Author: HackWatchit

Microsoft is making new Microsoft accounts passwordless by default, the company has announced on Thursday, which marked this year’s World Password Day. “As part of [a recently simplified sign-in user experience], we’re changing the default behavior for new accounts,” Vasu Jakkal, Corporate VP, Microsoft Security, and Joy Chik, President, Identity & Network Access, declared. “New users will have several passwordless options for signing into their account and they’ll never need to enroll a password. Existing users can visit their account settings to delete their password.” Passkeys offer faster and more secure authentication In 2004, Bill Gates famously predicted the death…

Luxury department store Harrods suffered a cyberattack Pierluigi Paganini May 02, 2025 Harrods confirmed a cyberattack, following similar incidents suffered by M&S and Co-op, making it the third major UK retailer targeted in one week. Luxury department store Harrods confirmed a cyberattack, threat actors attempted to gain unauthorised access to some of its systems. “We recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorised access to some of our systems.” reads a statement published by the company. “Our seasoned IT security team immediately took proactive steps to keep systems safe and as a result we have restricted internet access at our sites today.…

Paul Clark// Do you want to know how we learned Software Defined Radio? We learned it from Paul.  We also learned by getting our hands dirty with projects. For this webcast (originally recorded live on 4/11/19) , we sit down with Paul as he builds a wireless data exfil box from scratch. It is going to be awesome. As always, the best way to learn is by doing. Take Paul’s SDR training course at Wild West Hackin’ Fest 2019 – https://www.wildwesthackinfest.com/now/training/#schedule In this one-hour webcast, Paul presents a small form factor system that can wirelessly exfiltrate digital data. To avoid…

I’ve had the opportunity recently to be involved with a program called Skype a Scientist, which pairs scientists of various types (biologists, botanists, engineers, computer scientists, etc) with classrooms of kids to talk about our work and answer their questions. I’m pretty familiar with discussing AI and machine learning with adult audiences, but this is the first time I’ve really sat down to think about how to talk to kids about this subject matter, and it’s been an interesting challenge. Today I’m going to share a few of the ideas I’ve come up with as part of the process, which may…

Threat actors are increasingly harnessing automation, commoditized tools, and AI to systematically erode the traditional advantages held by defenders, according to Fortinet. “Our latest Global Threat Landscape Report makes one thing clear: Cybercriminals are accelerating their efforts, using AI and automation to operate at unprecedented speed and scale,” said Derek Manky, Chief Security Strategist and Global VP Threat Intelligence, Fortinet FortiGuard Labs. “The traditional security playbook is no longer enough. Organizations must shift to a proactive, intelligence-led defense strategy powered by AI, zero trust, and continuous threat exposure management,” Manky added. Threat actors shift left, driving record scanning levels To…

Microsoft has announced that all new Microsoft accounts will be “passwordless by default” to secure them against password attacks such as phishing, brute force, and credential stuffing. The announcement comes after the company started rolling out updated sign-in and sign-up user experience (UX) flows for web and mobile apps in March, optimized for passwordless and passkey-first authentication. “As part of this simplified UX, we’re changing the default behavior for new accounts. Brand new Microsoft accounts will now be ‘passwordless by default’,” said Joy Chik, Microsoft’s President for Identity & Network Access, and Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Security.…

Honeywell published its AI in the Energy Industry pulse survey, which reveals that the majority of participating U.S. energy executives believe artificial intelligence (AI) has the near-term potential to improve and enhance energy security. Honeywell’s survey of 300 U.S. decision-makers and influencers in energy and energy-adjacent industries found 91 percent believe AI has near-term potential to enhance energy security, and 85 percent are already either actively using or piloting AI in their companies today. The survey detailed that although only 12 percent of respondents currently view AI as a critical component of their energy operations, a significant 81 percent expect…

Beau Bullock & Mike Felch// Strategically targeting a corporation requires deep knowledge of their technologies and employees. Successfully compromising an organization can depend on the quality of reconnaissance a tester […] The post Podcast: Weaponizing Corporate Intel. This Time, It’s Personal! appeared first on Black Hills Information Security, Inc..

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed actions Thursday to sever Cambodia-based Huione Group from the U.S. financial system.”For years, Huione Group has laundered illicit proceeds from cybercrimes,” the agency said in a notice of proposed rulemaking under Section 311 of the Patriot Act, identifying Huione as a “primary money laundering concern.”Section 311 provides the U.S. Treasury Secretary with “a range of options” that can be adapted to target specific money laundering and terrorist financing risks.Huione Group is a Cambodia-based financial conglomerate headquartered in Phnom Penh. Its portfolio includes digital payment services, crypto platforms, and insurance operations.The…