In the most contemporary installment of our Privateness Protectors Highlight sequence, we’re excited to characteristic ethical hacker and educator Bailey Marshall.
Bailey Marshall is a hacker, cybersecurity educator and handbook whose technical expertise spans penetration attempting out, red-crew engagements, dim internet investigations, open-offer intelligence (OSINT), and proactive security strategy. She is the Founder and Principal Advisor of The Security Rex, a platform the place she produces approachable, excessive-influence cybersecurity deliver and gives consulting companies to businesses. In 2024, she co-based Future Proof Security, an initiative dedicated to equipping fogeys, educators, and communities with instruments to guard early life from on-line threats.
Background
A U.S. Military passe with over six years of energetic-accountability service, Bailey’s introduction to the realm came all straight away—by an Military project in IT and cybersecurity. Though she within the starting place studied psychology and planned to pursue remedy, she learned herself drawn to the realm-solving and human-centered challenges of security. After incomes her Security+ certification and later a Master’s degree in cybersecurity, she completely embraced the realm, bringing a psychological lens to cyber threat intelligence and offensive security operations.
Since leaving the navy, Bailey has charted a intrepid course across both public and non-public sectors. She served as a Senior Advisor at Mandiant, the place she contributed to crimson teaming, OSINT, and incident response engagements. She at effect helps Google’s public sector clients as a Security Buyer Engineer and serves as Director of Innovation and Program Administration at Utilized Technology Academy, the place she previously led curriculum kind and red crew coaching as a Senior Trainer. She additionally shares her expertise as adjunct cybersecurity college at Southern New Hampshire University.
Bailey’s work is grounded within the belief that cybersecurity education wants to be accessible to all people. Her fingers-on expertise in both offensive security and threat intelligence informs her advocacy for stronger privacy and proactive security practices. Whether she’s mentoring up-and-coming specialists, serving to businesses improve their security posture, rising free tutorial deliver, or serving to families realize digital safety, Bailey is driven by a mission to encourage, educate, and equip others with the arrangement to guard themselves.
The Security Rex
Bailey Marshall’s dedication to rising cybersecurity accessible is exemplified by her tutorial platform, The Security Rex. With a highlight on definite, approachable deliver, The Security Rex breaks down topics adore social engineering, penetration attempting out, and open-offer intelligence (OSINT) into tutorials, cheat sheets, and bite-sized videos designed for novices of all backgrounds.
Principal of the guidelines offered by The Security Rex has historically been gatekept—locked within the succor of paywalls, certifications, or insider-only communities.
Bailey actively works to remove these boundaries. Through sharing toolkits for rookies or fingers-on challenges for specialists—adore her March 2025 exercise on writing higher pentest stories—her unbiased is to empower others with the abilities and knowing they resolve on to thrive in cybersecurity.
“Why make I make free and low-designate coaching when others are selling theirs based completely on empty promises and veritably for a fortune?” she asked in a recent put up. “Because all people deserves access to education. Period.”
That ethos runs by the total lot she shares below The Security Rex name—from technical walkthroughs to down-to-earth profession advice for these perfect getting started.
The Security Rex additionally gives consulting companies designed to support organizations take ownership of their internal cybersecurity programs. Bailey works straight away with businesses to fetch sustainable, self-managed security capabilities. Her unbiased is to switch files, implement streamlined processes, and enable groups to retain and ragged their security posture independently. Products and companies encompass proactive security assessments, tailored incident readiness plans, and custom cybersecurity consciousness coaching for workers—total with real looking phishing and social engineering simulations based completely on present attack patterns.
Through her consulting, Bailey helps organizations await threats, fetch strategic defenses, and foster a conference the place every employee becomes segment of the protection answer. Her arrangement is holistic, functional, and rooted in ethical standards—guaranteeing that every person attempting out, coaching, and solutions are performed with transparency and integrity.
The name Security Rex carries a non-public which arrangement. In a put up reflecting on the origins of the logo, Bailey introduced the loyal “Rex”—a cat she adopted eight years earlier, contemporary out of faculty.
Born with scientific stipulations and dinky front palms, Rex wanted special care. Though he passed away too rapidly, Bailey credit rating him with instructing her about lifestyles, rising up, and being human. “Whereas I went on to proceed my cybersecurity slither, he stays with me constantly,” she wrote. The loyal Rex of The Security Rex (left).
Future Proof Security
As segment of her mission to guard others and make cybersecurity accessible, Marshall is actively engaged in promoting privacy and safety for early life. She co-based Future Proof Security with fellow Military passe and cybersecurity skilled Jennifer Funk, a platform centered on conserving early life on-line and empowering fogeys and educators with the guidelines they resolve on to navigate digital threats.
Seeing firsthand the rising digital threats focused on early life and families, Bailey and Jennifer identified that many fogeys and educators lacked the resources and files to appreciate up their families stable.
By delivering accessible and sexy cybersecurity education, Future Proof Security targets to assemble a future the place every little one can discover the on-line safely, confidently, and responsibly. The organization promotes digital literacy and proactive security habits to support fetch a safer on-line ambiance for the next generation, teaching families in ways which could presumably per chance be functional, relatable, and empowering.
Through Future Proof Security, Marshall and Funk present actual files and steering on disorders a lot like cyberbullying, on-line stalking, little one identity theft, and sextortion, alongside functional steps adore parental controls and open verbal substitute suggestions.
Future Proofed: Empowering Young Minds for a Stable Digital World | BSides Greenville [2024]
As segment of this effort, Future Proof Security gives a free files entitled “10 Steps to On-line Security for Teenagers” and other articles to support fogeys realize and mitigate the dangers early life face in this day’s on-line world.
“Your early life aren’t stable on-line. Period. Future Proof Security isn’t here to recount you to appreciate up your early life off social media. Nor to recount you to allow them corpulent reign. We are merely here to empower fogeys to be decisive. We make this by cybersecurity education. Correct files. Relevant employ cases. Technical expertise in this digital age.” –(2) Submit | LinkedIn
Future Proof gives a fluctuate of companies tailored to foster digital literacy and proactive security habits to counter the rising on-line threats confronted by early life:
- Digital Security Coaching: Empowers fogeys with vital talents to safeguard their families from on-line threats, promoting a stable digital ambiance at home.
- Community Engagement: Offers a platform for adore-minded fogeys to construct, allotment cybersecurity suggestions, and give a boost to 1 another in rising stable digital areas for families.
- Digital Footprint Administration: Assists families in assessing, cleaning up, and conserving their on-line presence, guaranteeing privacy and cultivating a certain digital reputation.
- College Cybersecurity Awareness: Educates teachers, fogeys, and students on easiest practices for on-line safety, fostering a stable and accountable digital discovering out ambiance.
To boot to these companies, Future Proof actively engages with the community by events and webinars. For occasion, their webinar titled “Offer protection to Their The following day, Stable Them This day” gives actionable insights for building a safer on-line ambiance for early life.
Cybersecurity suggestions from Bailey Marshall
To boot to the work she does with The Security Rex and Future Proof Security, Bailey steadily shares functional cybersecurity advice on social media. Through quick-arrangement videos, pithy posts, and free tutorial instruments, she empowers other folks to have the dangers round them—and take uncomplicated, effective steps to guard themselves and their families. What follows is a chain of functional suggestions and insights she’s shared across topics adore files privacy, OSINT, phishing, and little one safety on-line.
web page positioning Poisoning and GootLoader
In a recent LinkedIn put up, Bailey highlighted a inventive lure used in a GootLoader malware campaign—weaponized cat deliver. GootLoader is a malware shipping framework identified for utilizing web page positioning poisoning, a tactic the place attackers manipulate search engine results to advertise malicious internet sites. When customers gape for something reputedly harmless, a lot like ‘are bengal cats beautiful in australia?’, they’ll be resulted in a compromised web page that prompts them to download a awful file.
By turning these manipulated search results into plausible traps, GootLoader can infect unsuspecting customers with malware or ransomware, and otherwise wreak havoc. Bailey uses quick-arrangement videos to ruin down technical threats adore this in a relatable, consideration-grabbing manner—serving to daily customers realize how even harmless-having a stare deliver can turn out to be a serious cybersecurity wretchedness, and additionally what other folks could presumably per chance make to guard themselves.
Working out password vulnerabilities
In another of her tutorial posts, Bailey shared a password-strength visualization tool that reveals how lengthy diversified forms of passwords would take to crack below a brute power attack. What seems adore a actual password—adore b4il3y!—in actual fact takes perfect 22 seconds to crack with the true instruments. Her advice is to by no arrangement enter your loyal passwords into these sites, but employ them to experiment and higher realize password vulnerabilities. As Bailey put it, “Solid security begins with a neatly-rounded knowing of all vulnerabilities.”
Fighting tool hacking
Even ought to you’re not actively utilizing your devices, their wi-fi facets can creep away you exposed. One amongst Bailey’s easiest and only suggestions is to flip them off when they’re not in employ:
“Whenever you occur to don’t need your non-public devices hacked, flip off your bluetooth, flip off your wi-fi, guarantee these settings are off when they’re not in employ. And yes, these devices also can additionally be hacked even if they’re not connected to something. Whenever you occur to’re not utilizing it, perfect flip it off.”
How easy it is to video display down most other folks
In another put up, Bailey outlines the steps she takes when tracking down a person of pastime in uncover to immediate other folks to have in mind their appreciate publicity:
“I adore discovering other folks. Flexing my hacking muscle groups in a psychological manner. I WAS a psych predominant on the least. Some steps I take when having a stare for a person of pastime:
1. Search social media (all stores)
2. Find all files I’m in a position to: photos, usernames
3. Reverse search photos or hunt for reused names
4. Tag relationships to household and mates and dig in further
5. Scour files leaks for files that can add up all of what change into learned
Authorized lustrous how easy it is to gain anyone on-line is the main step to securing your privacy.”
Bailey’s OSINT sources
In an extended put up on this theme, Bailey shared a list of her favorite instruments for ethical OSINT, interesting others to “stalk a decent friend this day” as a manner to gain how a lot files is publicly accessible. Her creep-to resources span courses adore cell phone number and electronic mail lookups, social media discovery, files brokers, and reverse describe searches. It’s a definite, functional gawk into how OSINT is carried out in loyal lifestyles, and the strategy daily files sources also can additionally be used to show surprisingly detailed profiles.
“Starting up-offer intelligence is the place you on the general gain out the total lot you furthermore mght can about a person, an organization, or an organization, by what you are going to gain on the on-line. After I actually have a person that I’m namely drawn to, I’ll in total open by perfect doing a transient Google search of their name and if I do know the space that they’re from, I’ll add that in as neatly. Oftentimes you are going to gain things adore Whitepages and even Spokeo. A range of instances they additionally have files about their household and identified associates. Then I will apply up with this person’s social media profile…A range of instances it’s locked down and non-public so I switch on to the household. After I even have files about household contributors, I’m in a position to in total gain exactly what I must know about other folks.”
“Stalk a decent friend this day! Here are about a of my favorite instruments to make some (ethical) OSINT.
- Phone Numbers Look up
- PhoneInfoga
- NumLookup
- Knowing Dialer
- Truecaller
- Spokeo
- Electronic mail Take care of Look up
- Contain I Been Pwnd?
- EmailHarvester
- EmailRep. io
- MailTester
- PhishTank
- Hunter. io
- Social Media Accounts
- Social Searcher
- Social-Analyzer
- Sherlock
- Maltego
- IDCrawl
- Image Searches
- FotoForensics
- Image Raider
- ExifTool
- Yandex
- TinEye”
Minimizing digital publicity
In a single of her most deliver reminders about non-public safety on-line, Bailey urges other folks to take files privacy seriously—no topic what platforms they employ. She breaks down functional, easy-to-apply suggestions for minimizing digital publicity, from limiting app permissions to heading off region sharing and conserving early life’s photos.
“It is far rarely relevant what platforms you’re on,
In spite of the place you put up your photos:
DATA PRIVACY STILL MATTERS EVERYWHERE!
The more you furthermore mght can make to guard yourself, the upper.
Here are some things I imply to other folks:
1. Don’t give apps access to your corpulent digicam roll
2. Exercise the App Store to download relied on applications
3. Exercise actual passwords and multi-factor authentication
4. Don’t put up your region or signal in to any establishments
5. Whenever you occur to quiet resolve on to put up your region, lengthen this to neatly after you’ve left
6. Don’t put up photos of the out of doors of your condominium or in your neighborhoods
7. Exercise non-public accounts the place possible, and make not allotment non-public files
And, as constantly- make not allotment photos of your early life on-line.
Decide-out to any organizations that will employ their photos for promotional gains.
I guarantee you, they’ll realize.”
“Actuality is, your lifestyles also can additionally be modified merely by posting too a lot non-public files. Say it the next time you adore to resolve on to inform or allotment something on-line.”
Keeping against Phishing
In her frequent mix of humor and straight talk, Bailey gives functional advice for spotting phishing attempts—urging other folks to sluggish down, read carefully, and have confidence their instincts sooner than clicking.
“Don’t you perfect be pleased it when other folks strive to scam you? No? Samesies. Nonetheless hey, we’re all human.
Whenever you occur to receive an unknown message, make the next:
– Terminate
– Breathe
– Re-read it
– Grammar unsuitable?
– Spelling messy?
– Threatening claims?
– Links from another planet?
– Phone number contains hieroglyphics?
Sluggish down and take a second sooner than acting. You must per chance presumably per chance also quiet doubtlessly make that in every segment of lifestyles.”
Bailey has additionally designed a free direction titled Outsmart Phishers: Working out Electronic mail Headers, created to support anyone—no topic technical background—space and discontinue phishing attempts. The direction walks novices by the diversified forms of phishing scams and the strategy victims in total tumble for them, then steadily introduces more technical instruments adore electronic mail header diagnosis and metadata review.
It covers the correct arrangement to acknowledge phishing across formats, from language cues and urgency triggers to generative AI–based completely assaults. Newcomers are shown how attackers craft convincing scams and what response steps also can additionally be taken. Correct to Bailey’s tutorial arrangement, the direction is flexible: it gives designate whether or not somebody wants perfect the fundamentals or a deeper dive into technical electronic mail diagnosis.
Outsmart Phishers shows Bailey’s belief that you don’t resolve on to be a tech skilled to discontinue stable—you perfect need the true files, delivered in a manner that is perfect.
The free direction is on hand here: Outsmart Phishers: Working out Electronic mail Headers
In a put up centered on early life’s on-line safety, Bailey breaks down the knowing that of a digital footprint in phrases every mother or father can realize. She outlines five uncomplicated but glimpse-opening truths about early life’ on-line exercise—reminding families that every put up, commentary, and describe contributes to a lasting on-line profile, whether or not we understand it or not.
“5 property you resolve on to know about your little one’s on-line exercise. Ever heard of the digital footprint? Here’s perfect a full describe of the general on-line exercise about anyone. Pictures, videos, audio, posts and comments.
1. We don’t know the total lot in regards to the on-line
2. You don’t know the influence of your posts
3. Innocent posts can have hidden dangers
4. You must per chance presumably per chance have a accountability to manipulate it
5. Authorized strive Googling yourself to open!
Steal into consideration how the total exercise you, your loved ones, and your little one engaged with on-line pieces together actual into a reflection of them.”
Communication because the secret to early life’s on-line safety
Bailey emphasizes that conserving early life on-line begins with how we talk to them. In a put up tied to Safer Data superhighway Day, she urges fogeys to transcend surface-degree talks and interact with empathy and curiosity.
“You wanna know the secret to your little one’s safety? Communication. And it is possible you’ll presumably per chance also mediate you already talk ample. Nonetheless are you talking actual? Here are some things that don’t arrangement naturally:
Building confidence and empathy with bullies
Asking questions on their on-line mates
Being engaged by their interests
Talking about intimate photos
These are actionable property you furthermore mght can talk to RIGHT NOW! Let’s be half of together and make the on-line a safer scrape.”
Bailey’s humor
One amongst the things that devices Bailey Marshall apart within the cybersecurity world is her humorousness. Whereas her technical expertise runs deep, she believes that discovering out—particularly in a arena as complex and excessive-stakes as cybersecurity—wants to be fun. As she put it in one put up:
“Making our world more stable is serious. Enabling others to fetch pleasure from the diagram off is not.”
Bailey brings Skibidi, persona, and memes into conversations about phishing, burnout, and OSINT as instruments for connection. Her videos are keen, self-mindful, and veritably hilarious, whether or not she’s playfully roasting corporate meetings, mimicking hacker stereotypes, or reminding other folks to take breaks sooner than they ruin down.
Here are about a examples that showcase her signature form of humor:
- “We’ve all bought ’em, all of us be pleased ’em: hacker faces.”
- “Tech is draining—don’t forget to take a ruin.”
- “It’s meetings. Hi there. I’m the realm, it’s me.”
- “Are any of my mates accessible surviving by the flood?”
- “The human in me wants to be incorporated, however the ADHD in me is by no arrangement getting this venture carried out.”
Conclusion
Bailey Marshall is reshaping what cybersecurity education seems adore—whether or not she’s guiding fogeys by digital parenting challenges, consulting organizations on proactive cybersecurity, mentoring the next generation, offering privacy and security suggestions, or bringing laughter and accessibility to the realm. Her work is serious, and her shipping strikes a excellent balance between poignant, lighthearted, and strategic.
Bailey is persevering with to develop The Security Rex and Future Proof Security, educate teenagers about cybersecurity, and give a boost to microscopic businesses and communities. On the coronary heart of her work is a mission to coach and offer protection to:
“Seeing somebody who didn’t realize how susceptible they were or how things worked, then seeing it click of their minds whether or not that’s by the education or the consulting facet, I in actual fact feel adore I’m straight away impacting somebody’s slither and somebody’s industry. That’s why I make what I make because I adore serving to other folks.” –womaninredpresents – Twitch
At Optery, we’re enormously impressed by Bailey Marshall’s work and are blissful to highlight her for her excellent contributions to privacy safety.
Join with Bailey Marshall and her work:
- Bailey Marshall on LinkedIn
- The Security Rex web page
- The Security Rex on LinkedIn
- The Security Rex on YouTube
- The Security Rex on TikTok
- Future Proof Security web page
- Future Proof Security on LinkedIn
- Future Proof Security on Facebook
- Future Proof Security on TikTok
Preserve tuned for more facets in our Privateness Protectors Highlight sequence and apply Optery’s weblog for further insights on safeguarding your non-public files.
