To gain root access at this company, all an intruder had to do was ask nicely

https://image.theregister.com/5239865.jpg?imageId=5239865&x=0&y=0&cropw=100&croph=100&panox=0&panoy=0&panow=100&panoh=100&width=1200&height=683

Human IT managers thought they were being nice to the boss, but were assisting a threat actor

PWNED Welcome once again to PWNED, the column where we help you prepare for security success by studying others’ embarrassing failures. Today’s terrible tale involves individuals trying to do right by a company executive by letting their guard down, never a smart move.

Have a story about someone leaving a gaping hole in their network? Share it with us at pwned@sitpub.com. Anonymity is available upon request.

Our sad story comes from Brandon Dixon, who currently serves as CTO and co-founder of AI security firm Ent. In a prior life, however, Dixon was a penetration tester for hire and he saw some things that made all my remaining hairs stand on end just hearing about them.

During one pentesting assignment, Dixon tried to find out how easy it would be to steal...

Copyright of this story solely belongs to theregister.com. To see the full text click HERE

Read more

https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/05/ChatGPT-Image-May-20-2026-01_49_10-AM.png

Google says it is testing new ad formats in search results and AI Mode, including Conversational Discovery ads, Highlighted Answers, and AI-powered Shopping ads

Sponsor Posts Niantic Spatial: World models need real-world data — Scaniverse is the gateway to spatial services — self-serve and built for AI and robotics. Large-area 3D reconstruction from 360° cameras and precise localization, anywhere machines operate. App Spotlight: Quo for Zoho CRM — App Spotlight brings you hand-picked solutions that enhance your