Red Hot Cyber
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

The Virginia Department of Elections database may have been hacked and is online on the dark web

A serious security incident appears to have hit the Virginia Department of Elections, causing the unauthorised dissemination of a large election database. The attack, claimed by a user known as...

Cyberpunk 2077: Source Code Stolen?

A malicious actor has claimed to have obtained access to the complete source code of Cyberpunk 2077, the famous role-playing game developed by CD Projekt Red. If confirmed, this claim...

Xehook Stealer: The Rise and Sale of a Formidable Stealer Malware

Introduction Xehook Stealer is a sophisticated malware targeting Windows operating systems, first discovered in January 2024. Within a year, Xehook has rapidly gained notoriety for its advanced data collection capabilities...

WordPress: Five Plugins Found with Malicious Code

On June 24, 2024, Wordfence revealed a supply chain attack on WordPress plugins, leading to the compromise of five plugins with malicious code. The affected plugins are: Social Warfare (versions...

Julian Assange Free! Freedom Reclaimed After Five Years of Detention

London, June 25, 2024 - Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, was released yesterday from the maximum-security Belmarsh prison after spending 1901 days in detention. The news was announced by...

BlackByte: The Return of the Gang after a few months of inactivity

In recent years, the cybersecurity landscape has been marked by ongoing ransomware attacks , with criminal groups constantly evolving to evade defenses. One such group, known as BlackByte, recently returned to action...

Lockbit 3.0 Claims Attack on Federal Reserve: 33 Terabytes of Sensitive Data Allegedly Compromised

In a significant escalation within the cybersecurity realm, the notorious ransomware group Lockbit 3.0 has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack targeting the Federal Reserve of the United States. The declaration...

RHC interviews 8base: The cybergang that provides the security AUDIT report to the hacked company

A few days ago we published an article on the new cybergang 8Base. 8base define themselves as “honest and simple pentesters. We offer companies the most loyal conditions for returning...
lockbit

RHC interviews LockBit 3.0. “The main thing is not to start a nuclear war”

Translator: Tara Lie We often talk about the LockBit Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) operation, recently remodelled as LockBit 3.0, which continues to bring important innovations to the ransomware cyber circus. Often these new...

LockBit 3.0: making the ransomware Great Again

LockBit is a major player in the ransomware scene and has contributed heavily for this cyber-crime model to become one of the most popular and imitated in the threats landscape....