrated student.…

Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting news, articles, interviews and videos: Stealthy backdoor found hiding in SOHO devices running LinuxSecurityScorecard’s STRIKE team has uncovered a network of compromised small office and home office (SOHO) devices they’re calling LapDogs. High-risk WinRAR RCE vulnerability patched, update quickly! (CVE-2025-6218)A recently patched directory traversal vulnerability (CVE-2025-6218) in WinRAR could be leveraged by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations. Breaking the cycle of attack playbook reuseThreat actors have learned an old business trick: find what works, and repeat it. Across countless cyberattacks, Bitdefender has observed adversaries consistently applying…

Sierra Ward // Last year I listened to a podcast* from Freakonomics that has stuck with me – in fact, I think it’s changed the way I think – powerful stuff from one measly podcast. The episode was about the three hardest words in the English language.  Take a stab at what those might be.  Nope.  They’re not “I love you.”  They’re not even “I forgive you.”  Though we can probably all attest to the difficulty of saying those particular phrases.  In fact, the three hardest words are, “I don’t know.”  On the surface, they don’t really seem that difficult, but in…

Rising cybersecurity threats and attacks are compelling industrial environments to develop high-performing cyber teams capable of effectively countering evolving attack vectors. Progressively, success in this landscape goes beyond merely employing technical experts; it requires building resilient, agile teams equipped to anticipate, detect, and respond swiftly to emerging threats.  Companies also need to maintain heightened vigilance across their cyber teams. Most often, serious cyberattacks occur during off-hours or over a weekend when the team is unprepared or cyber defenses may be less stringent. Security teams cannot be hit or miss but need to be prepared for quick and appropriate action at…

Hawaiian Airlines, the tenth-largest commercial airline in the United States, is investigating a cyberattack that has disrupted access to some of its systems. With over 7,000 employees, 235 average daily flights, and a fleet of over 60 airplanes, Hawaiian Airlines connects Hawai’i with 15 U.S. mainland cities and 10 other destinations across Asia and the Pacific. The airline stated in a statement issued on Thursday morning that the incident didn’t affect flight safety and has already contacted relevant authorities to assist in investigating the attack. Hawaiian Airlines also hired external cybersecurity experts to asses the attack’s impact and help restore…

In brief MiniMax-M1 excels at coding and agent tasks, but creative writers will want to look elsewhere. Despite marketing claims, real-world testing finds platform limits, performance slowdowns, and censorship oddities. Benchmark scores and feature set put MiniMax-M1 in direct competition with paid U.S. models—at zero cost. A new AI model out of China is generating sparks—for what it does well, what it doesn’t, and what it might mean for the balance of global AI power.MiniMax-M1, released by the Chinese startup of the same name, positions itself as the most capable open-source “reasoning model” to date. Able to handle a million…

Is NHI Security Investment Justifiable for Your Organization? Is your organization making a concerted effort towards investing in Non-Human Identities (NHIs) security? Given the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, ensuring tight security controls over machine identities is becoming vital in every industry. This is particularly significant for businesses operating in the cloud, where NHIs and their respective secrets are at constant risk of exposure. Understanding the Worth of NHI Security Investment The investment in the secure management of NHIs can substantially strengthen an organization’s cybersecurity posture by closing security gaps and minimizing risk. However, a common question among leaders is…