Author: HackWatchit

Penetration Testing is often considered a dark art that’s shrouded in mystery. This unfortunate perception can hold back organizations from being more secure and keep people from an exciting career. In this Black Hills Information Security (BHIS) webcast, join Chris Traynor (@cstraynor) as he shares the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for a Pentester. Chat with your fellow attendees in the Infosec Knowledge Sharing Discord server here: https://discord.gg/fr5wqbF — in the #webcast-live-chat channel. /// Chapters 00:00 – Pentester Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) with Chris Traynor 00:21 – Whoami 00:56 – Agenda 02:36 – Baseline Terminology 08:12 – Reconnaissance —…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has appointed Antoine McCord as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO), as first reported by Nextgov. McCord will oversee DHS’s enterprise-wide IT strategy, cybersecurity operations, and modernization initiatives. McCord brings over 18 years of experience in cybersecurity and national security. He previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps, specializing in cyber and intelligence operations. After his military service, he worked in the U.S. Intelligence Community, leading cyber operations against advanced threats and advising on national security matters. In the private sector, McCord worked in cybersecurity and defense technology, focusing on protecting critical infrastructure…

SuperBlack Ransomware operators exploit Fortinet Firewall flaws in recent attacks Pierluigi Paganini March 14, 2025 Operators behind the SuperBlack ransomware exploited two vulnerabilities in Fortinet firewalls for recent attacks. Between January and March, researchers at Forescout Research – Vedere Labs observed a threat actors exploiting two Fortinet vulnerabilities to deploy the SuperBlack ransomware. The experts attribute the attacks to a threat actor named “Mora_001” which using Russian-language artifacts and exhibiting a unique operational signature. The experts speculate Mora_001 could be linked to the LockBit ecosystem, reflecting the growing complexity of ransomware operations. Mora_001 used the leaked LockBit builder to create encryptor, tracked…

In this Help Net Security interview, Mir Kashifuddin, Data Risk & Privacy Leader at PwC, discusses how CISOs can translate cyber risk into business value and secure a more strategic role within their organizations. He explains that aligning cybersecurity with business objectives and leveraging data governance, AI, and financial risk quantification drives resilience and growth. How can CISOs translate cyber risk into business value and secure a stronger seat at the table? Our Digital Trust Insights survey shows that fewer than 50% of CISOs are involved in key business decisions like strategic planning, board reporting, and overseeing significant technology investments.…

What happens when a healthcare giant’s legal threats ignite a Streisand Effect wildfire… while a ransomware gang appears to ditch the dark web for postage stamps? Find out about this, and more, in the latest edition of the “Smashing Security” podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault. Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language. Hosts: Graham Cluley:  @grahamcluley.com  @[email protected] Carole Theriault:  @caroletheriault Episode links: Sponsored by: 1Password Extended Access Management – Secure every sign-in for every app on every device. Palo Alto Networks – Get the 2025 Unit 42 Global Incident Response report to…

Financial organisations face unprecedented cybersecurity challenges that threaten their operations, reputation and customer trust. Together, Palo Alto Networks and IBM’s experts share their top cybersecurity considerations in a new, compelling vodcast series. Consideration 1: Navigating the Fiscal Implications of Cyberthreats and Operational Complexity Our first episode explores the most pressing threats to UK financial institutions, including insider risks, AI-driven attacks and the challenges posed by legacy systems. Year on year, the cost of cybersecurity attacks is soaring. Today, the average cost of a data breach for a financial institution is over £6.2bn. Additionally, banking executives cite complexity as the biggest…

The Canadian government has introduced the Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification (CPCSC) to strengthen its cybersecurity posture. This initiative addresses the frequent cyberattacks targeting the country’s defense industry, which threaten the security of unclassified federal information held by contractors and subcontractors. Starting this month, a new industrial standard will be implemented to protect sensitive government data in defense contracts.  The Canadian defense sector frequently encounters cyberattacks targeting contractors and subcontractors, jeopardizing unclassified federal information. Protecting these critical supply chains is crucial. With cyberattacks on defense suppliers and subcontractors increasing, this program seeks to fortify supply chain resilience by setting…

Symantec’s threat hunters have demonstrated how AI agents like OpenAI’s recently launched “Operator“ could be abused for cyberattacks. While AI agents are designed to boost productivity by automating routine tasks, Symantec’s research shows they could also execute complex attack sequences with minimal human input. This is a big change from older AI models, which could only provide limited help in making harmful content. Symantec’s research came just a day after Tenable Research revealed that the AI chatbot DeepSeek R1 can be misused to generate code for keyloggers and ransomware. In Symantec’s experiment, the researchers tested Operator’s capabilities by requesting it…

Slides In this Black Hills Information Security (BHIS) webcast, Paul will share free and open-source tools and techniques to evaluate the state of security on the firmware-based devices that live inside your devices, and servers., including: * Utilities such as dmidecode, fwupd, dbxtool, and Chipsec to explore devices and firmware * Enumerating and updating firmware within your system using LVFS (Linux Vendor Firmware Service) * Enabling Secure Boot and its components (and keeping your DBX up-to-date using new functionality in LVFS!) * Discovering Intel ME/AMT and associated vulnerabilities * Using Chipsec to understand the permissions applied (or not applied) on…