If you have ever been a victim of a data leak, you know how much of a nightmare it can be for someone.

Its even unimaginable when it happens against an organization.

We use the internet for everything—from checking emails to managing our finances and even sharing personal thoughts, you name it.

Behind this convenience lies a hidden threat: cyberattacks.

Whether it’s a data breach, identity theft, or hacking attempt, the risk of having our personal and professional lives exposed is higher than ever. 

Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and the tools they use to infiltrate systems and steal data are constantly evolving.

What’s even more concerning is that many of us don’t realize how vulnerable we are until it’s too late.

It might seem like a far-off issue that only affects large corporations or tech-savvy individuals, but the reality is that anyone can be a target.

And sometimes, the attack doesn’t even come from a stranger—it can be from something as simple as a weak password or a missed security setting.

This is a lesson I learned the hard way, and it’s something that’s still haunting me to this day.

Let me share my story, and hopefully, you’ll understand why it’s so crucial to defend yourself in an increasingly connected world.

I was working for a certain company almost 5 years back.

Back then I was completely oblivious to cyber threats. I was blissfully ignorant, like most.

I used to use the same password for nearly all my accounts because it was convenient to remember.

I thought if I created a complex password, I could use the same for all accounts.

And boy oh boy was I wrong.

I used to maintain a Microsoft OneNote where I used to write my thoughts, ideas etc.

It was essentially my life planner, where I take notes of my life admin work.

Whilst working at the company I used to log into an incognito window (so no cookies would be stored on my machine) and access my OneNote to take notes of things that come to my mind at work.

Back then I didn’t put multi-factor authentication (MFA) on my account. This was a big mistake.

Note: MFA adds an extra layer of protection by requiring more than just your password to log in

After I left the company and reached home, I just had a hunch to put MFA on the account. Just a gut feeling.

Two days later, my phone kept blowing up with SMSs from Microsoft to verify the account access and sharing the MFA code.

I was like, “What the actual F*ck?”

Had I not set up that MFA, all of my ideas and confidential personal information would have been out in the open for anyone to grab.

The password I used for my Microsoft account was the same across all my other accounts.

It didn’t occur to me to change the passwords on all accounts, instead I used the same password and setup MFA on all my accounts but I was too late, my debit card got charged with a $2,000 transaction from booking.com by someone, my email got on the darkweb.

I started seeing multiple faceless ghost accounts on social media. I knew something was up, just didn’t know what.

Long story short, I got my money back a couple of days later.

Considering that this happened after I left the company, I was suspicious of who it might have been. Lets just say, that company had a revolving door for employees, metaphorically speaking.

Every quarter, I was introducing myself or being introduced to a new hire.

It’s either a disgruntled coworker or perhaps a data breach on the customer’s end due to an insecure system that may have been the root cause. To this day, I don’t know.

Honestly, I don’t care. My lesson was clear. Learn to defend myself online. 

So I decided to roll up my sleeves and get to work learning about different security practices and tools to defend myself.

There are plenty of stories like this happening in many people’s lives but we don’t hear much about it.

Needless to say, in today’s interconnected world, safeguarding systems, networks, and data is more critical than ever.

Cyber threats are evolving rapidly, and without the right defense strategies, anyone can become a target, including YOU.

Whether you’re a professional, business owner, or simply passionate about cybersecurity, using defensive tools and mastering defensive techniques has become more crucial than ever, especially with generative AI and deep fakes.

As you can see Cyber Attacks are no longer just a concern for big corporations.

They pose a risk to individuals, small businesses, and organizations of all sizes whether directly or indirectly. 

Ransomware, data breaches, denial-of-service attacks, and other security threats are happening constantly and only a few are being shared online.

Recently I had a conversation with someone where I was being more of a privacy and cybersecurity evangelist.

This was an older gentleman who argued that even if he does lose money, he can call the bank and retrieve the money, so he doesn’t have to care about privacy or cybersecurity threats.

You can imagine how gobsmacked I was when I heard that argument.

Truth be told, many people think this way. They love pawning off the responsibility of their personal affairs to corporations, instead of being responsible.

This mindset or attitude is precisely what cybercriminals take advantage of. A weaker defensive cyber security setup just makes a cybercriminals job that much easier.

Most people take the path of least resistance and as a result do not take the extra precautions to protect themselves online, as they believe the learning curve is too much to do so. 

The truth of the matter is that, you don’t need to be an advanced hacker to know how to protect your systems.

Its simple, although its a lot more than just installing an antivirus software or just setting up MFA and calling it a day.

If you are keen to learn more and properly secure yourself online, our Defensive Cybersecurity courses are designed to teach you how to safeguard your digital assets whether you’re a beginner or looking to sharpen your skills.

You’ll learn the tools and strategies necessary to detect, prevent, and respond to security incidents effectively.

You don’t have to experience the anxiety that I felt when I had MFA codes being requested via SMS.

I would love to share more on defensive techniques you can take to be safe when browsing online, but unfortunately, this article will become too long to cover all of it, so I split them into different posts below,