Cyber Confessions with Cybersecurity Girl

At 13 years old, Joseph Cheung found an "open door" in an information system he shouldn't have been in. Nine months later, "big scary people" from a three-letter agency came knocking. Today, he is a Chief Engineer for the U.S. Space Force, protecting the satellite technology that keeps our GPS, global clocks, and credit card processing running
In this episode of Cyber Confessions, Caitlin Sarian sits down with Joseph to discuss his childhood curiosity, the reality of defending assets in orbit, and why the future of AI legislation might be "soft touch" or "hard touch" depending on where you live.
In this episode:
The 13-Year-Old "Hacker": How a childhood curiosity for "walking through open doors" led to a run-in with a three-letter agency.
Why Space Matters to You: Why the Space Force mission is the reason your GPS, Apple Pay, and credit cards actually work.

The "Ethical AI" Myth: Why "ethical" AI is impossible to define when everyone’s morals are different.
The Career Accelerator: Why $5,000 certifications are a trap and how the Cyber Career Club focuses on the power of networking.
The 80% Solution: Why AI won't replace your job, but will turn you into a "Prompt Engineer
About the Guest: Joseph Cheung is a Chief Engineer for the U.S. Space Force. With a background that includes the Air Force Academy and influencing state-level privacy and AI legislation, he now works at the intersection of national security and the final frontier.Follow us for more Cyber Confessions!

In this episode of Cyber Confessions, host Caitlin Sarian (Cybersecurity Girl) sits down with Andrea Schaumann-Phillips, a DEF CON Black Badge social engineering expert.
Andrea reveals how she "sneaks into things " (legally ofc!) by using human psychology to bypass the most secure technical systems.
We also dive into why your "harmless" social media posts are actually a roadmap for hackers to build a profile on you and breach your workplace
Inside this Episode:
The Social Media Roadmap: How "Day in the Life" videos accidentally leak office layouts and security badge designs.
The #1 Vulnerability: Why psychology is the biggest security gap facing every individual and company today.
The 11-Hour Grind: What it’s really like inside the high-stakes DEF CON "vishing booth" hacking companies live on stage.
Corporate "Slang" as a Weapon: How hackers use internal jargon to sound like an insider in seconds.
The "Personal MFA" Hack: A simple family trick to verify callers and protect yourself from AI voice-cloning scams
About the Guest:Andrea is the Director of Partnerships & Programs at Fortress Information Security and a DEF CON Black Badge winner in Social Engineering. She is a leading expert in OSINT and the "human element" of cybersecurity, helping global organizations secure their most vulnerable surface: their people.Follow us for more Cyber Confessions!

Is your "cyber hygiene" putting you at risk without you even knowing it? In this episode of Cyber Confessions, host Caitlin Sarian (Cybersecurity Girl) sits down with Keelin Conant, Senior Solutions Advisor at Alvaka and host of the CyberSoul podcast, to expose the surprising ways our daily habits leave us vulnerable.
From the "false sense of security" we feel while working at 30,000 feet to the heartbreaking rise of digital blackmail, we move beyond the code to discuss why cybersecurity is fundamentally a human issue. Keelin exposes the "Patch and Pray" reality of modern tech, and Caitlin and Keelin explain why the industry needs more than just coders; it needs psychologists, lawyers, and creative thinkers to fight back against global threat actors
Inside this Episode:
The Silent Crisis of Sextortion: Why teenagers and young men are being targeted in "terrible webs" of blackmail and why no one is talking about it.
The Ransomware Debate: A deep dive into why paying the ransom is a "capitalism issue" that fuels the criminal economy.
The "Patch and Pray" Reality: Why companies fear software updates
Airplane Privacy Fails: Why we feel "insulated" on planes and the risk of displaying sensitive financials in public spaces.
Public Wi-Fi & "The Chase Bank Story": The appalling moment Caitlin witnessed a traveler logging into their bank account on an open Wi-Fi network at an airport.
Guest Bio: Keelin Conant is a Senior Solutions Advisor at Alvaka and the visionary behind CyberSoul. She is a catalyst for transformation, encouraging audiences to embrace vulnerability, honor their authentic selves, and build true human connection in an increasingly tech-driven world.
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Think your private life is safe? Think again. In this episode of Cyber Confessions, host Caitlin Sarian (Cybersecurity Girl) and Adaptive Security CEO Brian Long reveal how AI uses a single LinkedIn URL to uncover your family’s deepest secrets, even things you’ve never officially posted.
From AI voice cloning to $1 million crypto thefts, the rules of digital safety have changed. Brian shares chilling stories of how "data brokers" and Large Language Models (LLMs) are being used to map your life and drain your accounts in seconds.
Inside this Episode:
The LinkedIn Trap: How ChatGPT found an engineer’s daughter’s name and his dog using only a profile URL a 20-second-old job posting.

The Death of the Voicemail: Why you must change your greeting immediately to prevent AI Deepfakes.

The "Flight Scam": How attackers use your airport social media posts to target your family while you're offline at 30,000 feet.

Data Brokers Exposed: Why companies are allowed to sell your SSN, IP address, and location history.

The Million Crypto Theft: A play-by-play of how a smart executive lost everything in 15 seconds.

The Office Scam: Why a new hire on their first day and their manager bought $5,000 in gift cards for his CEO

Guest Bio: Brian Long is the CEO and Co-Founder of Adaptive Security, a leader in protecting businesses from GenAI phishing, smishing, and deepfake threats.

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In this episode of Cyber Confessions, host Caitlin Sarian (Cybersecurity Girl) sits down with Tito Sestito, CEO and Co-Founder of HiddenLayer. Tito shares a "no sleep" story from the early days of starting the company: a high-stakes crisis where threat actors reverse-engineered AI models and sold them on the dark web.
We also explore the bizarre side of cyber history—from 2005-era hackers who forced victims to pass environmental quizzes to unlock their data , to modern risks where AI is given the authority to act as a human being.
Inside this episode:
The AI Reverse-Engineering Crisis: Tito’s account of the four-month mission to put out an AI-driven fire.

Quizzes for Ransom: The "hilarious" historical era where multi-billion dollar companies couldn't access their data until they passed a cybersecurity test.

The $1 Car Hack: How a professional red teaming engagement tricked an AI chatbot into selling a car for $1.

The "Dirty Laundry" Rule: Why you should never tell an AI anything you wouldn’t want a federal agent or the public to know.

AI and the Future of Work: Why Tito believes 9% of the US workforce, specifically drivers, face immediate risk from AI displacement.

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