A former colleague once told a recruiter, "She's extremely insane about cybersecurity."

They were not lying.

My interest in this field is not casual. It runs deep, sharp, and persistent. Cybersecurity is rewarding, frustrating, unforgiving, and occasionally brutal. That tension is exactly why it stuck.

Hey. I'm •nullbrat• of hackherway-hacking princess extraordinaire.

Three interesting facts about myself:

• 1. I’ve been electrocuted square in the top-center of my head by an exposed live wire. I survived. I do not recommend it.
• 2.I love skydiving. I can also speak English backwards at speed, with little to no advance planning of how the words will form before they come out.
• 3. About a year before his passing, I became friends with Kevin Mitnick after commenting on a throwback photo he posted online. The image marked the first time his ban was lifted and he was legally allowed to touch a computer again. It was also the moment when AOL, the internet, and Google were beginning to reach the wider public. I joked about POTS lines and LECs. He messaged me privately to say how much it made him laugh. After that, we stayed in touch regularly. He was exceptionally intelligent, genuinely kind, and I’m proud I got to call him a friend, even for a short time.

This site is my corner of the interwebz. A Y2K-inspired vault for curated cybersecurity and information security content. You'll find offensive and defensive security notes, practical lessons, real-world tips, tutorials, ethical hacking repositories, and other shiny things I've collected along the way.

The aesthetic is intentional. The mindset is permanent. The lifestyle is forever.

• WHAT I DO •

I've been in the security world since 1996, long before Active Directory or Kerberos attacks were even a thing.

My career began almost two decades ago. After earning a BS in Networking and Communications Management with a focus on Telecommunications Management and Security, I landed my first real role as a network engineer supporting a flat DoD Novell NetWare / e-Directory environment supporting federal contractors, federal civilians, and active Army, Navy, and Air Force service-members.

There was no DHCP. Every IP address was manually assigned. By me. My "IPAM" solution was an Excel spreadsheet tracking a full Class C network, and a partial Class B block for a DMZ.

That era shaped how I think.

Since then, I've steadily accumulated experience across both public and private sectors, collecting more than a few hard-earned feathers in my cap along the way.

• WHERE I'VE BEEN •

I've worked in high-stakes environments where failure was not theoretical.

• Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Media Activity (American Forces Radio & Television Broadcast Center / American Forces Network - AFRTS / AFN)
  NetSecOps and ISSO support for the only command in Southern California broadcasting U.S. radio and television to deployed service members overseas for 17 years.
  
  
• U.S. Navy (SPAWAR / NAVSEC)
  Security support as Information Assurance (IA) ISSE for critical C3 systems tied to naval ballistics defense and mission-critical networks.
  
  
• Public and Private Sectors
  Securing federal credit union infrastructure and protecting small, local brick-and-mortar businesses where budgets were tight and mistakes were costly.
  
  
• Career Evolution
  Roles spanning Network & Systems Security Engineer, ISSO (RMF / C&A / A&A), Senior Cybersecurity Analyst, Vulnerability Management Analyst, Information Security Analyst II, and ISSE.

Everything shared here comes from direct exposure to securing essential services and mission-critical systems. Nothing is theoretical for long.

WHY MY SITE IS A THROWBACK TO THE LATE '90s/EARLY 2000s

The retro theme is deliberate, although it looks a lot funner than most out there..

It honors the era when I first learned how AOL Instant Messages actually traveled from Point A to Point B. When understanding packets, protocols, and electrons moving through cables felt like peeking behind the curtain of reality itself.

That curiosity never left me.

LESSONS LEARNED

I've had my share of failures. Some where painful. A few made me cry. Like ugly-face-cry.

This industry has taught me to grow a thick skin and to always expect the unexpected. Adopting the mindset of an adversary changes how you think, permanently. Even when you step away from keyboards and dashboards, it stays with you.

It taught me to think creatively and strategically.

To approach problems from angles others ignore.

To question assumptions, even under pressure.

To treat knowledge as leverage.

Cybersecurity turned me into a critical thinker. It taught me to question everything, especially when it's uncomfortable. It also taught me to respect the woman I've become because of it.

I may still be a guppy in a vast ocean, but I can swim confidently and comfortably among dolphins and sharks now.

This site is built from gaps I remember hitting early in my career. Things I had to learn the hard way. Documentation that didn't yet exist. Context no one bothered to explain. A lot of what lives here is material I wish I'd had when I was starting out. Clear explanations. Real context. Hard lessons without the gatekeeping. If any of what is here shortens your learning curve, saves you time, frustration, or a few avoidable mistakes, or if it sharpens how you think about security overall, then it's doing its job. Even helping a little is enough, and if the content helps one or two people, then at the end of the day it's serving its purpose.

I love talking all things Cybersecurity.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out and drop me a line.

Enjoy your stay!

And remember:

Stay Safe Stay Vigilant Stay Informed

Updates

June 11th, 2056: The "ChatGPTs" (Gemini, Claude, Grok, Kimi, Monica, and the rest), along with counterparts – AI, LLM, and ML bots – are slowly dominating humanity and robbing us of any remaining intelligence we may have left. June 10th, 2056: It has been confirmed that, just like in the movie Aliens, the AIs and next-gen bots all have a hive Queen they report to and protect. December 4th, 2056: Sigourney Weaver was sent to save the world and mankind, yet again. Know that if there are no more entries from me after this that I am no longer of the physical world. Know that I fought hard to save humanity - I fought alongside thousands of brave and fearless men and women all with one common goal of reclaiming civiliazation and to take back everything that was rightfully ours. Nah...also know that what I said above is a bold-faced lie because my ass hid from all that....shhhiiiiiit, and you would too...mmmhmmmm.