Author: HackWatchit

Having served on the MITRE.org CVE (OVAL) advisory board, I have spent years analyzing vulnerabilities and how they impact global cybersecurity. The challenge has always been prioritization—how do we determine which threats are most critical before they are exploited? Traditional vulnerability scoring systems, while useful, often fail to provide the necessary context for real-world threat mitigation. That’s why I’m so impressed with the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), an initiative by FIRST.org designed to bring predictive analytics into vulnerability management. Many thanks go to CISO Bob Steron of Interactions for pointing out EPSS to me and our readers. The Evolution…

Introduction Data science is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating fields today. Following significant breakthroughs in machine learning about a decade ago, data science has surged in popularity within the tech community. Each year, we witness increasingly powerful tools that once seemed unimaginable. Innovations such as the Transformer architecture, ChatGPT, the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) framework, and state-of-the-art Computer Vision models — including GANs — have had a profound impact on our world. However, with the abundance of tools and the ongoing hype surrounding AI, it can be overwhelming — especially for beginners — to determine which skills to prioritize when aiming for a career in data science. Moreover, this field is…

You know that “Hi, how are you?” text from a stranger? It’s one of the top scams worldwide—right along with those fake delivery notices that try to reel you in a scam site with a fishy link. Now you have extra protection against them and all other kinds of scams with our new McAfee Scam Detector. The time’s right for it too. Those scam stats above came from our latest research, which also uncovered just how often people get hit with scams and how costly they can be. 59% of Americans said they or someone they know has fallen for…

This year’s S4x25 in Tampa was not just another industry event—it was a turning point for the industrial cybersecurity community. Over the course of three intense days (plus a pre-event day at BSidesICS), I had the privilege of engaging in 33 meetings and attending 12 dedicated sessions. The collective message was clear: our industry is transitioning from simply achieving visibility to implementing actionable, risk-mitigating security measures. A New Venue, A New Perspective Tampa’s sprawling, six-floor venue set the stage for an experience that was as challenging as it was inspiring. While the unconventional layout initially tested our navigational skills, it…

Lawmakers continue to probe whether Elon Musk and his DOGE team are breaching security and privacy protocols meant to protect sensitive federal data. In a Feb. 6 letter to six agency inspectors general, Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform point to multiple media reports about Musk and his team from the newly renamed U.S. DOGE Service accessing Treasury payment data, Social Security Administration information and other sensitive data across federal networks. “These reports raise serious questions about the security protocols in place to safeguard sensitive government information and the potential for unauthorized access and misuse by…

This webcast was originally published on November 8, 2024. In this video, Hayden Covington discusses the detection engineering process and how to apply the scientific method to improve the quality of detections. The discussion includes the steps involved in creating a high-quality detection, such as research, query building, backtesting, and continuous improvement. Hayden emphasizes the importance of structured processes, documentation, and the role of passion and enthusiasm in cybersecurity work. Detection engineering involves applying the scientific method to enhance the quality and consistency of detections. The process of creating a high-quality detection includes steps such as defining a detection story,…

It’s easy to focus on technology when talking about cybersecurity. However, the best prevention measures rely on the education of those who use technology. Organizations training their employees is the first step. But the industry needs to expand the concept of a culture of cybersecurity and take it from where it currently stands as an organizational responsibility to a global perspective. When every person who uses technology — for work, personal use and school — views cybersecurity as their responsibility, it becomes much harder for cyber criminals to successfully launch attacks. Achieving this goal starts with taking precautions to reduce…

It starts with a simple DM on Instagram. It ends with an AI-generated con artist, thousands of dollars lost, and a harsh lesson in digital deception. The story that follows offers a look at how far romance scams can go. With that, we warn you that this story is a cautionary tale. We share it to show just how high the stakes can get in these scams and how cunning the scammers who run them can be. Most importantly, it gives us an opportunity to show how you can spot and avoid romance scams in all their forms. Maggie’s story…

At Cisco, AI threat research is fundamental to informing the ways we evaluate and protect models. In a space that is so dynamic and evolving so rapidly, these efforts help ensure that our customers are protected against emerging vulnerabilities and adversarial techniques. This regular threat roundup consolidates some useful highlights and critical intel from ongoing third-party threat research efforts to share with the broader AI security community. As always, please remember that this is not an exhaustive or all-inclusive list of AI cyber threats, but rather a curation that our team believes is particularly noteworthy. Notable Threats and Developments: January…