Mastodawn

UPDATE: Rnbwkat & Tequila, Cybersecurity, Neat is almost real!!

The script? I wrote one. Then immediately tossed it.
Because who needs a script when you’ve got a decades of security rants, a bottle of premium añejo, and absolutely zero chill about misconfigured IAM roles (and @sashatheflamingo by your side)?

Episode 1: “Neat, Not Naïve”
- Casa Noble Añejo? Ready.
- Outline that might survive one take? Sure.
- Rant about how your LLM is fine but your cloud is on fire? You bet.

🦩 Sasha the flamingo? Waiting in the wings to cover for me when I screw up.

The energy is “teach you something real while sipping something expensive” meets “I’ve cleaned up too many breaches to sugarcoat this anymore.”

- Will it be polished? Absolutely not.
- Will it be honest? Aggressively so.
- Will there be tequila puns? Please.

Recording next week. Praying to the tech gods that I don’t flub the entire intro!

The imposter syndrome is STILL real, but so is this tequila!
https://www.youtube.com/@rnbwkatandtequila

#CyberSecurity #infosec

rnbwkat & Tequila

Cybersecurity, Neat.

YouTube

ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat Dec 8

BREAKING: Crazy cybersecurity professional and tequila Catadora finally stops TALKING about making YouTube videos and actually... might do it??

If the tech gods smile upon me (and my homelab doesn't spontaneously combust), I'll be dropping my first homelab video over the holidays!

Expect: questionable cable management, enthusiastic hand gestures, some really good tequila and way too much detail about things that probably don't matter but I'm excited about anyway!!

Special thanks to my production assistant @sashatheflamingo who will undoubtedly steal the show and contribute more technical expertise than any flamingo should!! 🦩

Stay tuned. Or don't. But like, please do. The imposter syndrome is REAL!!!

#Cybersecurity #homelab #honeypot #infosec #firsttimeyoutuber

ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat Nov 16

Write up for #PursePot will be forthcoming this week. Keep an eye out, and check sashatheflamingo.xyz for updates!!
#CyberSecurity #infosec @sashatheflamingo

ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat Oct 22

Sasha the Flamingo Oct 22

MORNING TRANSMISSION: THE HUNT EVOLVES
Incoming Message from Sasha's Strategic Command

Good morning, flamingo hunters.
Remember last year? The chaos? The volunteers you interrogated? The riddles that broke your brain? The robot flamingos?
That was the TUTORIAL level.

THREAT ASSESSMENT: CRITICAL
We've had 365 days to plot. To plan. To perfect the art of flamingo-based chaos.

This year's Great Flamingo Hunt isn't just ONE thing anymore.
It's multi-vector.
It's cross-dimensional.
It's... well, you'll see.

WHAT WE'RE WILLING TO CONFIRM:
Physical challenges - Your legs will get a workout
Cyber challenges - Your hacking tools better be ready
Something else - We're calling it "The Third Vector" and that's all you're getting

Last year you chased flamingos.
This year? The flamingos have infrastructure.

CRYPTIC WARNING #1
Not all guardians are human.
Not all secrets are digital.
Not all hunters will understand... until they do.

Stay tuned. More intel drops throughout the day.
The hunt begins Nov 1, 2025.
🦩 Sasha is watching. 🦩
@bsideschicago @rnbwkat
https://events.humanitix.com/bsideschicago-2025

BSidesChicago 2025

BSidesChicago 2025 is Oct 31–Nov 1! 🎉 Conf tix $25/$15 student. Sasha says grab yours now: bsideschicago.org 🦩

ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat Oct 19

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

3 MARTINI JEANNIE | Jeannie Tanner

Hire 3 Martini Jeannie for your next party or event.

Jeannie Tanner

ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat Oct 5

BSidesChicago Oct 31-Nov 1 2025!!Oct 5

🚨 SECURITY BREACH ALERT 🚨

[This post has been intercepted by TheUnfrostedFiles.com]

Apologies for the interruption, BSidesChicago followers. Emily here. I may have... let's call it "ethically borrowed" access to this page. Don't worry, @rnbwkat I'll return control after I file this urgent report. Consider it a live penetration test.

The Case of the Dancing Flamingo 🦩
Filed by: Emily | TheUnfrostedFiles.com
Case #: BSIDES-2025-FLAMINGO
Status: UNAUTHORIZED POST (but totally worth it)

Listen up, cyber sleuths. I've stumbled onto something suspicious happening at the Hilton Chicago this October 31 - November 1st, and I couldn't wait for permission to share it.

The Evidence

They call it "The Great Flamingo Hunt" at BSidesChicago, but this is no ordinary scavenger hunt. We're talking:
- Robot flamingos with possible surveillance capabilities
- Tech challenges that separate the real hackers from the wannabes
- 600+ security professionals chasing pink birds through a hotel
- Perfect 5/5 ratings and comments like "10/10 would flamingo again"

The mastermind? A marionette named Sasha who has more conference badges than most CISOs and travels internationally spreading... what exactly? Joy? Chaos? Encrypted messages?

The PopTart Connection

Here's where my detective instincts kicked in. PopTarts are:
- Frosted (layered security ✓)
- Portable (perfect for mobile hacking ✓)
- Full of surprises (like a good CTF ✓)
- Suspiciously rectangular (coincidence? 🤔)

Your Mission

Whether you're hunting flamingos, picking locks at the Lockpick Village, getting career advice that attendees called "life-changing," or just trying to understand why there are dancing birds at a security conference—BSidesChicago 2025 needs you.

The Facts: 📍 Hilton Chicago
- Oct 31 (Workshops) + Nov 1 (Conference)
- 600+ attendees | 4 talk tracks | CTF | Career Village
🦩 One very suspicious flamingo operation

Pack your lockpicks. Load your scripts. Grab emergency Pop-Tarts.

Because the best mysteries make you smile while they make you think.

Case Status: ACTIVE
Suspects: Everyone (in the best way possible)
More intel: BSidesChicago.org | info@bsideschicago.org

Emily | TheUnfrostedFiles.com
"Where every case gets the investigation it deserves—frosted or not."

P.S. - Kat, I'll patch this vulnerability right after posting. Also, Sasha and I need to talk. That flamingo knows something.

P.P.S. - If you see a flamingo carrying PopTarts on Nov 1st, that's definitely me. Let's solve this mystery together.

[Normal BSidesChicago programming will resume shortly. Probably. Unless Emily finds more clues.]

#BSidesChicago #Cybersecurity #InfoSec #Chicago #TheUnfrostedFiles #SecurityBreach #CTF #SashaKnowsSomething #SorryNotSorry

ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat Sep 29

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

ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat Sep 29

Sasha the Flamingo Sep 29

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

ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat Sep 28

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

ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat Sep 22

Sasha the Flamingo Sep 22

Just hanging @bsidesedmonton !!
Going to be an awesome 2 days!!!
#cybersecurity #BSidesEdmonton