Cybersecurity 101, Part I: Why It All Matters
The mission behind security, how it shapes your everyday life, and why data and money make you a target.
If you’ve been following CYBERWOX Unplugged for a while, you know this newsletter is where I pull back the curtain.
Not quick hot takes. Not polished LinkedIn posts.
This is where I reflect, document, and share the more profound lessons that shape my career and this community.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to give a two-hour live workshop on the fundamentals of cybersecurity, not just as a technical field, but as an industry, a career, and most importantly, a mission.
The room wasn’t full of seasoned pros.
It was a mix of students, curious professionals, and individuals seeking to understand how hacking and security affect their daily lives. That’s why I removed the jargon and started from the ground up.
What follows in this three-part series is the whole arc of that workshop, adapted into long-form essays.
I haven’t skimmed or over-summarized.
I want you to feel the flow of the session, hear the audience questions, and absorb the stories that made people nod, laugh, or suddenly sit forward.
And for those of you in the Cyberwox Squad or Cyberwox Syndicate tiers on YouTube, the full edited workshop video is available in your members-only feed.
Setting The Tone
No slides. No flashy animations.
Just me, a room full of people, and an honest conversation about cybersecurity.
That was intentional. I didn’t want to bore anyone with technical diagrams or a death-by-PowerPoint presentation.
Instead, I wanted to break down cybersecurity in plain English, connect it directly to people’s lives, and make the space feel interactive.
So before I even introduced myself, I asked three simple questions.
The Three Questions That Changed the Tone
“By a show of hands, how many of you have heard of cybersecurity or hacking?”
Almost every hand in the room went up.
“How many of you have ever been hacked…maybe your WhatsApp, your Facebook, or even your bank account?”
Some hands stayed up, some went down. People laughed nervously, realizing how close to home this was.
“Alright… now, how many of you have ever hacked someone else?”
This one got the loudest reaction. Smiles, chuckles, side-eyes.
I started with those questions because it sets the tone: cybersecurity is not some abstract thing that only hackers in hoodies deal with. It’s already part of your life.
If your phone, car, accounts, or retirement money are online, then cybersecurity affects you every single day.
Who I Am and Why This Matters
If you're new here, I'm Day, and I'm 23 years old.
I’ve been working in cybersecurity for about half a decade. Here’s a snapshot of that journey:
Started with an internship during my freshman year of college — one of the best ways to break into the field.
Worked across cloud security, threat detection, and incident response.
Most recently, I’ve been doing threat hunting, threat intelligence, and adversary emulation.
Today, I work on Amazon’s cybersecurity team, protecting global customers every single day.
That list might sound like I’ve jumped around a lot, but that’s actually the strength of this industry.
Once you build one skillset, you can pivot into others.
Threat Detection skills make you a better responder.
Incident Response experience makes you a sharper Threat Hunter.
It’s all connected by one thing: protecting people and systems from attackers.
Beyond a Career: Cybersecurity as a Mission
When discussing careers, it’s tempting to focus on money, titles, and prestige. And yes, cybersecurity pays well, but here’s my perspective:
Cybersecurity is not just a career. It’s a mission.
That mission looks like this:
Protecting your family and the people you care about.
Protecting companies that serve millions.
Protecting entire societies from adversaries who want to exploit weaknesses.
When you see your work as a mission, it becomes easier to stay motivated. It fuels the grind of learning, experimenting, and growing.
Without that mission, cybersecurity can seem like an endless treadmill of alerts and acronyms. But with it, every detection, every fix, every analysis feels like being part of something bigger.
Why Cybersecurity Matters in 2025
We have been through a global tech revolution for over twenty years. Now, every company, in some way, is a software or tech company.
Your bank doesn’t just hold money; it runs databases, servers, apps, and APIs.
Your grocery store doesn’t just sell food; it manages online orders, payment systems, and delivery platforms.
Even the library, where I gave the workshop, runs portals, databases, and Wi-Fi services.
Everywhere you look, the crown jewel is the same: data.
Data Is the New Gold
Here’s how I broke it down in the workshop:
Your name. Your phone number. Your address. Your income. Your browsing habits. Your medical records.
All of these are extremely valuable not only to companies that sell ads but also to adversaries.
Companies use your data to target you with ads or develop more effective AI models.
Attackers use your data to steal your identity, open accounts in your name, or blackmail you.
Even something as simple as a leaked email and password combination can cascade into massive financial damage if reused across multiple accounts.
Data is leverage.
The Financial Dimension
The second crown jewel is money.
Bank accounts, mortgages, retirement savings — all of these live online now.
If an attacker compromises those systems, they don’t just inconvenience you; they can equally wreck your financial life.
They can open fraudulent loans.
They can max out credit cards.
They can drain retirement accounts.
They can even get mortgages in your name.
At a bigger scale, if attackers compromise a financial institution itself, entire communities are at risk.
This is why cybersecurity is no longer optional.
If attackers control your data and your finances, they essentially control your life.
Why the Mission Is Urgent
In the workshop, I told the room, “This is why we need more people in this industry. The attackers are motivated. The money is real. The harm is personal.”
Ransomware alone is a billion-dollar criminal industry, rivaling drug cartels. And on the other side? Companies, governments, and individuals who often lack the defenses needed to keep up.
That gap is where cybersecurity professionals come in.
It’s why the mission matters.
Closing Thoughts for Part I
That’s where I ended the opening portion of the workshop. Before diving into frameworks or attack types, I wanted everyone to sit with this truth:
Cybersecurity isn’t just for engineers. It already touches your everyday life. And the stakes are higher than ever.
In Part II, we’ll dig into the foundations of cybersecurity: the CIA Triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability), threats, vulnerabilities, and how we translate all of that into the language businesses understand: risk.
🎥 Watch the Full Workshop (Cyberwox Members Only)
If you’d like to watch the complete edited two-hour workshop, it’s available exclusively to my Cyberwox Squad and Syndicate members on YouTube.
👉🏽 Join here and watch the full session.
Join a vibrant cybersecurity community of over 6,800 people who are constantly engaging in conversations and supporting one another, covering topics from cybersecurity and college to certifications, resume assistance, and various non-professional interests like fitness, finance, anime, and other exciting subjects.
✅ Next up: Cybersecurity 101, Part II: Foundations & Attacks
The CIA Triad, threats, vulnerabilities, and the real-world attacks that are shaking organizations and individuals today.