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That means they're targeting and taking advantage of weaknesses in governance approvals, compliance cycles, and investigation workflows. Security guidelines help enterprises manage threats, reduce risks, and ensure they are meeting regulatory standards — essentially, guaranteeing that business operations run smoothly while simultaneously maintaining effective cybersecurity strategies. But they can become attack surfaces, says Almunajam."They are becoming the first attack surface because they offer silent paths that technology cannot immediately detect," he tells Dark Reading. "It's not only an increasing threat, but it is now the preferred strategy of modern APTs and organized cybercrime groups." To combat these threat advancements, Almunajam will discuss the "6 Black Hat Laws,” a new behavioral security framework, as part of Black Hat Middle East and Africa 2025 in Saudi Arabia next month. Related:How CISOs Can Best Work With CEOs and the Board: Lessons From the FieldAnticipate Attackers' Next MoveAlmunajam established the framework to help enterprises think like attackers; he derived the laws based on patterns he observed from real cybercrime and digital forensics investigations. The goal is to predict attacks by not only understanding how adversaries think, but where they strategically invest effort to turn governance and compliance into attack strategies, he says. In one real-world case, an attacker manipulated event timestamp logic to mislead responders, delaying the discovery of data exfiltration. That tactic highlighted a digital forensic blind spot, Almunajam says. In another instance, an attacker exploited a required operational process that created a predictable timing window. Subsequently, the threat actors successfully bypassed controls without triggering alerts, he notes, adding that it exemplified compliance as a risk-enabler.   "Instead of focusing solely on exploiting code, these laws expose how modern attackers exploit logic, timing, and decision-making weaknesses to silently gain persistent advantage inside organizations," Almunajam says.What Can Enterprises Do?Regarding actionable strategies, it's more important for enterprises to focus on aligning their policies to these threats instead of acquiring new defensive products, Almunajam recommends. For example, organizations could map attacker intent to governance controls to limit "invisible" attack paths or monitor exceptions, like privileged assets, to prevent persistence tactics from exploiting their policies. Related:Microsoft Exchange 'Under Imminent Threat,' Act NowAnother security strategy involves merging governance, risk, and compliance signals into security operations center analytics to detect misuse before compromise, he advises. "These can be adopted quickly by mature security teams, delivering high impact with minimal disruption," Almunajam says.  Read more about:Black Hat NewsAbout the AuthorArielle WaldmanFeatures Writer, Dark ReadingArielle spent the last decade working as a reporter, transitioning from human interest stories to covering all things cybersecurity related in 2020. Now, as a features writer for Dark Reading, she delves into the security problems enterprises face daily, hoping to provide context and actionable steps. She previously lived in Florida where she wrote for the Tampa Bay Times before returning to Boston where her cybersecurity career took off at SearchSecurity. When she's not writing about cybersecurity, she pursues personal projects that include a mystery novel and poetry collection.   See more from Arielle WaldmanMore InsightsIndustry Reports2025 State of Threat Intelligence: What it means for your cybersecurity strategyGartner Innovation Insight: AI SOC AgentsState of AI and Automation in Threat IntelligenceGuide to Network Analysis Visibility SolutionsOrganizations Require a New Approach to Handle Investigation and Response in the CloudAccess More ResearchWebinarsIdentity Security in the Agentic AI EraHow AI & Autonomous Patching Eliminate Exposure RisksSecuring the Hybrid Workforce: Challenges and SolutionsCybersecurity Outlook 2026Threat Hunting Tools & Techniques for Staying Ahead of Cyber AdversariesMore WebinarsYou May Also LikeFEATUREDCheck out the Black Hat USA Conference Guide for more coverage and intel from — and about — the show.Edge PicksApplication SecurityAI Agents in Browsers Light on Cybersecurity, Bypass ControlsAI Agents in Browsers Light on Cybersecurity, Bypass ControlsLatest Articles in The EdgeWith AI Reshaping Entry-Level Cyber, What Happens to the Security Talent Pipeline?Nov 21, 2025|5 Min ReadSecuring the Win: What Cybersecurity Can Learn From the PaddockNov 20, 2025|5 Min ReadSame Old Security Problems: Cyber Training Still Fails MiserablyNov 20, 2025Learning Sales Skills Can Make Security Professionals More EffectiveNov 14, 2025|4 Min ReadRead More The EdgeDiscover MoreBlack HatOmdiaWorking With UsAbout UsAdvertiseReprintsJoin UsNewsletter Sign-UpFollow UsCopyright © 2025 TechTarget, Inc. d/b/a Informa TechTarget. 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This article, published by Dark Reading and part of a combined TechTarget and Informa TechTarget initiative, presents a novel security framework—the “6 Black Hat Laws”—developed by Tuwaiq Academy’s Mohammed Almunajam. The core argument centers on a shift in attacker tactics, moving beyond traditional code exploitation to leverage vulnerabilities within an organization’s governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) processes. Almunajam’s framework anticipates that advanced persistent threat (APT) groups are now prioritizing stealthy infiltration through these processes, rather than directly targeting systems.

The framework’s genesis stems from Almunajam’s experience conducting digital forensic investigations and cybercrime inquiries. He observed a pattern where attackers weren't simply seeking to break into systems; instead, they were strategically manipulating established workflows, controls, and response timelines. This manipulation exposes a critical gap in traditional cybersecurity approaches, which often concentrate solely on technical vulnerabilities. The “6 Black Hat Laws” represent an attempt to fundamentally alter an organization's approach to security by framing attacks within the context of these manipulated processes.

The laws themselves are predicated on exploiting “logic, timing, and decision-making weaknesses,” as Almunajam characterizes them. A key example illustrates this point: an attacker successfully misled incident response teams by manipulating timestamp logic, delaying the detection of data exfiltration. Another case involved an adversary capitalizing on a legally mandated operational process to establish a predictable timing window for a successful bypass of security controls. This highlights a systematic exploitation of compliance as an enabler of risk.

The framework’s proponents argue that this shift demands a new focus for security teams. It’s not about merely acquiring new defensive technologies—though those remain important—but about aligning organizational policies to anticipate and mitigate these attacks. Specifically, enterprises should map attacker intent to governance controls – limiting “invisible attack paths” – and actively monitor exceptions, such as privileged assets, to prevent persistence tactics. The framework advocates for merging governance, risk, and compliance signals into security operations center (SOC) analytics to facilitate earlier detection and response – a solution particularly well-suited for mature security teams.

The author stresses that the principles are universally applicable and suggests a proactive, rather than reactive, approach. This includes focusing on understanding the attacker’s strategic investment of effort. The ultimate goal is to shift from merely responding to active breaches to preventing attacks before they can materialize, particularly concerning how an organization handles investigations and response in the cloud.

The article concludes with Almunajam’s recommendation to prioritize alignment of organizational policies over solely relying on new defensive technologies. He advocates for a fundamental change in strategy – viewing security as a continuous process of anticipating and responding to attacks within the existing operational landscape.