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Cybersecurity, Cybercrime News and Vulnerability Analysis
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Author: Pietro Melillo

Pietro Melillo

Head of the Dark Lab group. A Computer Engineer specialised in Cyber Security with a deep passion for Hacking and technology, currently CISO of WURTH Italia, he was responsible for Cyber Threat Intelligence & Dark Web analysis services at IBM, carries out research and teaching activities on Cyber Threat Intelligence topics at the University of Sannio, as a Ph.D, author of scientific papers and development of tools to support cybersecurity activities.
Leads the CTI Team "RHC DarkLab"

Profilo LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise Cyber Threat Intelligence, Ransomware, National Security, Training

Pietro Melillo is a cybersecurity professional with solid experience in Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI), security governance, and advanced threat analysis. His background combines high-level operational roles, academic research, and technical dissemination, with a strong focus on understanding threat ecosystems and their impact on business.

Current Positions

  • Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) – Würth Italy: Responsible for defining and governing the enterprise-wide cybersecurity strategy across multiple business entities. Oversees regulatory compliance, with a strong focus on the NIS2 Directive, and the adoption and continuous improvement of international standards such as ISO/IEC 27001. He also leads organization-wide initiatives in incident response, vulnerability management, security awareness, and AI governance, ensuring alignment between security controls, regulatory requirements, and business objectives.
  • PhD Researcher in Cyber Threat Intelligence – University of Sannio: Research activities focused on the ransomware ecosystem, dark web dynamics, and data-driven models for cyber threat analysis and prediction.
  • Director of the CTI Group “DarkLab” – Red Hot Cyber: Coordinates research, monitoring, and dissemination activities related to emerging threats, underground ecosystems, and the evolution of cybercrime.

Core Competencies

  • Cyber Threat Intelligence: advanced threat analysis, predictive models, and study of digital criminal ecosystems.
  • Security Governance & Compliance: integration of cybersecurity, regulatory frameworks, and business strategies (NIS2, ISO/IEC 27001).
  • Incident Response & Vulnerability Management: structured handling of security incidents and risk mitigation processes.
  • AI Governance & Security Awareness: governance models and awareness programs for emerging technologies.

Initiatives and Contributions

  • Academic teaching: lecturer and academic collaborator at several Italian universities, including the University of Rome Tor Vergata and the University of Sannio, delivering courses on CTI, dark web analysis, and cybercrime.
  • Applied research: development of studies and analyses based on empirical data and threat intelligence methodologies, with a strong focus on operational applicability.
  • Knowledge sharing: active contributor to Red Hot Cyber initiatives, supporting the dissemination of knowledge on emerging cyber threats.

Professional Vision

He advocates for an integrated approach to cybersecurity that combines research, operations, and governance, aiming to anticipate threats through data-driven analysis and a deep understanding of digital criminal ecosystems. His goal is to reduce decision-making uncertainty and enhance organizational resilience in an ever-evolving threat landscape.

Web resources

Numero di articoli trovati: 90

Potential Data Leak from Google: 1 Million Records Exposed

Recently, a threat actor claimed to have publicly released one million records scraped from Google, raising significant alarm regarding personal data security. The information appeared on an online forum in...

Alleged Data Breach of the United States Department of Defense and National Security Agency

Recently, alarming news has emerged on a well-known underground forum regarding alleged data breaches of the United States Department of Defense and the National Security Agency (NSA). The announcements, posted...

New Ransomware Group “Vanir Group”: Three Victims Immediately in Their Data Leak Site

A new ransomware group, calling themselves "Vanir Group," has recently made its debut in the cybercrime landscape. This group has quickly garnered attention for the aggressiveness and professionalism of their...

The Threat Actor 888 claims responsibility for a breach at Nokia.

A malicious actor, known by the alias "888," recently claimed responsibility for disclosing sensitive data belonging to Nokia. The attack, which occurred in July 2024, compromised a wide range of...

Alleged NATO Data BreachAlleged NATO Data Breach: 643 CSV Files with User Data and Server Details Leaked

A threat actor claims to have leaked sensitive data from NATO - TIDE (Think-Tank for Information Decision and Execution Superiority). NATO-TIDE (Think-Tank for Information Decision and Execution Superiority) is a...

Access to UK Accounting System for Sale: 600 Clients and 1TB of Data at Risk

A malicious actor is allegedly selling access to an RDWeb system in the United Kingdom, belonging to an accounting firm. This breach represents a serious threat to the security of...

China: 7.5 Million Tourist Data Stolen!

On the morning of July 6, 2024, a user known as "BlackKing" revealed a significant data breach involving a Chinese travel and tourism platform on a hacking forum. This information...

Latvian Government Database Compromised: Over 1.6 Million Government Data Lines!

A malicious actor has claimed to have leaked a database containing over 1.6 million lines of data from the Latvian government. The data breach, dated July 7, 2024, includes all...

Threat Actors Steal 5.90 GB of Sensitive Data from the Fiscalía General del Estado de Veracruz!

In an era where cybersecurity has become crucial for protecting sensitive data, a recent leak has revealed an alleged security breach at the Fiscalía General del Estado de Veracruz. A...

Dangerous 0day Windows LPE Vulnerability for Sale in the Underground

A malicious actor, under the name "tikila", has posted an advertisement on a hacking forum for the sale of a local privilege escalation (LPE) vulnerability for Windows. According to the...