Author: HackWatchit

The possibility that data could be inadvertently exposed in a misconfigured or otherwise unsecured database is a longtime privacy nightmare that has been difficult to fully address. But the new discovery of a massive trove of 184 million records—including Apple, Facebook, and Google logins and credentials for accounts connected to multiple governments—underscores the risks of recklessly compiling sensitive information in a repository that could become a single point of failure.In early May, longtime data-breach hunter and security researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered an exposed Elastic database containing 184,162,718 records across more than 47 GB of data. Typically, Fowler says, he is…

In the world of cryptography and privacy-first blockchain innovation, few names carry as much weight as Howard Wu. From co-authoring foundational protocols like Zexe and DIZK to launching Aleo, a Layer 1 blockchain built from the ground up for programmable privacy, Wu has emerged as a core architect of the zero-knowledge (ZK) movement. In this edition of HackerNoon’s “Behind the Startup”, Ishan Pandey sits down with Howard Wu to explore the roots of Aleo, the evolution of ZK cryptography, the interplay between compliance and privacy, and why the personal computing revolution in Web3 may have already begun. Ishan Pandey: Hi…

Joff Thyer // I had an interesting experience recently that reminded me to always “trust but verify.” Let me set the stage for you. As a penetration tester, and IT security consultant, I have a pretty substantial network, and home lab setup. In my case, this includes a fiber optic strand with an associated /28 IPv4 network block. Oh my god, why have we not adopted IPv6!!!! But I digress. One of my fine Black Hills colleagues (Sally) asked me to spin up a KALI Linux image for some customer-focused scanning activity using MASSCAN. For your information, the GitHub link…

German sportswear giant Adidas has confirmed a significant cybersecurity incident that compromised customer personal information through an attack on their customer service operations. The breach primarily exposed contact details of consumers who had previously interacted with Adidas’s help desk support system, though the company has assured customers that sensitive financial data including passwords, credit card numbers, and other payment information remained secure. While acknowledging the severity of the situation, Adidas emphasized their unwavering commitment to consumer privacy and security, expressing sincere regret for any anxiety or disruption the incident may have caused their customer base. The Incident: What Happened at…

Authorities in Pakistan have arrested 21 individuals accused of operating “Heartsender,” a once popular spam and malware dissemination service that operated for more than a decade. The main clientele for HeartSender were organized crime groups that tried to trick victim companies into making payments to a third party, and its alleged proprietors were publicly identified by KrebsOnSecurity in 2021 after they inadvertently infected their computers with malware. Some of the core developers and sellers of Heartsender posing at a work outing in 2021. WeCodeSolutions boss Rameez Shahzad (in sunglasses) is in the center of this group photo, which was posted…

Mandiant Threat Defense uncovers a campaign where Vietnam-based group UNC6032 tricks users with malicious social media ads for fake AI video tools, leading to stolen credentials and credit card information. Mandiant Threat Defense has uncovered a widespread cybercrime operation preying on the public’s excitement for new AI tools. A group known as UNC6032, believed to be based in Vietnam, is tricking people with fake social media ads that look like they’re promoting popular AI video generators such as Luma AI and Canva Dream Lab. According to Mandiant’s research, shared with Hackread.com, UNC6032 has been running misleading ads on platforms like…

U.S. senators introduced legislation to strengthen federal cybersecurity by ensuring that federal contractors adhere to guidelines set forth by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The bipartisan ‘Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act of 2025’ would specifically require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to oversee updates to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to ensure federal contractors implement vulnerability disclosure policies (VDP) consistent with what is already required by federal agencies.  Senators Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs…

In , Go world champion Lee Sedol faced an opponent who was not made of flesh and blood – but of lines of code. It soon became clear that the human had lost. In the end, Lee Sedol lost 4:1. Last week I watched the documentary AlphaGo again — and found it fascinating once more. The scary thing about it? AlphaGo didn’t get its style of play from databases, rules or strategy books. Instead, it had played against itself millions of times — and learned how to win in the process. Move 37 in game 2 was the moment when…

Our hyperconnected world demands more from cyber security than ever before. Security leaders must prevent intrusions at the network level, but also protect a distributed, cloud-enabled workforce in hybrid roles and in branch offices with the same enterprise-grade security that protects a company’s headquarters.   A significant portion of work – and the workforce – resides in branch offices. For financial services, retail, manufacturing, and healthcare industries, branch offices can number into the hundreds. With each additional location, the attack surface expands and so does the opportunity for hackers to find a beachhead into the enterprise network.   According to the…