Author: HackWatchit

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its security and privacy control catalog to enhance the management of software updates and patch releases. The revision is intended to help organizations more effectively mitigate risks associated with software maintenance. The update is part of NIST’s broader response to a recent Executive Order aimed at strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity posture. NIST identified that professionals will instantly recognize this catalog as one of NIST’s flagship risk management publications: Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations (NIST Special Publication 800-53). It offers a comprehensive set of security and…

Our deep appreciation to Security BSides – San Francisco and the Creators, Authors and Presenters for publishing their BSidesSF 2025 video content on YouTube. Originating from the conference’s events held at the lauded CityView / AMC Metreon – certainly a venue like no other; and via the organization’s YouTube channel. Additionally, the organization is welcoming volunteers for the BSidesSF Volunteer Force, as well as their Program Team & Operations roles. See their succinct BSidesSF ‘Work With Us’ page, in which, the appropriate information is to be had!

SecurityWeek’s cybersecurity news roundup provides a concise compilation of noteworthy stories that might have slipped under the radar. We provide a valuable summary of stories that may not warrant an entire article, but are nonetheless important for a comprehensive understanding of the cybersecurity landscape. Each week, we curate and present a collection of noteworthy developments, ranging from the latest vulnerability discoveries and emerging attack techniques to significant policy changes and industry reports.  Here are this week’s stories: Hackers disrupt the communications of dozens of Iranian ships A hacking group known as Lab Dookhtegan allegedly disrupted the communication systems of 60…

Bitfinex-backed Plasma announced a strategic partnership with EtherFi on Aug. 29, positioning the stablecoin-focused neobank as a day-one launch partner for the blockchain’s mainnet beta.EtherFi will transfer over $500 million from its Ethereum (ETH) staking vault to Plasma’s platform, providing liquidity for stablecoin-backed yield strategies.The collaboration integrates EtherFi across Plasma’s DeFi ecosystem, providing users with additional collateral options for lending and borrowing while offering access to ETH-backed yield products.Plasma’s announcement emphasized how the partnership complements both platforms’ objectives in the stablecoin infrastructure space. The protocol stated:“Stablecoins give everyone, everywhere permissionless access to the financial service of saving money safely and…

With sensitive information to protect and reputational risk always in the background, it isn’t easy for security leaders to have open conversations about what’s working and what isn’t. Yet strong peer networks and candid exchanges are critical for resilience, both organizationally and personally. In this Help Net Security interview, Michael Green, CISO at Trellix, discusses how CISOs can build trusted communities, balance information sharing with confidentiality, and avoid burnout while leading at the highest level. How can CISOs create stronger peer networks that allow for candid conversations about challenges and failures without fear of reputational risk? To create stronger networks…

Forever 21 is reportedly planning to open some brick-and-mortar stores in China and is seeking a partner with which it can relaunch in the United States. The fast fashion brand is doing so after ending three previous attempts to enter the China market and after saying in March that it was filing for bankruptcy and winding down its U.S. operations, Reuters reported Thursday (Aug. 28).  Forever 21 is now focusing on China and the U.S., the report said, citing comments made by the owner of the brand’s global intellectual property, Authentic Brands Group, and its partner in China, brand operator Chengdi, at a…

US and Dutch Police dismantle VerifTools fake ID marketplace Pierluigi Paganini August 29, 2025 US and Dutch authorities shut down VerifTools, a major fake ID marketplace selling documents to bypass KYC checks and access accounts. Law enforcement in the US and the Netherlands dismantled VerifTools, a major fake ID marketplace selling ID documents to bypass KYC checks and gain unauthorized access to online accounts. Authorities seized two marketplace domains and one blog used to sell fraudulent identity documents to cybercriminals worldwide. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced today the seizure of two marketplace domains and…

​​Microsoft has released the KB5064081 preview cumulative update for Windows 11 24H2, which includes thirty-six new features or changes, with many gradually rolling out. These updates include new Recall features and a new way of displaying CPU usage in Task Manager. The KB5064081 update is part of the company’s optional non-security preview update schedule, which releases updates at the end of each month to test new fixes and features coming to the next month’s  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 KB5064081 update by opening Settings,…

modeling contexts, the XGBoost algorithm reigns supreme. It provides performance and efficiency gains over other tree-based methods and other boosting implementations. The XGBoost algorithm includes a laundry list of hyperparameters, although usually only a subset is selected during the hyperparameter tuning process. In my experience, I’ve always used a grid search method using k-fold cross-validation to identify the optimal combination of hyperparameters, although there are alternative methods for hyperparameter tuning with the hyperopt library that can search the hyperparameter space more systematically. Through my work building XGBoost models across different projects, I came across the great resource Effective XGBoost by Matt Harrison,…