Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

XPN @xpnsec.com · Jun 18

My second post for the month is now live 🎉

SpecterOps @specterops.io · Jun 18

Get the scoop on the incoming Administrator Protection for Windows 11.

@xpnsec.com covers the architecture, access controls, and why some legacy UAC bypass techniques remain effective in his latest blog post. ghst.ly/44mw5JM

Administrator Protection Review - SpecterOps

Microsoft will be introducing Administrator Protection into Windows 11. This post explores security considerations for red teamers.

ghst.ly

2 2 12

XPN @xpnsec.com · Jun 13

Talking Heads released a music video for Psycho Killer and it's fucking awesome :D www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ54...

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer (Official Video)

YouTube video by Talking Heads

www.youtube.com

3

XPN @xpnsec.com · Jun 9

Please say we're getting another PsychOdyssey to go with Keeper dev!!!

a man in a suit and tie is standing in front of a microphone and saying `` please be true '' .

ALT: a man in a suit and tie is standing in front of a microphone and saying `` please be true '' .

media.tenor.com

1

Reposted by XPN

SpecterOps @specterops.io · Jun 3

🚨 New blog post alert!

@xpnsec.com drops knowledge on LLM security w/ his latest post showing how attackers can by pass LLM WAFs by confusing the tokenization process to smuggle tokens to back-end LLMs.

Read more: ghst.ly/4koUJiz

Tokenization Confusion - SpecterOps

Meta's Prompt Guard 2 aims to prevent prompt injection. This post looks at how much knowledge of ML we need to be effective at testing these LLM WAFs.

ghst.ly

5 10

XPN @xpnsec.com · Jun 3

New blog post is up! Stepping out of my comfort zone (be kind), looking at Meta's Prompt Guard 2 model, how to misclassify prompts using the Unigram tokenizer and hopefully demonstrate why we should invest time looking beyond the API at how LLMs function. specterops.io/blog/2025/06...

Tokenization Confusion - SpecterOps

Meta's Prompt Guard 2 aims to prevent prompt injection. This post looks at how much knowledge of ML we need to be effective at testing these LLM WAFs.

specterops.io

1 5

XPN @xpnsec.com · May 21

The level of snark in my upcoming blogpost is next level... And I'm not even sorry!

taylor swift is wearing a black off the shoulder top .

ALT: taylor swift is wearing a black off the shoulder top .

media.tenor.com

12

Reposted by XPN

Marc Smeets @marcoverip.bsky.social · May 13

Didn’t know this impressive fact. @xpnsec.com did you?

Dave Keating @davekeating.substack.com · May 13

Each year, Eurovision has more live viewers than the Super Bowl, Oscars and Grammys combined. This shocks Europeans when I tell them.

So check it out. Live semi-final 1 airing now: www.youtube.com/live/0HNXVB2...

Eurovision Song Contest 2025 - First Semi-Final - Livestream | #Eurovision2025

YouTube video by Eurovision Song Contest

www.youtube.com

1 1 1

XPN @xpnsec.com · May 14

I did not but it makes me feel better about watching it now :D

4

XPN @xpnsec.com · May 9

Wrong XPN (unless you like hacker techno) 🤗

1

Reposted by XPN

SpecterOps @specterops.io · Apr 22

You've been prepping for #OSCP exam day, and it finally arrives. 🙇

In Part 4 of his blog series, @anam0x.bsky.social focuses on the test & how to maximize the educational, financial, & professional value of the exam experience.

Read more: ghst.ly/4lHDw4M

🧵: 1/4

1 2 7

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 20

Worked on a simple POC last night for connecting Mythic up to LiteLLM (pointing to Claude) for riding shotgun on a C2 session. Only using shell cmd, but provides oversight and hints to potential paths to explore. Quite happy for a weekend project :D youtu.be/C9J5okm6cA4

Superintendent POC

YouTube video by Adam Chester

youtu.be

1 15

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 18

New AI Slop Avatar, who dis?

1 7

Reposted by XPN

Bad Sector Labs @badsectorlabs.com · Apr 15

WinRMS relay (@Defte_), plaintext Zip attacks (@pfiatde), SQL Server Crypto deep dive (@_xpn_), FindUnusualSessions (@podalirius_), and more!

blog.badsectorlabs.com/last-week-in...

Last Week in Security (LWiS) - 2025-04-14

WinRMS relay (@Defte_), plaintext Zip attacks (@pfiatde), SQL Server Crypto deep dive (@_xpn_), FindUnusualSessions (@podalirius_), and more!

blog.badsectorlabs.com

2 5

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 15

Slides from my SOCON 2025 presentation are now up on GitHub github.com/xpn/Presenta...

Presentations/SOCON2025 at main · xpn/Presentations

A collections of presentations. Contribute to xpn/Presentations development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

8

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 11

Awesome post from @atomicchonk.bsky.social on NLP Tokenizing. We need more content like this to show the "how" behind the LLM :) www.corgi-corp.com/post/tokeniz...

Tokenizing the Sandwich Debate: How NLP Models Weigh In on Hot Dogs

Get the gist for Natural Language Processing (NLP) and how tokenization plays a factor

www.corgi-corp.com

7

Reposted by XPN

SpecterOps @specterops.io · Apr 8

Think NTLM relay is a solved problem? Think again.

Relay attacks are more complicated than many people realize. Check out this deep dive from Elad Shamir on NTLM relay attacks & the new edges we recently added to BloodHound. ghst.ly/4lv3E31

1 20 27

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 8

New blog post 🤗

SpecterOps @specterops.io · Apr 8

In our latest blog post, @xpnsec.com breaks down how SQL Server Transparent Data Encryption works, shares new methods for brute-forcing database encryption keys, & reveals a default key used by ManageEngine's ADSelfService product backups.

Read more 👉 ghst.ly/4iXFTyF

2 13

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 8

No idea why my first thought to a problem is a heavy RE session, something for therapy I think 🤣

1 1

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 8

Celebrating 1 year at SpecterOps, this was the first project I worked on after starting. Looking at SQL Server Transparent Data Encryption, how to bruteforce weak keys, and how ManageEngine's ADSelfService product uses TDE with a suspect key. Enjoy :) specterops.io/blog/2025/04...

The SQL Server Crypto Detour - SpecterOps

As part of my role as Service Architect here at SpecterOps, one of the things I’m tasked with is exploring all kinds of technologies to help those on assessments with advancing their engagement. Not l...

specterops.io

1 3 15

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 8

Love this article. It’s something that I’ve tried to follow throughout my career, having a line of sight to business profit centres. Even more important in the days of tech layoffs www.seangoedecke.com/where-the-mo...

Knowing where your engineer salary comes from

How tech companies make money and why it's important

www.seangoedecke.com

5

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 6

1 year anniversary at SpecterOps, so many personal and professional achievements in a short space of time. My advice for anyone getting into this field, try and make sure that you work companies and colleagues that push you beyond your comfort level. \o/

1 23

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 2

I’ll throw the blog post up soon to share it :)

1

XPN @xpnsec.com · Apr 1

I did a talk!! #socon2025

1 20

Reposted by XPN

Katie Knowles @siigil.bsky.social · Mar 31

Excited to be at @specterops.bsky.social SO-CON this week!! If you're around, I'll be presenting "Abusing AUs, Confusing the SOC" tomorrow bright & early:

1 7 15

XPN @xpnsec.com · Mar 31

Yeah but now AI is gonna end pentesting in 3...

1 1