I am going to start with a blunt observation.
Most people do not get breached because they are careless or unintelligent. They get breached because the internet has quietly become hostile in ways most people never signed up for.
Phishing emails no longer look suspicious. Scam phone calls no longer sound fake. Fake documents, fake voices, and fake identities are now cheap to generate and nearly impossible to spot without context.
And increasingly, the systems behind those attacks do not sleep.
That is the reality modern cybersecurity lives in.
Pithy Security exists to explain that reality clearly, without fear mongering, marketing noise, or technical gatekeeping.
Why I Write About Security
Hi, I’m Mike D! (aka MrComputerScience).
I cover cybersecurity threats, scams, and defenses that freelancers, creators, and small businesses actually face. Not theoretical nation-state attacks. Not enterprise-only problems. The real things that empty bank accounts, hijack identities, and quietly destroy trust.
For years, I watched security advice drift in two equally useless directions.
On one side, you have oversimplified tips that reduce complex threats to “use strong passwords” and “don’t click links.”
On the other, you have dense technical writing that assumes an IT department, a security budget, and a tolerance for unreadable jargon.
Most people live in the middle.
They want to understand what is happening, why it works, and what actually helps.
That gap is where Pithy Security lives.
The AI Problem Nobody Can Ignore
Here is the part most security sites still avoid saying out loud.
The biggest threat facing everyday users today has an AI engine behind it.
Deepfake scams. AI-powered phishing. Voice cloning attacks. Automated social engineering. Malware written, adapted, and redeployed at machine speed.
Security awareness may get your attention. AI literacy is what keeps you ahead.
That is why my work here naturally overlaps with artificial intelligence. Not because it is trendy, but because modern attackers already use it as infrastructure.
If you do not understand how AI reshapes attacks, you are defending yesterday’s internet.
Who I Am
I am an IT nerd from the Greater Boston area who has spent years working in technology for some of the largest organizations on Earth.
Along the way, I earned multiple science degrees and developed a deep interest in systems, cybersecurity, programming, distributed infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.
I have also taught more than 30,000 students across more than 140 countries.
Teaching at that scale forces humility. If your explanation is confusing, people let you know quickly.
That experience permanently shaped how I write.
I focus on clarity without condescension. Depth without intimidation. Practical understanding over performative expertise.
Why Pithy Security Exists
Pithy Security is not a news ticker. It is a filter.
I track real-world attacks, emerging threats, and evolving tactics, then explain what matters and why in plain English.
- No scare tactics.
- No vendor hype.
- No pretending every breach is unprecedented.
Just grounded explanations of how attacks actually work, who they affect, and what reasonable defenses look like.
What I Cover on Pithy Security
My writing spans the full spectrum of modern cybersecurity, with a focus on how real people and small organizations are impacted.
Core Coverage Areas
↳ AI-Powered Threats ➞ How attackers use AI to scale phishing, deepfakes, voice cloning, and automated cybercrime.
↳Ransomware and Extortion ➞ Why ransomware persists, how extortion campaigns operate, and why recovery is so difficult.
↳ Identity and Account Security ➞ Passwords, MFA, passkeys, credential stuffing, and how account takeovers actually happen.
↳Privacy and Surveillance ➞ What your devices collect, who sees it, and how personal data is monitored and sold.
↳Phishing and Social Engineering ➞ The human attack surface behind most successful attacks.
↳ Small Business and Freelancer Security ➞ Practical security advice for people without an IT department or enterprise budget.
↳Hacking Explained ➞ How real attacks work, explained clearly for non-experts who want to understand the mechanics.
↳AI Tools for Defense ➞ How defenders use AI to detect threats, analyze malware, and respond faster.
↳Data Breaches and Incident Response ➞ What happens after compromise, including recovery, notification, and legal realities.
If you want to understand cybersecurity without being talked down to or overwhelmed, you are in the right place.
The Connection to Pithy Cyborg
Security is what brings most people here.
Understanding AI is what keeps them ahead.
That is why my primary newsletter focuses on artificial intelligence. Modern security, modern fraud, and modern defense all depend on understanding how AI systems work, fail, and get abused.
If you stay security-aware but AI-illiterate, attackers will always move faster than you.
Final Thoughts
Cybersecurity is no longer just about firewalls, passwords, or patching systems. The threats shaping today’s internet are increasingly driven by artificial intelligence, automation, and scale that most people were never trained to recognize.
Staying safe now requires more than awareness. It requires understanding how AI systems work, how they fail, and how they are already being used by attackers and defenders alike.
That is why I also publish Pithy Cyborg | AI News Made Simple. It exists to make artificial intelligence understandable without hype, jargon, or marketing noise. If Pithy Security helps you recognize the risks, Pithy Cyborg helps you understand the technology reshaping them.
If you want to stay ahead of modern threats instead of reacting to them, AI literacy is no longer optional. That is where the next layer of defense begins.
If that sounds useful, you will probably feel at home there too.
➞ Click Here To Read Pithy Cyborg | AI News Made Simple For FREE On Substack.