Author: HackWatchit

Derek Banks // I want to expand on our previous blog post on consolidated endpoint event logging and use Windows Event Forwarding and live off the Microsoft land for shipping events to a central location. Why do this?   I wanted a Windows-based server with all of the event logs from the environment so that I could use PowerShell for analysis purposes. Because then I could potentially just send the forwarded events to an upstream ELK server and visualization and have multiple options to work with the data. This architecture then forms a part of the set-up needed for our CredDefense…

The Post-Quantum Cryptography Coalition (PQCC) released its Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Migration Roadmap to assist organizations in navigating the complexities of transitioning to quantum-safe cryptography. The comprehensive and tailorable guide provides a strategic framework across four critical categories – preparation, baseline understanding, planning and execution, and monitoring and evaluation, equipping organizations with actionable tools and methodologies to safeguard their data against emerging quantum threats.  With detailed activities, desired outcomes, and references to industry standards, the 20-page Migration Roadmap empowers organizations to align stakeholders, prioritize assets, implement solutions, and continuously monitor progress, ensuring a secure transition to quantum-safe cryptography. As the quantum…

Cybersecurity researchers at BeyondTrust are warning about a little-known but dangerous issue within Microsoft’s Entra identity platform. The issue isn’t some hidden bug or overlooked vulnerability; it’s a feature, built into the system by design, that attackers can exploit. The issue is that guest users invited into an organization’s Azure tenant can create and transfer subscriptions inside that tenant without having any direct admin privileges there. Once they do, they gain “Owner” rights over that subscription, opening up a surprising set of attack opportunities that many Azure administrators might never have considered. What’s Happening Behind the Scenes Organizations frequently invite…

Highlights Trust is now built digitally, so user experiences must be intuitive, frictionless and native to the channels younger generations use. Instead of chasing fleeting consumer fads, financial systems can be built with flexible frameworks and modular platforms that evolve alongside user needs, minimizing risk and maximizing relevance. Building financial products based on rigid assumptions about generations risks obsolescence; flexibility and personalization are key to long-term engagement. In an age where consumer expectations evolve at the speed of a TikTok trend, financial institutions and payment providers face an increasingly complex question: how do they build systems, strategies and experiences for…

Date: May 16, 2025Time: 9:30 AM EDT | 8:30 AM CDT | 7:00 PM ISTTopic: How Defending the Digital Perimeter with Effective Blue Teaming Tactics Watch Now Abstract: In the current threat landscape, where cyber threats are evolving rapidly, proactive network security is desperately needed to prevent and reduce the impact of cyber incidents. Blue teaming and cyber defense incorporate how organizations identify, detect, prevent, and mitigate cyber threats and vulnerabilities. While traditional approaches to security operations have been reactive to threats, the ever-changing nature of the threat landscape requires that organizations shift to more proactive methods. This webinar series is…

Check Point introduces powerful all-in-one Quantum Smart-1 700/7000 Security Management appliances to manage security policies for both on-premises and cloud firewalls, delivering consolidated visibility, logging, compliance, and auditing across enterprise networks. These new 7th generation Quantum Smart-1 Security Management appliances  boost efficiency by delivering 2X expansion in managed gateways, up to a 70% increase in log rate, andAI-powered tools for automation, policy insights, and orchestration. Enhanced with hardware that supports greater speed, storage, and performance, Check Point’s Quantum Smart-1 Security Management appliances deliver industry-leading security management with intuitive zero trust policy, in-depth insights and compliance, and accelerated administration through automation…

, we often need to investigate what’s going on with KPIs: whether we’re reacting to anomalies on our dashboards or just routinely doing a numbers update. Based on my years of experience as a KPI analyst, I would estimate that more than 80% of these tasks are fairly standard and can be solved just by following a simple checklist.  Here’s a high-level plan for investigating a KPI change (you can find more details in the article “Anomaly Root Cause Analysis 101”): Estimate the top-line change in the metric to understand the magnitude of the shift.  Check data quality to ensure…

​​Microsoft has released the KB5058499 preview cumulative update for Windows 11 24H2 with forty-eight new features or changes, with many gradually rolling out, such as the new Windows Share feature and tje Click to Do Preview. The KB5058499 update is part of the company’s optional non-security preview updates schedule, which releases updates at the end of each month to test new fixes and features coming to next month’s June Patch Tuesday. Unlike regular Patch Tuesday cumulative updates, monthly non-security preview updates do not include security updates and are optional. You can install the KB5058499 update by opening Settings, clicking on Windows Update, and then ”Check…

Carrie Roberts* // (Updated, 2/11/2019) Trying to figure out the password for a password protected MS Office document? This free solution might do the trick. It attempts to guess the password using a long list of potential passwords that you provide. This works for all MS Office document types (docx, xlsx, pptx, etc). There are three different solutions provided in this blog post so read through the entire thing and choose the one that best fits your needs before you get started. Let’s say we want to guess the password for a file called crackme.xlsx. Put this file on your desktop…