Author: HackWatchit

Digital asset platform Bakkt Holdings has notified the U.S. SEC of its plans to sell up to $1 billion in securities to provide fresh capital for a possible expansion of its corporate treasury to include Bitcoin.Bakkt’s S-3 filing on Thursday creates a $1 billion pool of potential securities, including common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, and bundled stock units, which could be tapped whenever market conditions become favorable.Backed by Intercontinental Exchange, the platform’s plans come as a growing number of public corporations begin to hold the world’s largest crypto as an alternative asset on their balance sheets.Bakkt intends to…

Imagine receiving a video call from your company’s CEO asking you to immediately transfer $25 million to a specific bank account for an urgent acquisition deal. The voice sounds exactly right, the face looks perfectly natural, and even the small mannerisms you’ve noticed over years of working together are present. You might not think twice about following such instructions, especially if you work in a high-pressure environment where quick decisions are valued. But what if I told you that this exact scenario has already happened to a British engineering firm called Arup, and they lost $25 million to attackers who…

Authorities in the United States have charged a British national, Kai Logan West, widely known online as “IntelBroker“, with a series of high-profile data breaches that collectively caused at least $25 million in damages to companies worldwide. The 23-year-old was arrested in France in February 2025 and now faces extradition to the United States to stand trial in the Southern District of New York. As reported by Hackread.com, IntelBroker’s arrest was followed by several others, including four individuals linked to the ShinyHunters hacker group. Both IntelBroker and members of ShinyHunters were involved in administering and moderating the cybercrime and data…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved $126,000,000 in refunds to be sent to 969,173 Fortnite players as part of a settlement over allegations that Epic Games tricked users into making unwanted purchases. At the same time, the agency has reopened the claims portal for eligible Fortnite players to submit refund claims, which will be examined for the third round of refunds. This latest development marks the second phase of the settlement the FTC reached with Epic Games in December 2022, in which the company agreed to pay $520 million to settle allegations of violating children’s privacy laws and using dark patterns…

For too long, the narrative around AI in cyber security has focused on its defensive capabilities. While AI is revolutionizing how organizations protect themselves – bringing unprecedented speed, accuracy, and automation – it’s crucial to acknowledge the other side of the coin. Cyber criminals are quickly embracing AI, using large language models (LLMs) and advanced agentic AI to craft more potent and elusive attacks. Consider the rise of malicious LLMs like WormGPT and the more recent Xanthorox AI. These aren’t just theoretical threats; they’re platforms designed for nefarious purposes. WormGPT, based on the GPT-J model, was marketed as a “blackhat”…

Derek Banks // ADVISORY: The techniques and tools referenced within this blog post may be outdated and do not apply to current situations. However, there is still potential for this blog entry to be used as an opportunity to learn and to possibly update or integrate into modern tools and techniques. Yes, I date myself with reference in the title of this blog post.  I can be lame like that. A fair amount of my time at $last_gig was spent analyzing the Tools Techniques and Procedures of the Advanced Persistent Threat.  Now, as a pentester, I have often thought about…

Google has open-sourced a command-line interface (CLI) agent built on its Gemini 1.5 Pro model, marking a notable step toward making generative AI more inspectable, extensible, and usable for developers working outside the IDE. The tool, simply named Gemini CLI, is designed to act as a local AI assistant that supports complex developer workflows such as code refactoring, documentation generation, executing shell commands, running scripts, and editing files. Gemini CLI offers 60 model requests per minute and 1,000 model requests per day at no charge Open-source agent Available under the Apache 2.0 license, Gemini CLI joins a growing ecosystem of…

FaceTime is officially blocked in the UAE. This is, of course, frustrating if you want to keep in touch with friends and family while traveling. Unfortunately, FaceTime is one of many VoIP services banned in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, alongside WhatsApp, Discord, and others. Fortunately, you can access FaceTime and other VoIP services like Discord with the help of a Virtual Private Network (VPN). This routes your internet traffic – including that of FaceTime – through a secure, encrypted tunnel to a VPN server in your preferred location. Your ISP won’t be able to see what you’re doing…

What: VA data breach When: May 2006 Why it matters: A VA employee’s laptop was stolen. It contained personal data on 26.5 million veterans. While the information was recovered, the incident highlighted data security challenges and led to major cybersecurity changes at the VA and across government. To celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2025, we’re spotlighting 25 pivotal moments that reshaped the way the government operates. Visit our anniversary page each week as we look back on these defining moments. Nearly two decades ago, a breach involving the personal data of more than 26 million veterans served as a cybersecurity…