Where digital hyenas circle the couch¶

Welcome to the jungle of modern tech—where every shiny new app, “smart” gadget, and “trust me, just click accept” permission is basically a free buffet sign for cybercriminals. Here’s why our living rooms are the new frontline:

The Porridge problem¶

Government apps, school portals, work tools—they’re all racing to go digital, but security? Often an afterthought, like a parachute installed mid-freefall.

Example: That “must-use” tax app? Probably built by the lowest bidder, with a side of “Oops, we leaked your ID scan to a default AWS bucket.”

Malware timeshares¶

Shared devices mean little Timmy’s “free Minecraft mod” is really a backdoor, and Grandma’s “special email link” just enrolled our router in a botnet. Stats don’t lie: 60% of kids’ apps leak data to ad trackers (and the other 40% just haven’t been caught yet).

Security as a luxury¶

“Just use a password manager!” they say. Cool, but what if your “device” is a 10-year-old Android with 3MB of free space?

Reality check: For many, “cyber hygiene” means choosing between “update the OS” or “have working WiFi”—because the tablet can’t handle both.

The hyenas at the door¶

Phishing is now personalized! (“Dear-Your Full Name Stolen from That One Breach-click here to ‘fix’ your Netflix account.”)

Ransomware is targeting home NAS devices because hackers know we’ll pay to get baby photos back.

And then there is the IoT Mayhem. My “smart” fridge may have just DDoSed a hospital. Congratulations.

Why this matters¶

We’re not just users anymore—we’re accidental security admins of our own homes. My goal for 2025 is to:

• Filter the porridge (adopt what’s actually secure).

• Build a (metaphorical) moat (even if it’s just a router firewall and not sharing passwords via sticky notes).

• Bridge the divide (advocate for better tech and teach Aunt Linda why “password123” won’t cut it).

Bottom line: The hyenas are hungry. Time to stop being the low-hanging fruit.