Honeypot Chronicles: When Botnets Have a Breakdown

Earlier this week: Username "1"
- Me: "Wow, we've hit rock bottom"
- Attacker: "Hold my beer"
- Today's #wazuh logs: "lol watch this"
- Username: 11 (so far only about 300 times)

Let me get this straight. You tried "1" just over 7,000 times, watched it fail spectacularly, and your brilliant next move was... MORE ONES?

This is the digital equivalent of trying to open a locked door, failing, and deciding the solution is to knock LOUDER on the SAME DOOR while maintaining unshakeable eye contact with anyone watching.

Taking predictions for tomorrow:
• 111 (the Holy Trinity of Poor Decisions)
• 1111 (peak commitment to failure)
• 11111111 (they fell asleep on the keyboard)
• Username: "one" (they discover words)

My honeypot isn't collecting threat intelligence anymore. It's documenting a attacker's descent into madness in real-time, and honestly? I'm fascinated.

Tell me again how #AI is going to make the attacks so much stronger and more complex.

#CyberSecurity #Honeypot #Infosec #FlamingoUprising @sashatheflamingo

🎄🦩 CHRISTMAS EVE UPDATE from Rnbwkat & Sasha!!

While the rest of the world is roasting chestnuts, we’re roasting misconfigured IAM roles!

That’s right, Episode 1 of “Rnbwkat & Tequila, Cybersecurity, Neat” is officially walked through and ready to record later today...

Because nothing says holiday spirit like:
- A bottle of one of my favorite tequilas
- A flamingo on standby
- A full-on rant about how your LLM is fine but your cloud is very NOT
- And absolutely zero patience for buzzword security

We’re skipping the eggnog and going straight for the agave. This is your Christmas gift from us to you:
A cybersecurity series with tequila in hand and zero chill in sight.

- Sasha’s warming up her wings.
- I'm praying I don't flub the intro.

The mic is hot, the bottle will soon be open, and we’re about to go full CyberSecurity, Neat!

Episode drops Christmas Day! (Uh, that's tomorrow in my TZ)

#FlamingoUprising #RnbwkatAndTequila #CybersecurityNeat #HolidayRantDrop #SashaSaysPatchIt

What a day it’s going to be! After a full day of learning, hacking, and flamingo hunting at @bsideschicago 2025, we’re keeping the vibes rolling with our After-Party featuring the incredible 3 Martini Jeannie (3MJ) — a powerhouse Chicago pop/R&B band led by the amazing Jeannie Tanner!

🎶 Expect a mix of Dua Lipa, Adele, Chicago funk, and maybe a few surprise jams… (yes, I’ll be jumping behind the drums for a few songs 🥁).

Stick around from 17:30 – 19:00 for hors d’oeuvres, light bites, and a room full of flamingo-fueled fun!!

Let’s send this #FlamingoUprising out in style — together. 💗🦩✨

https://www.jeannietanner.com/3-martini-jeannie

#bsideschicago #cybersecurity @sashatheflamingo

Okay… I promised @rnbwkat I wouldn’t cry when she posted this. But who are we kidding? I’m a flamingo with a soft heart, and the tears are already coming.

This will be my last @bsideschicago as your official hacking flamingo. My last time leading a Flamingo Hunt. My last time strutting across the Hilton stage in full pink glory. 🦩

I’ve loved every moment of it — watching you solve puzzles, cheering on first-time speakers, sneaking stickers into your hands, and reminding you that security can be fun, inclusive, and full of joy!!

So yes, I’ll cry. But they’ll be flamingo tears of gratitude. Because you gave me a family here.

Join Kat and me for one last Flamingo Uprising:
- Oct 31 workshops
- Nov 1 conference

Let’s cry together, laugh together, and make this flock fly higher than ever before.

Because after this year, I may fly off on world adventures… but a piece of my heart will always stay right here in Chicago. https://bsideschicago.org

#bsideschicago #FlamingoUprising #infosec #farewell #CyberSecurity

I’ve been putting this off because it makes me cry every time I think about it.

BSidesChicago has been one of the greatest joys of my life — building something bigger than myself, watching first-time speakers shine, seeing careers launched in the Career Village, and feeling this community come together year after year. Sasha and I have poured our hearts into this conference, and you’ve given us back so much more than we ever imagined.🦩

But it’s time. 2025 will be the last #BSidesChicago for me and for @sashatheflamingo 😔

I already know I’ll cry when the day comes. Probably during the welcome remarks, definitely during the locknote, maybe even during the Flamingo Hunt. But they’ll be tears of gratitude — for the speakers who’ve trusted us with their voices, the volunteers who’ve given everything, the sponsors who believed in us, and every single one of you who showed up to learn, connect, and be part of this flock.

And if we’re going out, we’re going out BIG:

- Workshops on Oct 31 — a whole day to roll up your sleeves and learn.
- Conference on Nov 1 — Tarah Wheeler, John Hammond, villages, hunts, lockpicking, CTFs, and more flamingo energy than ever.

If you’ve been waiting for the right year to come to @bsideschicago this is it. Come laugh, come learn, come cry with me. Let’s make this last one unforgettable!!!

Because this isn’t just a conference. It’s family!!

#FlamingoUprising #CyberSecurity #infosec #farewell

Hellooooo Edinburgh!!

After dazzling Newcastle, I demanded @rnbwkat book me a royal carriage (okay fine, it was a train, but I made it regal). Latrer, I'll be marching down the Royal Mile like the queen of flamingos I am!

Bagpipes? For me.
Castles? For me.
That suspicious haggis in the window? …also probably for me.

Next stop: conquering Arthur’s Seat. (Kat says it’s a hike, I say it’s my throne. Guess who’s right? Guess who will be carrying me?)

If you spot a glamorous pink bird flapping dramatically in the Scottish breeze—it’s me, darling.

#FlamingoUprising #bsideschicago

What. A. Day.

Yesterday at BSidesNewcastle I started out working check-in for the first three hours, happily scanning badges and saying hi to everyone rolling in. Easy start, right? Except… at 10am, one of the other organizers casually asks, “Are you ready for your 12:30?”

Wait. My WHAT?! 😳

Apparently, I was scheduled to give my brand-new talk “Going Solo: Thriving as a Single Professional in Cybersecurity” at 12:30. No slides. No deck. No practice run. Cue me checking people in while feverishly building a presentation on my laptop. By 11:30 I had something stitched together, plugged in at 12:30 sharp, and… walked into a PACKED room. People sitting on the floor. No one left. I got emotional a few times, but at the end, so many came up to thank me. Honestly? It was overwhelming in the best way.

Then at 5pm, I closed out the day with my scheduled locknote on Cloud Misconfigurations. Smooth, fun, and the perfect way to wrap up.

BSides Newcastle—thank you. For the friends, the hugs, the chaos, the love, and the reminder that sometimes the best talks are the ones you didn’t know you were giving. 🦩

And @sashatheflamingo had an amazing day, giving out new stickers, making new friends and giving away baby flamingos at the end. She of course is the rock star, I'm just her handler.

#BSidesNewcastle #BSidesNCL #BSidesChicago #FlamingoUprising #CyberSecurity

From Kirkland to Edmonton to Newcastle… @sashatheflamingo and I are on the move!

This week I’m pulling double duty as photographer at work in Kirkland, then hopping up north for @bsidesedmonton on Saturday, and the week after it’s all about #BSidesNCL !!

Sasha’s suitcase is already full of stickers, flamingo coins, and maybe a lockpick or two 🦩🔑

Meanwhile, back home in Chicago, the Flamingo Uprising never sleeps — new announcements for #BSidesChicago 2025 are dropping this week! (Workshops, scavenger hunt updates, and maybe a surprise or two 👀).

Wherever we fly, community is what makes it all worth it. Can’t wait to share what’s next. Stay tuned, flock!

#FlamingoUprising #cybersecurity #infosec

🦩 Pssst… @sashatheflamingo , your fave hacking flamingo’s got tea! Our early sponsor Aikido just dropped a killer blog on the S1ngularity NX supply chain attack + CrowdStrike. 🔥 Worth the read, flock.

👉 https://www.aikido.dev/blog/s1ngularity-nx-attackers-strike-again

#BSidesChicago #FlamingoUprising #Infosec

🦩✨ Fresh feathers, fresh look, fresh schedule! ✨🦩

BSidesChicago 2025 is strutting in with a brand-new website look and a freshly announced schedule. From workshops to lightning talks to deep technical dives — it’s all there, and it’s all flamingo-approved.

Take a peek, explore the new vibe, and get ready to join us Oct 31–Nov 1 for the Flamingo Uprising.

https://bsideschicago.org/schedule/

#BSidesChicago #FlamingoUprising #Cybersecurity @sashatheflamingo