Influencing Cyber Security with Caitlin Sarian

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But as an influencer now, I'm like very paranoid. Like people will repost me. This is how paranoid I am. Like people will post me on their story and they get mad that I don't repost them and I'm like, look, if I repost you, then people will go through you and all your weird like untapped like non cyber stuff and probably like figure out a way to get to me or you and you and I together. Like for example, like if I posted one of my friends and their Instagram's not, it's not like cyber safe. And then like halfer could get into their account to get to me or get to them in general. Like I don't want to put a target on any of my friends backs that I know that's like maybe not the safest.

Welcome to the RealReal where we go behind the highlight reel and go into the unfiltered. I'm your host, Natalie Barbou. And let's get into it. Hello, Caitlin. Thanks for coming on my podcast.

Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm really excited.

I'm super excited. So Caitlin and I recently met. We met only like a few weeks ago through a mutual friend and then she does TikTok and what else? Like Instagram?

Yeah, mostly TikTok and Instagram. I'm trying to reach like other platforms. Honestly, I'm really trying out LinkedIn.

Okay. I love LinkedIn. I've actually been posting a lot for LinkedIn, mainly for Rela, but I'm trying to like grow a following there and be seen as like a creator economy expert because I think it helps my personal brand too.

I know, I feel like the ones I've been sleeping on LinkedIn for sure because it's like it's such a business oriented thing so it's good for our businesses. But I'm also trying to like really get involved in Snapchat and Pinterest, which I don't know how my business is going to work with that, but like we're going to try all of them.

Okay, wait, on Snapchat, are you getting into it because of the money or because there's an audience? There is. I know Snapchat pays creators like a Ton of money.

They do. But I don't know how to like get on that train. Like I don't know where to even start. And I also feel like I'm a little too old for Snapchat. So.

Yeah, that's how I feel.

Yeah. Honestly, up until like a year and a half ago, I thought Snapchat died like a while ago. And then a year and a half ago someone's like, oh, are you on snap? And I'm like, wait, what? That still exists?

I didn't know. So this is when I felt very old because I was like you. Where I was like, oh, Snapchat's dead. Like it's been dead for years. Like no one uses it. And then I like every now and then I might Snapchat some friends, like if it's like something funny or something, but like I'm not like actively using it. I can't tell you the last time I posted a story on there.

Right.

But they have a portion of it that's kind of like TikTok, like short form videos. I had no idea about that. And some girl who's like a 17 year old had to like show me how to use it and how to do it and I'm like, oh my God, this is my moment where I actually feel like I'm a grandmother. Yeah.

I tried to use it by myself and I literally could not figure it out. I mean I posted some reels on it, but like they didn't really go anywhere. And I'm like, I don't, I don't know where to go. But I do know that the best like ROI from a marketing perspective are on those odd platforms. I think it was, I just watched a video and it was like Twitter AKA X and Snap and Pinterest are like the best for companies to like reach more people for a smaller amount of money.

Wow. I guess. Cuz they're not as saturated so like brands are going there and those companies want brands to like post on those platforms. Right. So they're gonna make it cheaper for them.

Yeah. And they're probably like favoring it a little bit more. So I, I don't know, I'm. I wanna do all the platforms, but. Yes.

Yeah.

The long answer is that it's. I'm mostly on Instagram and TikTok.

Okay. And I wanted to actually hear about your story. Cause you have a very interesting background for a content creator.

Yes.

I feel like, like you're not a lifestyle creator. You're very focused on cybersecurity. Yeah. And It's a very specific niche. When you think of people niching down, you're like, how many people are interested in this topic? You know? So how did you start getting interested in cybersecurity?

It's funny that you asked that, because when I first started this platform, I was like, this is going to be too niche. And like, turns out it's not. But cybersecurity was like a very random thing thing for me. I did engineering in college and then I was like, I don't really know. I did a lot of internships. And I was like, none of these are really something that I want to do for, like, the rest of my life. Like, I was, like, looking for that job that I was like, this is going to be the rest of my life. Because my family's, like, very hardworking and they kind of stay in the same job and they've done this for years. And like, my grandpa worked at the same company for, like 95 years.

Wait, really? Until he.

Until he was 95 there. Right.

It was like, how old?

He didn't even retire. He, like, literally did not retire. Yeah, not 95 years. Probably like 75. But yeah. So I was looking for, like, that forever company and I just couldn't find it. So I was like, I'm gonna go into tech consulting. And when I was going through my interview process, they were like, are you interested in cyber? And in my head, I was like, I'm terrible. I had to take two coding classes. The worst. I still am terrible at coding. And I was like, I'm not gonna tell her this. So I was like, yeah, sure. Cause, like, obviously it's an interview and you wanna be open to opportunities. And so then I started getting really intrigued by it. And then she's like, we'll train you, we'll teach you everything on the job. This is like 10 years ago. And then I never looked back. But when it came to, like, actually creating the platform, I was like, I need to niche down. But I honestly thought it was going to be too niche.

Well, me and you have a similar background. Then what type of engineering did you do?

I did aerospace, mechanical.

Okay. I did industrial engineering. Okay.

I did industrial for my master's because it was a little bit easier.

Yes, industrial is easier than the other ones.

And it's like all women too. It was kind of nice. Really? Yeah, I think so. My university was like, oh, well, you know, we have like 50% women, 50% men in, like, engineering. But, like, most of it was because there were so many women in Industrial systems. Cuz it was still like 5% women in mechanical.

Yeah, no, industrial had the most women in my school too, but it was still like 60, 40 where like 60% men, 40% women I would say, which is a good ratio for engineers. Good, yeah.

Somehow we're still single. Yeah.

I didn't find our mans there, but Yeah, I know. It's funny because me and my friend were talking and she was like, you are my friend that interacts with the most men on a daily basis because of what I do for work. Like I'm in tech, I'm constantly in meetings, on calls with men. Like I'm barely speaking to women at my job. And she's like, and you like haven't found anyone?

I was like, nope, I would cheers you right now. Yeah, yeah, I mean I was the same. I don't know, I don't know where.

They went, I don't know where they are.

I just don't.

I know it's, it's honestly depressing but that's okay. We're. We'll find them.

We're gonna find them. We're gonna find the men that like know what they want. And what they want is us.

Yes, exactly. So we have a. But we do have a very similar background with that like engineering path. I went to tech consulting as well after school. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, I worked at Accenture for.

Oh yeah, a little bit. Oh wait, I did know that.

Yeah, yeah. So I worked there for a little bit and then after nine months I quit though. So it was very short lived because I.

It's hard. Consulting is hard at the beginning it is.

And I was making more money doing social media. So I was like okay, bye, I'm out. So I quit my job when I was 23 I think to do social media full time and then haven't looked back, started rella and everything like that. But we have very like similar paths in that sense. Yeah. And so when you decided to start like in cybersecurity at your job, did you think about like oh other people would be interested in this, I should start posting or like when did it shift from doing it as a career to then helping people and posting it like on the Internet?

Yeah. So I knew from the beginning like before I made a TikTok because I had Instagram for a really long time and honestly Instagram like wasn't moving. Like I had tried during COVID became like a nutritionist and I was really trying to like advocate for men.

Many lives.

No, so many different lives, I get bored and I want to learn stuff.

Yeah.

And so I was like, oh, I'm going to turn my Instagram into, like, more of a mental health, like, healthy living type of thing. And that, like, didn't go anywhere. People don't realize, like, how much you kind of have to like, play with social media. You don't just, like, it doesn't just like, happen overnight.

Yeah. I've pivoted a ton of times. Yeah. And it's just, that's the nature of social media. That's why when people are like, should I niche down? Should I not? What should I post? Oh, I don't know. I don't know if anyone would watch it. I'm like, just change it if it doesn't work.

Exactly.

But, like, you have to start posting Right. In order to grow at all or at least figure out what you want and what you don't want.

Exactly.

So, yeah, I feel you.

Yeah. So then I was like, okay, if I'm gonna start a TikTok, I want to be a force for good. Because I've always had this, like, weird gut feeling since I was a kid that, like, something, it was meant for something huge.

I don't know. Have you.

Did you ever have that? Yeah. Okay. Because I've told people that and they're like, I never had that feeling. I was like, okay, well, I just.

No, I've always thought, like, I am going to be like, I. At first I wanted to be like an actress and I thought I was going to be like the next, like, Hannah Montana type of thing.

I could definitely say that.

When I was younger, I wanted to be an author for a while. I wanted to be. I always wanted to be, like, in a creative space, but also, like, I was very business minded from a really young age and my parents kind of let me run with it and like, flourish with it. So I always had this, like. I wouldn't say it's an inflated ego, because it wasn't an ego. It was more of like, I can do anything I want. Like, I was just that mentality.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's so nice to hear other people. I honestly was like, am I just a weird kid?

No, I felt the same way.

But yeah. So when I started my TikTok, I was like, it has to be something, like, meant for everyone. It's like, I literally started it to help people. And originally I was like, oh, maybe it's more of like, women in engineering, because I didn't see anyone. And when I went into mechanical, I honestly Thought mechanical engineering was like a dirty car mechanic. Like, I did not know what it was. So I was like, maybe I'll do that. And then I started realizing, like, no one knows what cybersecurity is. And so I was like, you know what? I'm gonna just start breaking down what cybersecurity is because there's so many open positions and everyone's scared of doing it. No one even knows what it is. And honestly, I was getting tired of getting the question, like, oh, are you gonna hack into my phone? And it's like, no. There's like a bajillion other things that you could do in cyber. I don't know how to hack. Like, I don't do that. I started it to help as many people as possible and to help people understand what it was and get in. And I gave myself a year. I said, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna post three times a day for a year. I'm like, I'm an all or nothing person. If I don't say stuff like that, it's not. Nothing's gonna. It's not gonna amount to anything. I don't know. Are you the same?

Uh, I always. Sometimes I'll say stuff like that. I'll be like, oh, I'm gonna, you know, do this in one year, and I'm gonna have this weekly schedule. And then I get pulled in so many different directions that I kind of, like, it's hard to stick with, but I'm very, very consistent. I just don't always hit the. Like, sometimes I'm over ambitious. Like, if I said three times a day, I know I wouldn't be able to do that. Right.

Well, okay, so this was also during. Still during COVID Yeah. And I was working a job, and I was like, okay, I love my job, but I don't need to work, like, crazy hours like I used to. When I was doing other consulting companies, I was like, I. I'm gonna work. I. What? I need to work. So, like, nine or 10 hours at the most every day, usually eight. And I was like, then I literally have nothing because I'm not. Not in a relationship. There's not a lot of people dating right now because it's Covid. Like, I have nothing else to do.

Yeah.

Like, so it was a lot easier for me to. And it was. It was fun. It was like, it was a way for me to flex, like, my creativity. And by the way, I never thought I was creative. Did you ever think you're creative?

So I'm not creative in the sense of, like, I can't draw, I can't sing, I can't, you know, like.

Yes.

I'm not like that at all. However, I do love, like, storytelling. I think that's what I really like is, like, telling stories. So that's why when I wanted to be an actress, it was like, you're telling other people's stories. When I wanted to be an author, I literally wanted to, like, be a storyteller. And then with YouTube, when I started YouTube when I was 15, even though I wasn't telling stories. You are a storyteller as a content creator.

Everyone's a storyteller in life.

Yes. Yeah. And so I think that's always what I loved. So that's why, like, even my videos today, they're not the best quality. They're not like, the highest produced content. But what I really enjoy is, like, telling a story, providing value and then it reaching people. Right. And that's, I think, where my life has gone. Like, in every. Whenever I look back at my life and when I see where I'm going, I'm like, that is like, all I do. No matter what career I'm in, no matter what path I've taken, I've, like, been able to, like, reach people, tell stories and provide value. Right.

My goal and I think for me, creativity, I started, like, going down this journey of, like, what creativity was like. Oh, maybe when I started this TikTok, because I honestly was like, in my head, creativity. My mom and sister are, like, the most artistic. Beautifully, like, I still can't color in lines.

Yeah, no, I'm not. I'm not artistic.

I'm not artistic. Yeah. But I realized, like, creativity is literally like what God put you on this earth for. Like, your unique self of expressing, like, whatever it is that you need to express to the world. And, like, for me, it's also storytelling, which I love. But I think people really need to realize, like, everyone is so uniquely creative in their own way. And, like, that's what the world's missing. And I, like, love to tell people that they need to, like, find that expression and find that, like, thing that makes them happy and creative.

Hi, I'm here to pick up my son, Milo.

There's no Milo here.

Who picked up my son from school.

Streaming only on Pico. I'm gonna need the name of everyone.

That could have a connection.

You don't understand.

It was just the five of us. So this was all planned. What are you gonna do? I will do whatever it takes to get My son back.

I honestly didn't see this coming. These nice people killing each other.

All her fault.

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No. No. And I feel like a lot of people, like, like you said, they think it's oversaturated. It's like, already, there's already enough people. Like, everyone has their own perspectives and like, everyone was born and raised with these unique experiences that have shaped them to be who they are. Like, we're all like a little snowflake, like a little fingerprint that's completely unique. I don't like saying snowflake, but it allows you to express yourself in a completely different way than everyone else in the world. And yeah, I love that. I think it's the coolest thing ever.

Yeah. So when you got into social media, you started with like, the nutrition and mental health stuff. When did you switch? Was that when you were posting three times a day for a year or, like, what was that process?

Like, so I, like, gave up on the nutrition thing like a while back, and then when I.

You became certified to be a nutritionist?

Yeah, yeah, I'm a certified nutritionist. So every day, don't tell anyone, but no, when I started my TikTok was when I was like, okay, I'm going to niche down. And it was only on TikTok. I was like, I'm not posting on Instagram or whatever, but I'm going to niche down on TikTok to only cybersecurity. And that's how cybersecurity go was created. And I posted three times a day. And it wasn't until like, maybe four months in, like, I was literally not seeing anything I was posting and like, my videos were getting like three or four views. And this is also, like, I was also thinking, like, TikTok's already oversaturated. Like, it's been around for a while. Like, I only joined when they decided to move all their systems over to the US because as a data privacy person, I was like, I can't actually be okay with, like, jumping on this platform that's based in China. Like, I just can't. Um, and so when they said that they were moving all this stuff to the U.S. i was like, okay, now I feel safe enough to be on this platform. And so I think it was like middle of COVID when I started. And yeah, I just did it for three times a day, specifically cybersecurity content. And it just like kind of started blowing up.

Oh, and when did you start working at TikTok? Was it before or after that?

No, that my TikTok asked me about getting a job there after my TikTok. Wow, they found me from TikTok and.

Then asked you to work for them?

Yeah, they started. They asked me to, like, if I was around for like, some of their events. And I was like, no, I'm not around because I was in Miami. And then I like, you know, I was looking for a new job and applied and got a different job. I got a data protection, data privacy job within TikTok. And I reached out to the original lady that had asked me about speaking and she was like, actually, I didn't know you were looking for a job. We would much rather have you on our team.

Oh, wow.

It was like this whole weird thing where these two Teams were fighting to like try to like get me on their team and I decided to go more of the education and awareness route for TikTok. So I led their, it's a very long title but their global cybersecurity advocacy and culture. Basically that just means like I advocated for cybersecurity both internally and externally and it helped try to like train their staff and the, the users on how to be safe online.

Wow. And now that you worked there and after you started posting there, would you consider TikTok a safe platform? Are you allowed to share?

Yeah, no, I, I think, I mean it's, for me it's like pick your poison, right? Like I don't think, I think every social media, I think there's a lot of issues with social media in general in terms of like feeling comfortable with where my data is. I feel very comfortable that like there's like ex FBI agents that are working at TikTok. It's like the smartest people I know, just like any other company. Like smartest people at Meta, there's really, really like high end people that work at every company that their whole job is to protect people's data. Like I get everyone's concern, but most of the time when I'm, you know, was looking at, you know, when our CEO of TikTok went to speak to Congress, a lot of the issues were issues around social media, not necessarily the China situation. Like oh, you know, our kids are watching dance videos while in China they're watching whatever videos and it's like, okay, well that's all social media. That's not just a TikTok thing. Like your kids are watching what they want to watch because it's how the algorithm spaced. So I always find it like really funny. I think there needs to be new rules and regulations around social media. I don't know what do you, I mean, because to me I'm like if you want our kids to only watch certain types of content, then let's put that into a law and make all social media platforms only like allow 16 and under kids to watch educational content versus everything else. Like we have the say but we're just like trying to point the blame on big companies when it's really not their responsibility to like parent our kids.

I totally agree. I think that I'm always iffy about regulation in terms of like what content people are consuming because I always get scared if it falls into like the wrong hands right of okay, can then they force like propaganda on a child or something like that. And so that Always worries me. I think the problem, which I have no idea how to solve it because it's just a big societal problem, but it's just like parents don't want to parent their kids.

I know. And then they want to point the blame and also like, preface, I'm not a parent. So like I same. I don't have like. But what it seems like from the outside is like they're kind of pointing the blame. Like they're giving their kids these tablets and then they're saying it's the company's responsibilities to parent them. And it's like, no, give your kids like time limits. There's also, there's tons of parental controls and like a lot of mainstream apps.

Yeah, yeah. I think it's one of those things where I'm not saying social media doesn't have flaws because it 100% does. And it does need to be some like, regulation when it comes to it, but when it comes to like my kid is spending 8 hours on TikTok scrolling through stupid videos, I'm like, okay, well then take it away from them. Like I, like I give them a coloring book. I don't know, like give them something else that's not going to rot their brain cells like it's doing.

Exactly.

And so like that is where I'm like, the government doesn't need to come in and force your kid to watch something. You should be able as a parent to control their limits about how much time they're spending on an electronic, what they're consuming, what they're watching. Like, if you can't be watching your kid while he is like on his iPad, then only give it to him for a certain amount of time a day and then put parental controls and make sure it's like a playlist that you approve of. I don't know, like, right. I think it's, and I'm not saying it's easy to be a parent. I know it's probably very, very hard, but we didn't have these problems when we were growing up. Yeah. And you can always revert back to that. It's going to be hard. I think it gets trickier when they're in high school, in middle school because like they are on their own. As much as a parent wants to tell their kid what to do, they have control. And you're not going to tell your 17 year old kid that's like about to go to school next year, like, hey, you can't.

I still had like a curfew and everything up until I Left for school. Like, my parents are pretty strict.

I did too. But like on their phones, unless you are monitoring their phone, which then it's like a trust issue. Like they're not, you know, So I don't know what the answer is once they get older because I think there's a lot of like mental health issues around social media.

Oh, for sure. With like I older kids sometimes like just like the comparison game, just everything. Like it's a lot. It's a hard. It's hard.

Yeah. So like, I don't know what the answer is right when it comes to that. Like, I have no idea what to do when it comes to like mental health with kids. But what do you think about. Like there's social media platforms that have. I mean, I'm not that well versed in this. You're much more well versed than I am. But like the algorithm is like meant to be addicting and like the regulation around that.

Yeah, it's just like same with Instagram. Instagram or Meta, AKA the Facebook and Instagram have been trying to like basically copy Tick Tock's algorithm for a while because it's so addicting. And the more people you have on the app for the longer period of time you can sell that. The marketing you can sell. It's a. Literally operates as a business, which I understand people are annoyed with, but like, how else would they make money? Like, just like any other business, like, are you gonna get mad at McDonald's for selling unhealthy food? It's a business like, I don't know, like, don't take your kids to that business then if you don't want to support it. I don't have any. I mean, it is. An algorithm's meant to be addicting and it's not like, oh, let's get these addicted. It's an algorithm that's based on user preference. So if you like stuff is just trying to feed you what you want because they want to keep you on the platform for longer. Yeah, it's a business.

I definitely agree with that in the sense of like, no business is going to say, oh, we don't want our users on here for too long. Right. We only want you on here for one hour a day because then they wouldn't make money. And I think I've seen a lot of startups in the like venture space and in the tech space. That's like a healthy social media.

Right.

And it sounds so nice. In theory. In theory it sounds great. Like having a healthier social media where likes aren't a thing and no one can see follower counts and. But I don't even think it's like, social media platforms problems at that point. Like, yes, they're gonna want to keep you on the platform for a long time. They're gonna make it addictive. But us as human beings want validation.

Right.

As much as we say it's toxic and it ruins our mental health, we still seek it out. Like, we need. It is a dopamine hit.

Yeah.

That comment is another hit. If I am on a social media platform and there's no likes, there's no followers, all I see is photos. I'm so bored.

Right.

Like, I'm out of there. Like, that's why it's not a thing. Like, I think Pinterest is interesting because it's not necessarily, like, driven by, but.

It'S more driven by, like, shopping.

Yes, it's driven by shopping. And also, I think just, like, aesthetic. I still think Pinterest has, like, a negative mental health because, wow, that house is so much nicer than mine. That girl dresses so much cuter than me. Even if it's not, like, by likes, it's feeding, like, a perfect world.

Right.

That you don't live in.

Right.

So I do still think that it has, like, issues with that.

Like, watching a reality show. Like, you want to watch it, but you're, like, at the same time, like, you're detached. But it's so, like, intriguing.

Yes. Or like, some, like, the healthier social media platforms, it's like, there's no filter. You're not allowed to edit your photos. You have to, like, upload in the moment. And I'm like, there is a space for that. Because, like, I do think that there is, like, Bereal did really well with that. But then, like, how do they make money? Right. If you're posting once a day, that's why Bereal is gonna not succeed, I think, because.

Or be bought out, or be bought out or copied by a bigger company. Yes.

But, like, they're having issues right now with, like, low usage because people got bored.

Right.

After a while. Yeah. There's a reason why we've been on Instagram for 10 years. Yeah. You know, and so I don't know what the answer is. I think it's more of an individual. Like, we need to take responsibility for our own actions and ourselves and force ourselves to, like, stop. Even though we're already addicted. I don't know. This episode is brought to you by Rumchata, a delicious, creamy blend of horchata with rum. It's best enjoyed over ice or in your coffee. Delivering vacation vibes anyway or anywhere you drink it. Find out more@rumchata.com drink responsibly Caribbean rum with real dairy cream, natural and artificial flavors. Alcohol 13.75% by volume 27.5 proof. Copyright 2025 Agave Loco Brands, Pojoaquee, Wisconsin. All rights reserved.

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Platforms are even offering like, I get a time limit on TikTok where it's like you've been on here for 10 minutes. Like I have like a 10 minute timer and I kind of like it. And like they don't have to offer that. Like them offering that is like a nice like form of like a little peace treaty being like, hey, we'll let you know when you've been on for a while. But like you don't have to offer. I mean there's so many. I think they're really trying, not just TikTok, just like in general. Like, I think social media is really trying to help, but at the same time, at the end of the day, it's a business. They need to hit their bottom line.

Yeah, I do think that like, like on TikTok I'll be scrolling for a while and it's like, are you scrolling instead of sleeping? It says that you haven't been on TikTok that long. Then I'm like scrolling for like an hour and a half at night and It'll be like 11pm And I'm scrolling and there'll be like an. It's like an ad but from TikTok.

Oh my gosh.

And it's like, are you scrolling instead of sleeping? Why don't you put the phone down?

See, that's nice. They don't have to do that at all.

I know.

I don't get that because. Okay, to be honest, my TikTok feed is literally like educational stuff. I don't really get hooked. It's more of like upcoming trends, like business tips and tech tips.

Okay, so you're not like trapped in the funny.

No, I wish, I wish I saw like more cat videos and stuff. But then I would like.

Then you would get those messages. Yeah, no, it literally tells me that I've been on it for too long.

Yeah, I do think like that's why my TikTok has done so well is because it's more educational and it's like a nice like breath of fresh air that people get to see. I'm again I'm on like the educational TikTok route where I'm just trying to help people like stay safe online. I think my first like super, super two viral videos. One was like teaching people how to tell if their data has been breached. Like there's a free service for that. And then the next was like how to delete your data online. Which people don't realize that like your data is everywhere. And for me personally, like as I don't know, as an influencer starting to be. Well at that point I was like starting to become an influencer but I was really worried that people were gonna find me. Like I literally had a random letter sent to my parents house and I freaked out. So that's why I use this platform called Delete me. But before I started using that, I was literally teaching everyone, like, go to every data broker, here's how you can ask them to delete your information. And I would do that for like everyone in my family because even family members, it will say like affiliated family members, it will say your name. And I'm like, I don't want anything tied back to like our home address or like my parents home address. Like it's just like really freaky. All the data that they can find on you.

Yeah, no, I need to do that. I've. I've used Delete me though before. So I have used that service. So going back to like your content on, you know, finding your niche, you found the cybersecurity niche. I think a lot of people, including myself, it's so hard for me to niche down because I have so many different interests. How do you come up with like new ideas or do you recycle ideas? Because like for me I'm like, how would I talk about like one thing every day of the year?

Yeah, no, that's a good question. And honestly I've been like pondering like, do I recycle ideas? I haven't really recycled that many ideas.

Super impressive.

Besides like the delete me stuff. But that's not like it's a concept, but it's more of a series. Like there's. It's not the same video over and over again. It's like, here's how to delete it from this data broker. Here's how to delete it from this. So it's different. But I mean, I don't think people realize cybersecurity is a huge industry. It's like saying you major in a science or like an engineering degree. There's like a bajillion different types of engineering. And so it does allow me, even though it seems really niche, it's not because it does allow me to talk about every single type of cybersecurity domain. And within that domain there's so many entry level like understandings and then also like teach people about like general computer basics. Teach people about like. Yeah. And then I, I kind of hit on the same key cybersecurity points but I just say em in different ways and I'm sure you've know this but like when people see it one time they don't really remember. They have to see it like seven times and in different ways. So it's really like I don't recycle it but I do use similar concepts and I'll just put it to like different music or I'll like dance to one or like I just put em in different, like spin it different ways.

Yeah. That's super impressive that you haven't necessarily like recycled old content and you still have so much content to show. Have you ever thought about kind of branching out and doing like other types of content or are you fine with doing cybersecurity and like just that?

Yeah, I think for me I really want to do more like lifestyle, like lifestyle as a cybersecurity expert or like someone in the field. Because to me originally I was wanted to show people like what a life looks like as a cybersecurity expert. And that's like involves a lot more than just like teaching people how to be safe online. And so I started doing a few clips because I like do modeling and stuff on the side and I started doing a few clips of that. Then I got to this like really weird imposter syndrome type of thing where I felt uncomfortable. I'm like, well people are on this for more cybersecurity tips. Like maybe they don't want to see me. And then I was just like no one's platform.

Yeah.

So yeah, I mean I would like to ideally just like show my full life and like have people see that there's life outside of work too. Because I think that's a huge issue that people have. Like for me personally, my identity used to be my job.

Oh. I've been struggling with that for years in terms of like my identity being my career.

Yeah.

Like I don't know who I am apart from like being A content creator, because I've been doing it since I was 15. I've been on YouTube for 13 years now. It's going to be 13 in the summer.

Congrats.

Thank you.

Are we celebrating?

I know we should. We should celebrate. I have a teenager now. My career is a teenager. That's actually crazy.

I'm still two.

Yeah, you're a toddler, but. Or, like, me starting a business. Like, that's. My identity is like that. And I've been really trying the past few years to, like, separate who I am as a person.

Right.

Aside from, like, what I do as a person.

Yeah. I mean, I always get questions like, what do you do outside of cybersecurity?

And I'm just like, yeah, I don't know. I don't know.

I mean, the funny thing is, I have, like, a very full life that I enjoy, so it's, like, hard because I'm like, well, there's so many aspects of it. Like, it is content creation. It is like, editing. Like, you're. You do everything, especially as a business owner. Like, you're managing books. Like, you're doing every single thing. So technically, like, my life is all about cybersecurity, but it's. It's different aspects. So, yeah, I was trying. I would love to show more about me because, again, I want to, like, show the world that my life is not just cybersecurity.

But, yeah, I actually want to talk about some cybersecurity tips, though I don't know anything about cybersecurity. Yeah, I need to watch your videos. Like, I need to go through and, like, binge them. But what are some, like, basic tips for someone like myself who just knows nothing about cybersecurity? Like, things that every single person should be doing.

Okay, so there's a lot, but I'm going to go through a few. So the first is, like, passwords. And I know. I hate saying that. I, like, want to hit my head on the wall every time I say passwords because it's, like, so annoying to say, but it's really true. Like, don't reuse passwords across platforms. Like, use a password manager if you can, or a passphrase. Like, people don't realize you can use a passphrase. So, like, let's say, like, a passphrase is just basically, like, a long sentence. Like, you form a long sentence. Like, you know, I love Natalie and her podcast. And, like, you, like, capitalize random stuff, and that can be, like, it's so long that, like, it's long enough for hackers to not get it, but you'll remember it or like, you know, I have a. I don't know, I don't use any of these, but I use a password manager personally. And I think a lot of people don't realize, like, once there's an data breach, which. Data breaches happen all the time. And you don't realize also that you sign up for so many accounts that like. And you're reusing the same passwords that your password is probably out there. And all hackers have to do when they find your password on the dark web is there's like a scan that they can do. Well, they'll run like tens of thousands of different variations of your old password with that username. Yeah. And it happens in like minutes. So how does it like add like a 1 or an exclamation or like a 1, 2, 3? It's very obvious for hackers. Like, figure it out really.

And how are they even getting these passwords? Like, how are their data breaches? How are they getting this? Like. Yeah, I don't even understand that.

Well, what happens? I mean, it's hackers. So like, there's multiple ways of getting it, but they can, a company can either be like hacked into and there's like a different, like there's like 10 different ways of hacking. There's like, you know, you can have a virus, you can have like an ethical. Well, yeah, there's, there's a lot of ways you use ethical hackers to see, like the ways ethical hackers are the good guys, regular hackers are the bad guys. But yeah, there's like a bajillion ways that these, they can get this data whether someone in the company that has like high enough privileges, clicked on like a phishing link and they gave their credentials and then those, the hackers like use those credentials to get in to systems. There's just like a lot of weird, like there's like worms and trojan horses and different viruses and then they get leaked because hackers usually want credit, like normal guys that like, want to prove themselves. So a lot of times they like leak password. There's also like ransomware where hackers get in and they like hold data for ransom and say, like, I'm not going to give it back to you or I'll like leak this all over the Internet unless you give us like millions of dollars.

So if someone hacks into some account that I use and they see my password, how do they know all the other accounts that are like, connected to me, like how do they know? Could they go from, like, my. I don't know, let's say like, 23andMe had a big, like, data breach recently. Let's say they find my 23andMe and then they find my username and my password. Are they just going to random websites and plugging that in or, like, how.

Do they know there's, like, services that show, like, where that username's found everywhere.

Really? Yeah. Dude, that's so scary.

Yeah, it's really freaky, people. Like, it's like you don't realize that because, like, you're not in that space. Like, I never realized that until I got to the space. And then it makes you, like, super paranoid. But yeah, I just, I just wouldn't touch it.

Okay.

I would just like. Yeah, so have like, strong unique passwords or passphrases for every account. Especially, like the big accounts. And then any, like, account that you really care about, like, turn on two factor authentication.

Oh, I have that on everything. Yeah. Two factor.

Yeah, I would definitely also, like, there's been a lot of, like, SIM swapping issues, which is basically where someone pretends that they have your phone number and, like, it's like a cloned mask number. It goes to them and not you. It's a whole thing. So that makes multifactor a little bit more difficult. But that's pretty hard to do. I would just always turn on multi factor and maybe try to do an email, like a secure email versus a text message instead. But only if you have a secure, like, email account. Like if you're using the same password and like an easy password for your email. Like, don't do that because then it's easy to get into your email too. So, yeah, turn on multifactor authentication. That's awesome that you do that. If you're like, in public, use a vpn, which is like a virtual private network. It basically, like, encrypts the data going from your computer to, like, because you're in an open WI fi.

So if I'm like at Starbucks or something and I'm using their WI fi.

Do hackers just, like, you can just easily see all this stuff that's going on?

Like, they can see what I'm typing.

If you press Enter and it's moving somewhere, like they're not going to see what you're typing on your computer. Yeah, but if you're typing in or if you're sending a password, will they.

Can they see?

Yeah, because you're, you're typing in a password that's going. You're submitting that password to a website?

Yes. And then they. Going to the website. Yeah. So can people, like, remotely tap into like a Starbucks coffee shop? Okay. They don't have to like, physically be there.

Probably not. I don't know. I'm not like an expert hacker, but I just know that. Yeah, it's not good.

That's crazy. That's like, actually crazy that people do this. I mean, obviously I know people do this, but.

And like, it's all over the world. So, like, again, I do have a paper as well. That's good.

So I do use. I just use it in general. Like, I've think I have a Norton vpn. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Standard one. But yeah. So those are the three. The other thing is like, in terms of. Because this is what I get all the time of like, how can I delete my digital footprint? And it's like, okay, well, almost nearly impossible. But there's like. Because digital footprint is like literally anything you do online. Like, whether you're browsing, you're shopping, you're creating accounts, you're downloading stuff, like, doesn't matter. You're creating your own digital footprint. The way that I tell people to start, like, learning how to delete it is first go through your email inbox, see all the companies that are emailing you, and instead of pressing unsubscribe, because that's what everyone does, everyone's like, oh, I'm just going to unsubscribe. They have just deleted.

No, they still have your stuff.

They still have everything. So what you have to do is go to that company, ask them to delete your data, and then delete your account.

Oh, but that's so much work.

It's a lot of work. But, like, if you're really interested in it, like, that's what you have to do. And then that, like, it's the same as, like, also look at your, like, app, your home screen and see like all the apps that you have.

It's crazy because, like, with Rella, it were an app. The amount of information I can see.

On without even like really like needing. You're not like, actively collecting it, but like all these marketing companies that you have to use because it's like for email marketing, et cetera, like, it collects everything. It collects like IP address, which tells you exactly where people are.

No, we collect. I mean, we don't collect, but we use this service called Amplitude and it just like tracks what people are doing on the app. And we can like, we see the IP address. We see all the previous locations, we see your like carrier, we see what device you're on. We can see so like every event that you click on, on your iPad.

And you're like actively doing that, like you have, you're using that service to make sure that like your app is working, it's going smoothly, people are happy. But like at the end it's still collecting all that data.

Right, Right. Like I don't really. We're not doing anything with it. Right. But it's the fact that I can see that just from someone like downloading an app and like we're not doing anything with that. We're not like, it's very private and stuff. But like that's crazy. The only thing I will say that's like incredibly like we can't see anything. It's like we link out to third party apps. So like we connect to like TikTok and Instagram's APIs and all of that.

We after which is like what normal companies do.

Yes.

Like that's not like anything.

No, we're aligned with, with those accounts. We can't see like anything that goes on, on like once you connect your account. Like we don't know your obviously we don't have like your password, we don't have your email address that you signed in onto Instagram. Like, we don't have anything that like Instagram sees. Right. Because it goes through them.

Also. What I would avoid too is a lot of people. There's a lot of times that you can like log into apps through another third party. Like I can log in using my Google or my Gmail. I can log in using Facebook. Like, I try to never do that because like if someone gets access to one, then they can get access to like let's say for example, I start using my Facebook to sign into every app that allows me to sign in through Facebook and someone gets into my Facebook, like that means that they have access to everything. So like try to avoid doing that.

Okay.

Yeah.

So many like, I know just like.

Just try to separate everything because if everything's connected then it like is no good. And then like again it really comes down to like password management and like VPN and multifactor authentication. And then when it comes to personal data, like again, I swear by delete me because I don't have time to delete it from the data brokers, but it's like, yeah, going to those companies, asking them to delete your data. Going to the data brokers, asking them to delete your Data and it's like a whole, it's like literally could be a whole job. That's why I don't do it anymore.

Yeah, that's crazy. Are you, are you more paranoid now when you use the Internet?

I've always been paranoid. When I first started cybersecurity, there was a guy I used to work with called Adam and I love that man. He was so paranoid all the time. Like all the time. He was like, even when we like go to Marriott's and like sometimes you used to have to like sign in to get free breakfast. Like when you're a platinum member, you'd sign in. He would never give his real name. He wouldn't even give his real name to like doctors or I don't know how.

Really?

Yeah, I don't even know if his real name's Adam. Now that I think about it.

I'm like, you don't know him.

I don't even know who he is. But yeah, he made me so paranoid. Like he never gave any of his information out and I still to this day don't have his real phone number. And we like work together for like three years.

But what is he so scared of? I guess, like, I guess because there's a mentality of like, okay, he wants.

To keep his personal, like private.

But like who's looking at it that you can't? Like let's say someone does happen to stumble across it. Like, okay, like what does that do to me? I understand getting it in the wrong hands, right? And that does scare me. But like meta having my information or something. Like do I really care?

I don't think so. I don't know why it was to that extreme, but that's when it started making me freak out. But as an influencer now I'm like very paranoid. Like people will repost me. This is, this is how paranoid I'm like people will post me on their story and they get mad that I don't repost them and I'm like, look, if I repost you, then people will go through you and all your weird like untapped like non cyber stuff and probably like figure out a way to get to me or you and you and I together. Like for example, like if I posted one of my friends and their Instagram's not, not like cyber safe. And then like hacker could get into their account to get to me or get to them in general. Like I don't want to put a target on any of my friends backs that I know. That's like maybe not the safest.

Do you think you have a target because you talk about cyber security?

Yes, because I think like for me like the way that hackers minds work is like, oh, if you can take down cybersecurity girl a person, that's literally like main goal is to educate people on how to be safe. That's a huge target for people.

It's fun. Has anyone tried that?

You know of a few times I've gotten like login attempt. But like, obviously I have like multifactor.

And I get things all the time for Venmo and it scares me. Yeah. So much. I get an email at least like once a week. Login attempt. And I'm like, I didn't try logging in.

Right.

So I always make sure that I don't have like cash in there.

Yeah.

But it's still connected to my bank. Right. So I get like so paranoid about that.

Yeah. And my friends got hacked for Venmo and she was like sending messages to people on Venmo being like, oh my gosh, I like, my car just broke down.

My friend did that. Or not did that, but had it happened to her. So it was so crazy. So her account sent a Venmo to like a bunch of people that she was following. And it was her photo, her account name. And it was like, hey, I'm at the grocery store getting drinks and I completely forgot my wallet. Can you please Venmo me? I'll pay you back and ask for like $300.

Yes, that's what it is. It's like 200 to $300.

Yes. So she did it to her dad, to her best friend. My friend paid her the $300 and then Venmo kicked her out when she reported it. So now my friend who paid her can't use Venmo anymore.

That's so crazy.

And Venmo will not give the money back in her account. So she had like a couple hundred dollars in there that she just like lost and so. Which is like crazy.

Yeah, that's ridiculous. But Venmo needs to figure that out.

Yes. But her dad paid was like, oh, he like didn't know how to work Venm or he didn't know how to like fulfill a request on Venmo. So he just Venmoed her like the 300 instead of hitting accept. And it did go to my friend because this person just had an account that like looked like my friend had the same username as my friend, which I don't know how they do that. Right. And requested These people. So when someone Venmoed her, didn't technically go to the hacker. I don't know how it worked, but it was crazy. So if anyone ever, out of the blue, Venmo requests you do not accept it.

No, like, literally don't tend like this. The same with all phishing stuff. Like, most of the time when there's like phishing attempts, it's like urgent. It seems like kind of likely. And they try to like, catch you off guard. So anything that's like, urgent, like, I.

Need this right now.

Can you just do this? It's like, no. I would take, take a breath. I'd like, look at who. Like a lot of times, like, you get like spammy ones from banks or whatever. I would like call your actual bank. Not through the number of the, like, because a lot of times you're like, oh, I'll just call the number on the email. No, the email spam. It's obviously going to go to like a fake number. It's a not fake number. So like, yeah, I just take a step back, like, can completely disconnect from whatever platform you're on and go do your own research and like, try to contact the person that was at the person that says it is.

So the other day I got like a fraud alert on my account on my credit card.

And.

And I called my credit card company because I was actually logging into my credit card. It was the actual website. And so I've, you know, called them and then they were like, okay, like, let's look through this. And then they're like, okay, we're going to send you a text message to verify that it's you to give me the code. And I. They did that. But the text message is so misleading. It says like, we will not call you for this number. In my head, I'm like, do I give it to them on the phone? Like, is this them? But I saw I was on the actual web. It didn't come from like an email. It was like I logged into the website. They didn't call me for the number. I called them. So then I made her wait for like 10 minutes. I was like, googling. I was asking my co founder. I'm like, do I give this, like, security code to them? Because I don't want, like, if they hack into my credit card, then like, yeah, that sucks, you know?

Yeah, it's not fun.

So. So I was like being so paranoid. And then I was like, okay, I think they need to like reword this messaging, right? But I think it's safe because it is their legit phone number that I'm calling. And, like, I found it from their actual website. It wasn't an email or anything that I got.

Yeah.

Or a text.

Other scams that I've heard that my mom's gotten hit by with, like, a few times was people would, like. Some of my mom's friends would, like, text her. I mean, these people, like, my mom didn't actually know, but, you know, parents just add people that they think are fun.

Whatever.

It's fine. My mom's cool. Some random person that she had followed that she, like, was like, you know, for a while was like, oh, my gosh. Like, I. I'm locked out of my account. I just had them send my verification to your phone. Can you send me the verification? And, like, that makes sense to my mom like that.

Yeah.

And it's not. It's the verification to get into my mom's account. So my mom literally screened shots, the verification code and sends it to this person. And then she got kicked out of her account. And then luckily my mom called me, like, immediately and I got her account back. But, like, that happens a lot where, like, it's like a friend that's, like, has a hacked account already and it's like, oh, my gosh. I said, like, can you just let me know what, like, the verification is?

So, like, just so scary.

Any friends reaching out to you for weird stuff, just, like, call that person.

Yeah. Call them and talk to them. And it's probably not true.

Yeah, definitely.

Also, no one's going to send a. That's just.

Yeah, it's.

Yeah.

But, like, parents don't know that.

No, I know.

My mom was just like, I was.

Just trying to help out. Oh, that's so sad.

I know.

But this was such a great episode. I feel like I could talk to you so much about more, like, your background, your life, like, everything. And then tips like this. But where can they find you and where can they find, like, all of your stuff?

Yeah, so you can find me on ibersecuritygirl for Instagram with an underscore. So cybersecurity underscore girl. And then TikTok is at cybersecurity girl with nothing in between. It's just all one word. Trying to fix that, by the way.

Yeah. To have it be uniformed. Yeah. Okay. Well, thanks so much for coming on. Yeah.

Thanks for having me.

Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the Real Real. I hope that you enjoyed. And don't forget to rate review follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app. You can follow me personally on Instagram at Natalie Barboo and the podcast herealreal Podcast. I'll see you next Monday.