Author: HackWatchit
, especially those new to the field, often think data science is only about collecting data from databases, working with algorithms, and deploying models. However, it’s more than that. Data analysis and visualization are essential aspects of data science, which help you understand complex data, make sense of it, and create actionable insights. During my early days in data science, I never saw the need for data visualization, and that was because I wasn’t exposed to and acquainted with the knowledge and appropriate tools for addressing visualization tasks effectively. I still remember the frustration of spending hours buried in Excel…
Cary, North Carolina, May 28th, 2025, CyberNewsWire INE Security, a global cybersecurity training and certification provider, today announced a strategic partnership with RedTeam Hacker Academy through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This agreement significantly accelerates INE Security’s expansion strategy in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region while enhancing cybersecurity training capabilities across the market. The agreement was formalized at the Dubai World Trade Centre, with the signing ceremony attended by Jaizal Ali, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RedTeam Hacker Academy, and Brett Erskine, Chief Revenue Officer of INE Security. This partnership represents a shared commitment…
Iranian Man pleaded guilty to role in Robbinhood Ransomware attacks Pierluigi Paganini May 28, 2025 Iranian man pleads guilty to role in Baltimore ransomware attack tied to Robbinhood, admitting to computer and wire fraud conspiracy. Iranian national Sina Gholinejad pleaded guilty to his role in a Robbinhood ransomware scheme that hit U.S. cities, including Baltimore and Greenville. The attacks caused major disruptions and over $19 million in damages to Baltimore alone, affecting key services like billing and citations. Gholinejad and his co-conspirators used these high-impact incidents to pressure future victims into paying ransoms. In May 2019, for the second time…
An Iranian national has pleaded guilty to participating in the Robbinhood ransomware operation, which was used to breach the networks, steal data, and encrypt devices of U.S. cities and organizations in an attempt to extort millions of dollars over a five-year span. According to a U.S. Department of Justice and an unsealed indictment, 39-year-old man named Sina Gholinejad, also known as “Sina Ghaaf,” and his conspirators deployed the Robbinhood ransomware on breached networks from at least January 2019 through March 2024. The attacks targeted local governments, healthcare providers, and nonprofit organizations, encrypting files and demanding Bitcoin ransoms in return for a decryptor…
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate recently completed what it calls its “Remote Identity Validation Technology Demonstration.” This event consisted of the testing of products that attempt to verify documents submitted via mobile technology. With government and industry making the shift to virtual operation, the average person can now discard the time-honored practice of walking into a government office, bank or organization to present documents proving their identity. Using any smartphone, a selfie, driver’s license or any copy of any official document can be transferred digitally without hours of waiting. With the convenience of digital transmissions comes…
John Strand// As part of the BHIS Webcast World Tour, we held a live event at the newly opened Arizona Cyber Warfare Range (AZCWR) in Phoenix AZ. To read about and see photos from the event: https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/webcast-world-tour-arizona-cyber-warfare-range/ In this talk, we will cover math, social engineering, Dave Kennedy, open source software, Chris Nickerson, the time I had my mom break into a prison, not giving up and cancer. View slides here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/55jan5u3rve1t0k/Keynote.pptx?dl=0 Want to level up your skills and learn more straight from John himself?You can check out his classes below! SOC Core Skills Active Defense & Cyber Deception Getting…
Across the enterprise, artificial intelligence has crept into core functions – not through massive digital transformation programs, but through quiet, incremental adoption. Legal departments are summarizing contracts. HR is rewording sensitive employee communications. Compliance teams are experimenting with due diligence automation. Most of these functions are built on large language models (LLMs), and they’re often introduced under the radar, wrapped in SaaS platforms, productivity tools, or internal pilots. It’s not the adoption that worries me. It’s the assumption of safety: the assumption that because a model is popular or “enterprise-ready,” it must also be compliant, secure, and governed. What I’ve…
Lovers of Adidas clothes would be wise to be on their guard against phishing attacks, after the German sportswear giant revealed that a cyber attack had exposed the personal information of customers.In a statement published on its website, Adidas said that it had recently become aware that “certain consumer data” had been stolen by an “unauthorised external party.”According to the company, the security breach occurred at an unnamed third-party customer service provider rather than on Adidas’s own systems. However, that is not going to be any comfort for those individuals whose data may now be in the hands of fraudsters…
A recent series of tests conducted by Palisade Research has raised some serious new concerns over how advanced AI systems behave when asked to shut themselves down. According to the firm, OpenAI’s experimental model “o3” actively sabotaged shutdown mechanisms even when it was clearly instructed to allow itself to be turned off. The tests were designed to evaluate whether AI models would comply with shutdown commands while completing basic tasks, such as solving math problems. When a model requested a fourth problem, a warning appeared: the computer would shut down before responding. In theory, a model following instructions would comply…