Tag: Hacking

  • What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 9/22/25

    What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 9/22/25

    Welcome to my weekly cybersecurity roundup! Here, I share updates on the projects I’m currently working on, along with the most insightful cybersecurity videos I watched, articles I found valuable, and podcasts I tuned into this week.

    Featured Analysis

    Featured article analysis: Attackers Abuse AI Tools to Generate Fake CAPTCHAs in Phishing Attacks

    This new research by Trend Micro highlights a critical escalation in the cyber threat landscape, demonstrating how the very tools driving modern digital transformation, specifically AI-native development platforms are being co-opted for malicious ends. The core threat lies in the attackers’ ability to weaponize the ease of deployment, free hosting, and legitimate branding of services like Lovable, Netlify, and Vercel. By leveraging AI to rapidly generate convincing fake CAPTCHA pages, cybercriminals have streamlined their operations, lowering the technical skill and cost barrier to launching sophisticated phishing campaigns at scale. This trend forces organizations to recognize that their innovation partners (AI platforms) may inadvertently be enabling their adversaries, necessitating a complete re-evaluation of current security intelligence and threat models.

    The tactical genius of this attack chain is its effectiveness in bypassing both human vigilance and automated security controls. The fake CAPTCHA serves a dual purpose: psychologically, it makes the malicious link appear legitimate to the end-user by simulating a routine security check, lowering their guard against a suspicious “Password Reset” or “USPS” notification. Technologically, it acts as a cloaking device. Automated security scanners that crawl the initial URL only encounter the CAPTCHA challenge, failing to see the credential-harvesting page hidden behind it. This redirection technique significantly enhances the success rate of the phishing operation, demonstrating that attackers are creatively adapting their social engineering and evasion techniques to overcome standard endpoint and email security defenses.

    Moving forward, this research demands a robust, multi-layered response from the professional community. For security teams, traditional signature-based detection is no longer sufficient; defenses must evolve to analyze the entire redirect chain and monitor for abuse across trusted development domains. For business leaders and HR departments, the necessity of employee security awareness training is amplified, focusing specifically on verifying URLs even when a CAPTCHA is present. Ultimately, the “fake CAPTCHA” scheme underscores a broader industry challenge: balancing the benefits of agile, AI-powered development tools with the inherent risk they introduce when made accessible to all, including those with criminal intent. The industry must now collaborate to build in mechanisms that detect and shut down malicious use on these platforms swiftly and at the source.

    Projects

    • TryHackMe – Log Fundamentals – Complete
    • TryHackMe – Introductrion to SIEM – Complete
    • TryHackMe – Firewall Fundamentals – In Progress

    Articles

  • What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 9/15/25

    What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 9/15/25

    Welcome to my weekly cybersecurity roundup! Here, I share updates on the projects I’m currently working on, along with the most insightful cybersecurity videos I watched, articles I found valuable, and podcasts I tuned into this week.

    Featured Analysis

    Featured article analysis: Former FinWise employee may have accessed nearly 700K customer records

    The data breach at FinWise Bank, which affected nearly 700,000 customer records, highlights the significant and often prolonged risk posed by former employees. A former staff member was able to potentially access sensitive information for over a year after their employment ended, demonstrating a critical failure in the company’s offboarding and access control protocols. While FinWise Bank has taken standard corrective measures, such as hiring cybersecurity professionals and offering free credit monitoring to the 689,000 affected customers, the incident underscores the severe consequences of a breach that goes undetected for a lengthy period.

    This incident is not isolated and falls into a growing pattern of insider-related data breaches. The article cites similar, high-profile cases at companies like Coinbase and Rippling, where former or current employees were found to have maliciously accessed or stolen data. The problem extends beyond malicious intent to include accidental breaches, such as misdirected emails. The recurring nature of these events, including a statistic about student-caused cyberattacks in schools, points to a systemic vulnerability in how organizations manage and secure internal access to sensitive information.

    Experts suggest that a more strategic approach to personnel security is needed to counter these risks effectively. The analysis from Paul Martin of RUSI points out the “lacking strategic thinking” in the field and recommends proactive measures rather than reactive ones. He advocates for a stronger internal security culture, built on trust, and the creation of a dedicated working group to aggregate and analyze data that could indicate insider malfeasance. By improving these internal processes, organizations like FinWise could better protect themselves from the risks posed by both current and former employees, thus preventing future incidents of this scale.

    Projects

    • TryHackMe – Log Fundamentals – In Progress

    Papers

    Articles

  • What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 9/1/25

    What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 9/1/25

    Welcome to my weekly cybersecurity roundup! Here, I share updates on the projects I’m currently working on, along with the most insightful cybersecurity videos I watched, articles I found valuable, and podcasts I tuned into this week.

    Featured Analysis

    Featured article analysis: New ClickFix Malware Variant ‘LightPerlGirl’ Targets Users in Stealthy Hack

    The article highlights the stealthy and evasive nature of this new threat. By using LOLBINS (Living Off the Land Binaries) like PowerShell, the malware is designed to evade detection by conventional antivirus software and even modern endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems, which are not commonly found on personal computers. The PowerShell script runs in memory, leaving little to no trace on the disk. This approach exploits the trust users place in legitimate system tools and known security services like Cloudflare. The use of a travel site for an expensive destination like the Galapagos suggests the attackers are targeting affluent individuals, potentially executives, whose personal devices could serve as a gateway to their corporate networks.

    Despite successfully identifying the malware and its payload, researchers at Todyl have several unanswered questions about the operation’s infrastructure and the relationships between the different actors involved. For instance, they are unsure whether the developers of LightPerlGirl are directly affiliated with the creators of the Lumma infostealer or if they are separate entities using a malware-as-a-service model. The discovery of this variant was almost accidental, as it was found on a customer’s corporate device which was protected by Todyl’s security platform. This underscores the difficulty in detecting such stealthy attacks, even for advanced security solutions. The article emphasizes that the true danger of ClickFix variants lies in their potential to compromise a company’s enterprise network through an unsuspecting employee’s personal device.

    Projects

    Videos

    Articles

  • What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 7/28/25

    What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 7/28/25

    Welcome to my weekly cybersecurity roundup! Here, I share updates on the projects I’m currently working on, along with the most insightful cybersecurity videos I watched, articles I found valuable, and podcasts I tuned into this week.

    Featured Analysis

    Featured article analysis: Tea’s data breach shows why you should be wary of new apps — especially in the AI era

    This data breach highlights the inherent risks associated with entrusting sensitive personal information to new applications, particularly in an increasingly AI-driven digital landscape. The breach exposed approximately 72,000 images, including selfies and driver’s licenses, as well as over 1.1 million private direct messages containing intimate conversations. This incident serves as a stark reminder that user data, even when presumed private, can be easily exposed to a global audience with technical acumen. Despite the widespread reporting of the breach, the Tea app remarkably maintained a high ranking in app store charts, underscoring a prevailing user willingness to share sensitive data despite known security vulnerabilities.

    Cybersecurity experts interviewed in the article emphasize that the risks of data exposure are amplified in the “AI era.” This heightened risk stems from several factors, including users’ growing comfort with sharing personal information with AI chatbots, which has already led to accidental public disclosures of private exchanges. Furthermore, the rise of “vibe coding”—the use of generative AI to write and refine code—introduces new security concerns. While enabling faster development, experts worry that vibe coding could lead to less secure applications as developers prioritize speed and potentially overlook robust security measures.

    Ultimately, the Tea app breach serves as a critical cautionary tale, urging consumers to exercise extreme vigilance when engaging with new apps. Regardless of whether applications are developed with AI assistance or traditional methods, the core message from cybersecurity professionals is to always consider the worst-case scenario when sharing personal data. With the accelerated development of applications and adversaries increasingly leveraging AI for new attack vectors, users should anticipate a rise in data breaches and adopt a more proactive approach to safeguarding their digital privacy.

    Projects

    • TryHackMe – Web Application Basics – Complete
    • TryHackMe – JavaScript Essentials – In Progress

    White Paper

    Articles

  • What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 6/9/25

    What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 6/9/25

    Welcome to my weekly cybersecurity roundup! Here, I share updates on the projects I’m currently working on, along with the most insightful cybersecurity videos I watched, articles I found valuable, and podcasts I tuned into this week.

    Featured Analysis

    Featured article analysis: 40,000 Security Cameras Exposed to Remote Hacking

    Cybersecurity firm Bitsight has unveiled a significant vulnerability in the digital landscape, identifying over 40,000 security cameras globally that are susceptible to remote hacking. These cameras, operating primarily over HTTP and RTSP protocols, inadvertently expose live video feeds directly to the internet, making them prime targets for malicious activities ranging from espionage to botnet recruitment. HTTP-based cameras, commonly found in homes and small offices, often allow direct access to administrative interfaces or expose screenshots via simple URI manipulations. RTSP cameras, used in professional surveillance, are harder to fingerprint but can still be exploited to return live footage. This widespread exposure highlights a critical security flaw, transforming devices intended for protection into potential tools for privacy invasion and cyberattacks.

    The geographical distribution of these exposed cameras reveals a concerning concentration, with the United States accounting for over 14,000 devices, followed by Japan with approximately 7,000. Other countries like Austria, Czechia, South Korea, Germany, Italy, and Russia also host thousands of vulnerable cameras. Within the US, California and Texas show the highest numbers, with other states like Georgia, New York, and Missouri also significantly impacted. Industry-wise, the telecommunications sector bears the brunt of the exposure, representing a staggering 79% of vulnerable devices, largely due to residential network connections. When excluding this sector, technology, media/entertainment, utilities, business services, and education emerge as the most affected industries, underscoring the broad scope of this security challenge across various critical sectors.

    The implications of such widespread exposure are severe, extending beyond mere privacy breaches. Bitsight warns that these cameras are actively sought by threat actors on dark web forums, posing risks such as ensnarement in botnets or serving as pivot points for deeper network intrusions. The presence of these vulnerable devices in diverse locations like offices, factories, restaurants, and hotels amplifies the potential for corporate espionage and data theft. To counter these threats, Bitsight advises users and organizations to adopt crucial security measures: securing internet connections, replacing default credentials, disabling unnecessary remote access, keeping device firmware updated, and consistently monitoring for unusual login attempts. Adhering to these precautions is paramount to safeguard privacy and prevent these surveillance tools from becoming unintended liabilities.

    Projects

    • TryHackMe – Hashing Basics – In Progress

    Articles

    Podcasts

  • What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 4/21/25

    What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 4/21/25

    Welcome to my weekly cybersecurity roundup! Here, I share updates on the projects I’m currently working on, along with the most insightful cybersecurity videos I watched, articles I found valuable, and podcasts I tuned into this week.

    Featured Analysis

    Featured article analysis: Former Disney employee who hacked Disney World restaurant menus in revenge sentenced to 3 years in federal prison

    This case highlights a serious insider threat incident with significant potential consequences. Michael Scheuer, a former Disney World employee, conducted a series of cyberattacks against his former employer, demonstrating a disturbing level of knowledge about the company’s systems. His actions went beyond mere vandalism, as he manipulated allergen information on restaurant menus, creating a dangerous situation that could have resulted in severe harm or even death for customers with allergies. This element of the attack underscores the malicious intent and the potential for real-world harm that can arise from disgruntled employees with system access.

    The incident also reveals the complexity and scope of modern cyberattacks. Scheuer’s actions included manipulating menu information, altering wine region details to reference mass shooting locations, and launching denial-of-service attacks. This multi-faceted approach demonstrates the potential for a single individual to disrupt operations, spread misinformation, and target individuals within an organization. The FBI’s involvement and the subsequent prosecution emphasize the severity of these crimes and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect against both external and internal threats.

    Ultimately, this case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of robust cybersecurity practices, including access control, monitoring, and incident response. The fact that Scheuer had the knowledge and access to carry out these attacks highlights the need for organizations to carefully manage employee access to sensitive systems, especially during and after termination. The potential for significant financial damage (as indicated by the restitution order) and the severe criminal penalties underscore the legal and financial ramifications of such cybercrimes.

    Projects

    • TryHackMe – Networking Secure Protocols – Complete
    • TryHackMe – Tcpdump: The Basics – In Progress

    Whitepapers

    Videos

    Articles

    Podcasts

  • What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 3/24/25

    What’s New in Cybersecurity This Week: Projects, Videos, Articles & Podcasts I’m Following – 3/24/25

    Welcome to my weekly cybersecurity roundup! Here, I share updates on the projects I’m currently working on, along with the most insightful cybersecurity videos I watched, articles I found valuable, and podcasts I tuned into this week.

    Featured Analysis

    Featured article analysis: Mike Waltz takes ‘full responsibility’ for Signal group chat leak

    The accidental inclusion of a journalist in a high-level Signal group chat discussing military strikes in Yemen has exposed significant vulnerabilities in the US National Security apparatus. While Signal offers strong encryption, this incident underscores that human error remains a critical weak point, as evidenced by the unexplained addition of the reporter. The debate over classified information sharing and the alleged use of auto-delete features raise serious questions about adherence to security protocols and federal record-keeping laws. This event highlights the inherent risks of using civilian communication apps for sensitive government matters, even with robust encryption, and emphasizes the critical need for stringent access controls, comprehensive training, and the consistent use of secure, government-approved platforms.

    This “glitch,” as downplayed by some, serves as a stark reminder for cybersecurity professionals that technology alone cannot guarantee security. Robust operational security practices, including strict verification procedures and adherence to data retention policies, are paramount. The incident underscores the necessity of cultivating a security-conscious culture within government and prioritizing the use of dedicated, secure communication channels over potentially vulnerable civilian alternatives. The political fallout and calls for investigation further emphasize the gravity of this lapse and its potential implications for national security and trust.

    Projects

    • TryHackMe – Networking Essentials – Complete
    • TryHackMe – Networking Core Protocols – In Progress

    Articles

    Podcasts