Are you suffering from security insecurity?
You're not the only one.
Starting April 3, 2023
It sucks when some cybercrook is all up in your business, stealing your stuff and making your life miserable.
Plus the aftermath is a hot mess and a huge headache. It will cost thousands and thousands of dollars in lost revenue and so many hours that you won't even want to think about it.
Unfortunately, playing ostrich doesn't work.
Sticking your head in the sand (ie, pretending the problem doesn't exist) does nothing but get sand in your orifices.
And sand in your ears just sounds disturbing. Don't do that.
Be an eagle, not an ostrich.
Eagles don't take shit from anyone. Especially when it comes to protecting what's theirs.
Cybersecurity will always be a problem, so it's up to you to make sure that you, your business, and your family are safe.
Every year, dozens of companies put our reports outlining their accumulated statistics about the state of online security. We're talking IBM, Cisco, Verizon, Immersive Labs, CISA, the FBI, AT&T...and the list goes on.
Statistics may vary a bit, depending on their focus, but every single one of those reports says the same thing within the first few paragraphs:
The number one problem--by far--continues to be the human element.
You know what the human element is? That's you and me. It's our bad habits, ignorance, laziness, and negligence. Literally 90-95% of all cybersecurity breaches can be traced back to what someone did or did not do.
This is why cybersecurity is a human problem, not a technology problem.
The industry is focused building technology solutions that can overcome human beings' bad habits. For example, requiring MFA (multi-factor authentication). Unfortunately, those only work if the solutions are used and implemented correctly.
And frankly, experience shows us that the inadvertent ingenuity of human ignorance can sometimes bypass the best security in place.
What we really need to do is empower human beings to take control of their own online security. Absolutely use to the tools available (we'll be talking about a bunch of them in this class), but it's your own knowledge and common sense that will protect you the best.
What we will cover in SOS (this class)
There is a reason that the state of your personal online security is called "cyber hygiene." In short, it's because you need to clean up your mess and keep it clean. (Haha, see what I did there?) The whole point of this class is to teach you what you need to know to keep your and yours safe, whether that's your family, business, or personal stuff. This is going to be a ROCKIN' 6 weeks in SOS: Simplified Online Security! (+ 2 bonus weeks!)
INTRODUCTION + YOUR ENVIRONMENT
We have a lot to cover in this course over the next few weeks, so this first week we'll talk about what to expect, and what you can do to get organized for the coming weeks. There's a lot that goes into protecting yourself from bad guys online, and the more organized you are, the easier it will be.
Plus we'll start getting into content, specifically your environment. Who has access to your environment? We'll review your weak spots, and what you can do to fix them.
PASSWORDS & PASSWORD MANAGEMENT (part 1)
This week, it's all things passwords and password management (part 1). Yes, I know that passwords are the bane of your existence. Post-it notes, paper lists, shared unsecured documents, reusing passwords...these are all things that no one recommends doing and yet--statistically--most of you are. Let's change that, shall we?
DIGITAL ASSETS + BACK-UPS
Whether you're a business owner or are taking this course to learn how to better protect your family, we all have digital assets. These include things online files like pictures, videos, documents, and more, as well as websites, social media accounts, and more.
Plus I'll talk about how to protect your social media accounts from hackers. (This is HUGE.)
PHYSICAL ASSETS + My Favorite Concept: AUTOMATION!
You and your devices. <3, amirite?? But did you know that most ransomware attacks take advantage of KNOWN vulnerabilities? Big tech puts out the updates, and not everyone installs them...and voila! A recipe for disaster!
And then there's all the Internet of Things (IoT), like Ring, the talking refrigerator, Nest, the light bulbs that are managed from my kid's phone...And every time you add a device to your wifi network, you're adding another potential vulnerability. Today's goal: To minimize your exposure.
EMAIL + VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS
Going by the number of unread emails in your inbox, you might be one of the most popular people on the planet. I'll explain why this is problematic and what you can do to be less popular.
Not everyone who wants to connect with you is a good connection for you. Plus we'll talk about how you're making social media more dangerous for everyone.
PASSWORDS + PASSWORD MANAGEMENT (part 2)
This is a circle-back, recap, and assessment on how your password and password management situation is going. Prizes will be awarded here.
Business Bonus Week: SYSTEMS ACCESS
Given that well more than half of all small businesses in the US have shitty passwords, and another 20% don't even do anything to stave off cyber crooks, you're in a great position to literally use what you're learning in this class as a competitive advantage. You'd be horrified if you realized how bad it really is.
So this week, we'll talk about who has access to what, why, and when. And how to decide the details.
Business Bonus Week: CONTRACTS + INCIDENT RESPONSE PLANS + PRIVACY & CYBERSEC POLICIES
The theme of this week is CYA (cover your [metaphorical] ass). Do your contracts have cybersecurity clauses? Do you have cybersec insurance? Do you know what to do if the shit hits the fan and your systems get shut down because of malware? Do your team members know what you expect of them to keep your business safe?
We'll go over all that this week. And the good news is that I'll be sharing samples and resources for all of these things.
My secret sauce is in the delivery.
If you aren't laughing, you're not learning. At least not as effectively as you could be. Plus I explain it in a way that we non-techies folks understand. I want you to realize that you can absolutely do this.
Check out these accolades.
"Natalie makes things non-techy and simple to understand, but what surprised me was how painless it was. [After I was hacked], I only wish I had taken [cybersecurity] seriously before."
Heather B
Business + Clarity Coach
"Natalie's energy is so very exceptional and makes cybersecurity genuinely fun. [She] really does know how to simplify it so we can protect our businesses and ourselves."
Jade F
Marketing Strategist
"Natalie explains cybersecurity in smaller bits of information that make it much more understandable and accessible. She is engaging, uses stories to get her point across, and is obviously passionate about it."
Jamie C
Life Coach
Learn why I asked my mother if she masturbated in front of her computer.
I promise this story is true AND relevant to what we'll be learning. And there are lots more stories where this came from.
About me and why I'm obsessed with cybersec
I am a business strategist with three decades of business experience as a successful serial entrepreneur, consultant to existing businesses, and advisor to startups. I also have an MBA and a Masters in International Communication (both cross-cultural and communication systems). A lot of people have made a lot of money taking my advice.
My obsession with privacy started in grad school, when I did a major research paper on the Safe Harbor Framework, which outlined how personal information would be stored and shared between the US and EU. A growing internet meant this issue would continue to grow.
And grow it has. A typical cyberbreach costs 6-8 figures, depending on the size of the company.
Fast forward to a few years ago when over two weeks, five different entrepreneurs I knew lost control of their websites. All I kept thinking is that if these otherwise smart people didn’t know to take a few simple steps to protect themselves, then what else were people not doing?
So I got to work. I read. I interviewed hackers, military-grade cybersec professionals, website developers, and certified privacy professionals. I soon realized that WE could do a whole lot more to protect ourselves. I started to translate all of this into language the rest of us can understand and formats we can easily implement.
My goal is to inspire and teach over 1 million people in 2023 to take charge of their online security. Audacious? Fuck yeah. But also on brand.
Let’s get started.
What's included in SOS? How will this work?
Everything about this class is designed so you can take immediate action.
- 8 weekly instruction sessions delivered via Zoom (replays available in your portal)
- Workbook and checklists
- Transcription of each class
- Detailed action plans for each lesson (to keep track of what you need to do)
- Resource guide with live links (so you don't have to figure it out on your own)
- Glossary of terms (so you can sound extra clever at social gatherings)
- Facebook group community (to commiserate with other folks who are also taking this class)
- Weekly open office hours (so you can ask questions as you work through your action items each week)
- Masterclasses and extra videos as needed
- Gamification! Prizes for winners!
SOS Details
You don't need to attend every class live in SOS, but you'll want to keep up with the weekly work. After all, you're taking this class so you don't get overwhelmed.
- Class starts the week of April 3, 2023 and runs for 8 consecutive weeks
- Interactive instruction Zoom call on Monday or Tuesday (TBD)
- Interactive office hours on Zoom call on Thursdays at 2pm EST
- Zoom links, downloads, and videos are in your portal
- Replay videos will be uploaded within 24 hours to the portal
Beta + Early Bird Pricing for SOS: Simplified Online Security
The earlier you register for SOS, the better deal you get! Because this is the first time running this class, I am offering early bird and beta pricing.
I want to make sure you have the best experience possible. By the end of this class, you'll be confident about what you need to keep yourself, your business, your family, and your people safe online (important caveat: assuming you do the work).
Countdown until 50% offer ends
Countdown until 25% offer ends
Enroll by Saturday, 3/18/2023
$497
Early bird is catching this worm! Enroll by Saturday 18 March 2023 and get more than 50% off the beta price.
Enroll by Saturday 3/25/2023
$747
Still getting a great deal! Enroll by Saturday 25 March 2023, and get more than 25% off the beta price.
Beta Pricing
$997
Beta pricing for SOS is still a great deal! Plus the time, money, and energy you'll save having your online security locked down is worth so much more.
9 Reasons Why You Should Take This Class
Everything on this list is 100% true. You know they are true because you're reading it on the Internet.
- You'll be a gazillion times safer than if you don't take SOS.
- You'll foil the bad guys' attempts to wreck havoc on your life and/or business.
- You'll appreciate the importance of 10 minutes, because in most cases, that's all you need.
- You will instantly become more popular and better looking.
- If you're a business owner, you can leverage your online security into a competitive advantage.
- You won't have to ask your mom if she's been masturbating in front of the computer. Or if you do, you won't be embarrassed doing it.
- The scary hacker in the shadows in the picture over there >>>
- You'll get more sleep since you won't have to worry so much about your online security.
- In 8 weeks or less, you'll be confident about your online security and might even be able to say "cybersecurity" without feeling overwhelmed.
Check out how your life and business will be transformed!
BEFORE you take
SOS: Simplified Online Security
(aka security insecurity)
AFTER you take
SOS: Simplified Online Security
(aka security confidence)
This is just your sanity. Your bank statements will also dance happy dances because you're saving them from financial disaster.
I have a few pet peeves when it comes to cybersecurity.
So I wrote up this list of things that inspired me to create SOS: Simplified Online Security.
- Hacked and stolen social media accounts, especially Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
- Catfishing, especially widowed former military men who currently work in the oil industry. He usually has one teen daughter, too, thinks I'm beautiful, and "can't" message me directly so he asks me to message him.
- Money stolen out of our accounts, including PayPal and banks.
- Crypto thieves taking over YouTube channels.
- Ransomware that freeze computers, and the thousands of USD in bitcoin required to unfreeze them.
- Malware that steals info of our computers.
- Bad actors pretending to be someone I know.
- Identity theft. That's someone pretending to be me!
- Easy passwords that get reused again and again.
- Viruses that make computers act wonky.
- Cold DMs. (Oops...wrong list!)
- Cost of recovery from a breach. So. Much. Money.
- Websites that crash because they weren't set up right. Or stolen because the owners trusted the wrong person.
- IT dude bros who act like gatekeepers to this knowledge, as if they are better than everyone else because they are in IT. *insert eyeroll here*
- That everyone else thinks that cybersecurity it too complicated to understand or implement. (I promise you that it isn't!)
Save thousands of dollars in repair and downtime by taking care of your online security BEFORE you get hit.
You'll be glad you did. And pleasantly surprised at how doable it all is, too. Because make no mistake, you WILL be the victim of a cyberattack.
Cybersecurity for Humans and cybersec4humans are trademarked (TM) by Cybersecurity for Humans LLC
