Author: HackWatchit

Microsoft will start removing legacy drivers from Windows Update to improve driver quality for Windows users but, most importantly, to increase security, the company has announced. This is intended to be an ongoing process and Microsoft is planning to introduce new publishing rules for driver updates. A step-by-step process Microsoft is, in effect, trimming its “driver garden” so that Windows will – ideally and in time – only deal with fresh, well-tested, secure and compatible software. “The first phase targets legacy drivers that have newer replacements already on Windows Update,” the company said. “The rationale behind this initiative is to…

There are multiple initiatives in the USA and European Union to regulate the Open-source AI use – from an ethics perspective to data safety. However, very little attention is being paid to the core – the open-source software component itself. How does it interact with the proprietary software when embedded as an open-source library? How are the open-source AI libraries built? Can we trust the training data, or should we double-check the sources? Where is the open-source AI software hosted? Has it been published through a reputable package repository, or is it sourced from platforms with a questionable security track…

The cybersecurity world is on the brink of a revolution, driven by quantum computing. Quantum computers can also break the encryption systems we depend on daily while powering breakthroughs in medicine, artificial intelligence, and beyond. Organizations must adapt fast as traditional perimeter-based security becomes obsolete. Enter Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), a proactive, resilient strategy, which is ready to defend digital ecosystems against the looming quantum threat. The Quantum Threat: Breaking Cryptography as We Know It Quantum computers are not only faster; they are a different kind of technology. Using quantum mechanics, they can solve some problems in seconds, which would…

New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has introduced ten Minimum Cyber Security Standards to support agencies under the Government Chief Information Security Officer (GCISO) mandate. These standards focus on foundational practices, increase visibility into cybersecurity posture, and help drive continuous improvement. They also help understand, benchmark, and improve their practices while generating system insights through agency reporting.  The NCSC is coordinating closely with the Protective Security Requirements (PSR) team and has aligned its consultation and publication timeframes. Consultation on the Standards with GCISO-mandated agencies and industry partners commenced on June 16 and will continue until July 4. The standards…

post is divided: What is n8n? Step-by-step: Build Powerful Workflows Daily Briefing Personal Assistant Customer Support Assistant Appointment Scheduler Assistant 3. Prompt Injection 4. Similar Tools 5. Conclusion Disclaimer: This article is not affiliated with or sponsored by n8n. All opinions and examples shared here are based on my personal experience. 1. What is n8n? N8n is a source-available, low-code workflow automation platform that combines AI capabilities with business process automation. In other words, it allows you to connect various apps, services, and Large Language Models (LLMs) to create automated workflows. N8n offers over 1000 integrations, including Google Workspace, Slack, WhatsApp,…

Torrenting is a great way to download and share large files efficiently. The trouble is that torrenting is built on peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, which means your IP address is visible to every user in the swarm. This runs the risk of privacy breaches and legal trouble in countries with strict copyright laws and aggressive enforcement. You might already have a VPN to hide your downloads, but VPN connections sometimes falter when torrenting and can leave you unprotected. This is where a kill switch comes in. It may be a simple tool, but it’s essential. A VPN kill switch blocks…

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. Note: A few months ago we did a short interview with a tester when we talked to Ethan.  This month we had a conversation with Sally Vandeven, who’s only been with us just under a year, but already feels like an old friend. Enjoy! – Sierra

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and the FBI confirm that the Chinese state-sponsored ‘Salt Typhoon’ hacking group is also targeting Canadian telecommunication firms, breaching a telecom provider in February. During the February 2025 incident, Salt Typhoon exploited the CVE-2023-20198 flaw, a critical Cisco IOS XE vulnerability allowing remote, unauthenticated attackers to create arbitrary accounts and gain admin-level privileges. The flaw was first disclosed in October 2023, when it was reported that threat actors had exploited it as a zero-day to hack over 10,000 devices. Despite a significant period having passed, at least one major telecommunications provider in Canada still hadn’t patched, giving Salt Typhoon…

The threat at a glance Darktrace researchers have identified PumaBot, a Go-based Linux botnet that focuses on embedded surveillance cameras and other IoT devices.Unlike spray-and-pray botnets that scan the whole internet, PumaBot pulls a curated IP list from its C2 and then brute-forces SSH logins on port 22 until it gets a shell. Once in, it drops its payload under /lib, registers a rogue systemd service, injects a back-door key into ~/.ssh/authorized_keys, and can fetch further modules via the same C2 channel. Why device-level controls matter Because PumaBot’s entire kill-chain exploited vulnerabilities and misconfiguration on the device itself, network-edge firewalls…