CyberHowler

When I started learning DevOps, people in my company kept mentioning microservices. Honestly, I had no idea what it meant. For me, an application was always one big thing running on one server. Then I Googled. That’s when it hit me — microservices are nothing but breaking down a big app into smaller, independent services. Take a banking app for example: One service for login One service for checking the balance One service for transactions All these services together make the complete application. Simple. But here’s the twist — I wanted to see how this works in apps we use daily. So I picked Google Pay as my case study. . . . Google Pay – A Microservices Reality Check Behind the simple “Send ₹100” button, Google Pay runs on multiple services working in sync: User Management → login, profile, KYC Payment Processing → UPI, cards, wallet Bank Integration → connects to multiple bank APIs Notifications → SMS, push messages Fraud Detection → ML-powered checks Transacti...

  How a trusted UK brand got hacked — and what it means for you. 🏬 Who is Marks & Spencer? Marks & Spencer (M&S) is one of the UK’s most iconic multinational retailers, founded in 1884. Known for its high-quality clothing, food, and home products, M&S operates hundreds of stores across the UK and internationally, along with a strong digital presence through its e-commerce platform and mobile apps . 🔐 What Happened — The Cyberattack Unfolded In early June 2025 , Marks & Spencer faced a massive cyberattack that disrupted its online ordering system , website, and mobile apps for more than six weeks . 🧨 Attack Method: Initial Entry Point: Suspected phishing email targeting internal IT staff Privilege Escalation: Use of stolen credentials and session hijacking Lateral Movement: Breached backend servers using tools like: 🛠️ Cobalt Strike 🛠️ Mimikatz 🕵️‍♂️ Impacket toolset Payload Delivery: Ransomware or wiper malware suspected ...

AWS Security & Firewalls: A Cybersecurity Guide for Cloud Professionals In today’s cloud-driven world, security is non-negotiable. AWS provides a powerful suite of security tools to protect your infrastructure, but misconfigurations can lead to data breaches, unauthorized access, and costly attacks. This blog covers AWS security best practices, firewall strategies, and cybersecurity measures to keep your cloud environment locked down. 🔒 Why AWS Security Matters With cyber threats evolving rapidly, AWS security must be a top priority for: ✔ DevOps Engineers (Securing CI/CD pipelines) ✔ Cloud Architects (Designing secure VPCs) ✔ Cybersecurity Professionals (Threat detection & compliance) AWS follows the Shared Responsibility Model: AWS secures the cloud infrastructure (hardware, global network). You secure data, applications, and access controls. 🛡️ AWS Security Best Practices 1. Identity & Access Management (IAM) Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP): Grant minimal permissi...

Prompt Engineering for Everyone: Unlocking the Power of AI in Cybersecurity Prompt engineering is a game-changing skill that can transform how we interact with AI, especially in fields like cybersecurity and hacking. But what exactly is prompt engineering, and why is it so essential for beginners, tech enthusiasts, and even professionals? Let’s dive into it and see how it can boost your cybersecurity efforts. What Is Prompt Engineering? At its core, prompt engineering involves crafting specific queries or prompts that guide AI (like GPT) to provide the exact results you need. It’s like asking a question, but with precision. Whether you're a hacker, a cybersecurity researcher, or someone new to the field, learning how to formulate effective prompts is crucial. In simple terms, prompt engineering helps you get the most accurate and relevant responses from AI by structuring your questions in the right way. This can be incredibly useful when working on security research, penetration te...