Hunter Storm | Insights from a Cybersecurity Veteran

Why I Built This Series | A Gift of Digital Protection for a New Kind of War

When people hear about hacks, cybersecurity incidents, or data breaches, the majority get nervous. Most people don’t have access to top-tier security experts. They don’t have someone who can break down the real threats lurking online. You know, the hybrid threats that seem like conspiracy theories but are actually everyday reality for those of us working in this field. Most don’t understand digital threats in cybersecurity. That’s why I built the series, Things Schools Should Actually Teach | The Ultimate Internet Survival Guide.

Most of my family and friends don’t really know what I do, aside from I “do something with computers.” However, for decades, I’ve worked as a technology executive, Security Operations Center (SOC) Black Ops team member, cybersecurity expert, systems architect, and risk strategist at the highest levels, from Fortune 100 companies, global financial institutions, and beyond. I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to understand the digital threats in cybersecurity, how hackers manipulate systems, and how the everyday internet user is left completely vulnerable.

The problem? Most people have no idea what’s happening. They:

Think Incognito Mode makes them invisible. (It doesn’t.)
Trust emails that “look official.” (Phishing is smarter than ever.)
Assume “free” means safe. (It never does.)
Take cybersecurity advice from their “computer geek friends.” (Looks like an expert, may not be.)

The gap between what people believe and what’s actually happening online is massive. And if no one steps in to bridge that gap, they remain exposed, unprotected, and unaware of the dangers they’re walking into.

But there’s another problem, one that even the world’s most seasoned defenders don’t see coming.

Fighting a War That No One Recognizes

Most folks have likely seen war movies or at least watched a comedy series about war, something like M.A.S.H. reruns. So, they have a basic understanding of what war looks and sounds like. They don’t understand it like soldiers do, but they at least grasp the concept.

The problem is that movies and TV have conditioned people to expect a visible apocalyptic scenario like they see in the movies. However, not all battles and wars are so easy to see.

What if you were a noncombatant, involved in an invisible war? Like Morpheus said about The Matrix, “What is real? How do you define real? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” – Lana Wachowski, The Matrix.

In this case, those electrical signals are definitely real. They are transmitted across the virtual wire, through the Internet.

“Civilian” Is a State of Mind

In law enforcement, military, and other careers, professionals refer to people outside their groups as “civilians.” The same is true in my world.

No disrespect intended, but to me and others in my field, most people are civilians. That includes many of those who work in the aforementioned fields. That’s because they aren’t cyberwarrriors, just as I am not a law enforcement officer or a soldier. So, the word “civilian” is situational in the invisible realms of the cyberwarfare world.

Shadow Wars

However, cyberwarfare is the invisible battle that rages around everyone every day. It is fought with tactics such as information warfare, psychological warfare / psychological operations (PsyOps), and more. The world looks completely normal to our loved ones, as well as to everyone we protect. Meanwhile, digital defenders like me fight in the shadows and design the protective countermeasures that give them the freedom to walk around like nothing is happening.

Defining the Darkness

Information protection, compartmentalization, and extreme levels of complexity and specialization mean that even most in my field have no idea what roles they actually play on this invisible battlefield. They may be performing access management tasks, like evaluating password resets or handling access control lists (ACLs) within network infrastructure. However, they are actually performing a critical task in cyberwarfare logistics.

That last point is important. Even many of those who work in technical fields, have advanced degrees, and hold professional certifications do not understand the full scope and scale of the invisible battlefield of cyberwarfare and cybersecurity. It is vast, growing, and morphing before most humans can blink.

Explaining the Invisible | Making Sense Out of Nonsense

For decades, I’ve tried to explain and help people understand the digital threats in cybersecurity. I’ve attempted to help them comprehend unconventional warfare tactics and make cybersecurity realities visible to friends and family. However, unless someone works in the field, the scope and scale of our work is nearly impossible to explain.

The Civilian Mindset | Out of Sight, Out of Mind

When most civilians think of cybersecurity, they think about related but small parts of the field. They tend to focus on things they’ve experienced, such as credit card fraud and identity theft. While these things are clearly unsettling and frustrating for individuals, they are the equivalent of the eyelashes on the elephant from the parable of Blind Men and an Elephant.

Everything is OK because it looks OK to them. They live in the tangible world, where everything is “what you see is what you get (WYSIWIG).” It doesn’t help that they lack the tools to see the invisible threats that are part of our daily work.

This problem is much like that of a microbiologist trying to explain microbes, nanobots, and viruses to someone who barely understands what a microscope is. No offense intended to those outside the field of microbiology, of course, because I’m a civilian in their world, just like everyone else.

Fluffy Logic

However, unseen and misunderstood threats are still dangerous. Lack of recognition does not mitigate or remove them. This is like the scenario of a child who sees a dog and automatically wants to pet it. However, children can’t differentiate between a dog and a wolf because they haven’t learned how to yet.

This is the same situation I talked about above, where I gave basic cybersecurity advice to my civilian friends. It was the equivalent of “There are dogs, and there are wolves, sweetie. Don’t pet the wolves.” Learning to understand digital threats in cybersecurity presents the same problem.

They’d nod their heads. Pretend to understand. Act like they believed me when I gave them advice on how to secure their digital lives.

15 Years of Blissful Ignorance and Regret

Because I took the time to give expert advice to my friends, I believed they would be safe. I thought they would understand the digital threats in cybersecurity.

However, a decade and a half afterwards, I would find out the bitter truth: some of my civilian friends thought our technical manuals and white papers were the equivalent of fairy tale books.

Years later, one of them finally admitted:

“At the time, I thought you were nuts when you told me to take certain steps to protect myself online, on my computer, mobile phone, and other devices. I just nodded along. It wasn’t until I saw the same information on a mainstream news outlet 15 years later that I actually believed it. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you back then.”

Fifteen. Years. Later. That is:

How far ahead I’ve been in seeing these patterns.
How long it took for the mainstream to catch up.
Why I built this series, so people don’t have to wait 15 years to take action.

Because by the time the news tells you about a threat, it’s already too late.

Hybrid Threats, Invisible Defenders

Soldiers, intelligence agencies, and national security experts were trained for traditional warfare. Guns. Bombs. Tanks. The battlefield is clear. The enemy is known. The weapons are visible and kinetic.

But cybersecurity? Hybrid threats? Unconventional warfare? That’s an entirely different game. It is:

Digital
Invisible (until there are visible real-world consequences, such as power grid outages or water contamination)
Psychological
Systemic

Battling Banshees and Fighting Fiends

The battlefield is everywhere and nowhere, all at once. Some of the official terms for it are:

However, I call it “quantum warfare” because the battles exist in all states at the same time. The front is right in front of you. It’s literally in the palm of your hand in the form of your phone, your smart refrigerator, and your high-tech car. It’s in the air, land, and water in the form of satellites, battleships, and secure facilities.

Invisible Guns, Swords, and Fighter Jets

The weapons don’t look like weapons, so they might as well be invisible as far as civilians are concerned. My loved ones can’t tell the difference between me sitting in front of a computer screen chatting with friends and me sitting in front of a computer screen defending critical infrastructure. They might be able to tell if I ever let them see what was on my screen, but that would never happen. Confidentiality and discretion are baked into everything I do.

Weird Weapons

Unlike traditional warriors, we don’t fight with bullets. We fight with systems, algorithms, intelligence, and strategy. Fortunately, we don’t defend against tanks. Instead, we defend against AI-driven manipulation, critical infrastructure outages, economic sabotage, nation state political interference, and cyber-physical attacks.

Shadow Warriors on an Invisible Battlefield

People like me have been fighting metaphorical ghosts like these for decades. Personally, I’ve been a combat veteran in this hidden war far longer than most realize. However, only my “brothers in arms,” other cybersecurity professionals, recognize me or what I do.

Just like the invisible weapons that don’t look like weapons, we are metaphorically invisible, too. That’s because most people only notice our external characteristics. We definitely don’t look the way they would expect us to look. Instead, most of us look like typical corporate workers, others look like stereotypical hackers, and some of us wear military uniforms.

In my case, I’ve been hidden because people only see “the blond,” “the rock singer,” or “the rebel,” not the digital defender. Even those in my own industry don’t recognize me unless they already have experience with my expertise from our interactions or know me by professional reputation.

Why Haven’t You Heard of Me?

Some of you are probably wondering: “If she’s such an expert, why haven’t I seen or heard of her? That’s because sometimes, those in roles like mine cannot publish or speak about their work for various reasons. That’s the position I was in until I created this professional portfolio website. There are countless other experts in the same position. However, if you’ve ever heard the terms “hacking humans” or “The Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering,” then you have heard of me. You just didn’t know my name until now. But that’s not what is important here. The important thing is that you learn to understand digital threats in cybersecurity.

The Price of Protection

Most cybersecurity roles are sensitive, but do not carry consequences beyond the risks associated with that level of professional role. However, cybersecurity operations are different and layered.

Depending upon the responsibilities and levels involved in our roles, we may be on missions or investigations that involve the highest levels of discretion. Things that require silence. Issues that mean our presence could be costly to loved ones.

Case in point, the cybersecurity professional who meets up with friends after many years. Friends say things such as, “Hey, stranger!” Real friends say things like, “We knew it must be safe now because we’re hearing from you.” They leave it at that, and never ask questions, not that they would get answers even if they asked. Sacrificing for what we believe in and to protect what matters is part of the calling of a cyberwarrior, just as it is for other kinds of soldiers.

When there are odd incidents, injuries, or casualties in our world, they are mistaken for accidents. That is, unless a particular engagement results in secondary losses due to critical infrastructure failure.

To the outside world? We look like we’re wearing tinfoil hats. Usually, though, it’s probably just a black hoodie.

Connection Terminated | Why There Is a Disconnect Between Perception and Reality in Cybersecurity

Why is there such a disconnect between perception and reality? Because to civilian observers, we are:

Operating in a space where the battlefield is invisible, and the enemy doesn’t need a uniform.
Warning about threats people don’t believe in, until it’s too late.
Flailing at things that “aren’t there.”
Talking about things that sound like science fiction but are actually science facts.

But make no mistake. This is real. And if you don’t understand how this war works, you’re already losing.

Your Playground Is My Battlefield

For my civilian family, friends, and colleagues, the battlefield is hidden behind social media posts, dating websites, and online games.

For me, their playground is my battlefield. I’ve spent 31 years in the cyberwarfare trenches defending some of the world’s largest global enterprises and critical infrastructure. Since 1994, I’ve been fighting to protect them from what they do not even know exists.

Work-Life Balance | Where Does a Digital Defender Play?

What do I do to relax like my civilian counterparts? It sure as heck isn’t playing on social media, hooking up on dating apps, online gaming, instant messaging, and texting. Every time I go into one of these environments, all I can see is how the metaphorical sausage is made. Definitely makes me lose my appetite, because the cybersecurity battlefield is not a place I go for relaxation.

Instead, my own playground is the asphalt playground of motorsports, the bright lights while singing on stage, the thunder of the tactical bay, the competition of the athletic arena, and the immersive world of creative writing. So, even though this article is part of a serious educational series, it was the equivalent of play for me. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed crafting it for you.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Although the shadowy realm of cybersecurity can seem dark, for the most part, things are good. As long as the civilians still think everything is normal, we are ok. Ironically, boring, beige normalcy is how you know we cyberwarriors are effective.

Decades of Disbelief | The Dangers of Cybersecurity Ignorance

As I mentioned above, family and friends often think I’m just “talking to my friends on the computer.” It’s definitely better they think that, though. The truth of the responsibilities people in roles like mine carry would give them many sleepless nights and a lot of nightmares.

Even other technology professionals have told me that my world gives them nightmares. Fun story: a key individual in a Fortune 100 technology company told me after a one of our deep-dive expert network consultations, “Hunter, I don’t think I’m going to sleep for weeks after what you told me. But I’m setting up another call for next month.”

Knowing that most feel this way, I keep my ghost stories to myself. That is, except for those who enjoy these technological tales from the crypt. The bright, sunny side of life is best for most people.

The Purpose of Hunter Storm’s Series, Things Schools Should Actually Teach

So, this series is my gift of love, written for my family and friends. It’s also for anyone else who needs real-world security knowledge without the jargon, fearmongering, or nonsense.

This series is practical. It is battle tested. And it’s everything you need to stay ahead of digital threats you don’t even know exist.

I built this because no one should have to navigate the online world blind. Because if you’re still fighting old wars, you’ll never see the new ones coming.

The Warrior and the Woman

Speaking of perception versus reality, the image for this page is the perfect example. I created this AI-generated art and meme using ChatGPT and DALL-E AI. This particular piece is titled, Hunter Storm | Expectations Versus Reality.

I asked ChatGPT to depict how AI believes people would perceive someone with my expertise, and then we created a meme comparing that stereotypical image with a real picture of me. I’ll leave the bias discussions out of this article because they have no place here. AI was not being biased, we were dispassionately exploring human biases. The duality of the images is a perfect visualization of many concepts in this article. I’ll leave it to you to ponder.

Hidden History | Cybersecurity from Pranks to Reality

Dive into our lively collection of articles designed to boost your digital savvy and cybersecurity know-how from the perspective of a cybersecurity expert. From demystifying the differences between websites and platforms to mastering online privacy, our series offers practical insights to help you navigate the internet like a pro. Unlock the secrets of the digital world with our engaging articles:

Explore More from Hunter Storm

Enjoy learning about how to understand digital threats in cybersecurity? Learning to understand digital threats in cybersecurity is only the beginning of your journey here. Explore Hunter Storm’s articles on technology, AI, cybersecurity, quantum, Internet history, communication, entertainment, psychology, and more:

About the Author | Hunter Storm | Technology Executive | Global Thought Leader | Keynote Speaker

CISO | Advisory Board Member | SOC Black Ops Team | Systems Architect | Strategic Policy Advisor | Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Quantum Innovator | Cyber-Physical-Psychological Hybrid Threat Expert | Ultimate Asymmetric Advantage

Background

Hunter Storm is a veteran Fortune 100 Chief Information Security Officer (CISO); Advisory Board Member; Security Operations Center (SOC) Black Ops Team Member; Systems Architect; Risk Assessor; Strategic Policy and Intelligence Advisor; Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Quantum Innovator, and Cyber-Physical-Psychological (Cyber-Phys-Psy) Hybrid Threat Expert; and Keynote Speaker with deep expertise in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies.

Drawing on decades of experience in global Fortune 100 enterprises, including Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab, and American Express; aerospace and high-tech manufacturing leaders such as Alcoa and Special Devices (SDI) / Daicel Safety Systems (DSS); and leading technology services firms such as CompuCom, she guides organizations through complex technical, strategic, and operational challenges.

Hunter Storm combines technical mastery with real-world operational resilience in high-stakes environments.

Global Expert and Subject Matter Expert (SME) | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and Strategic Intelligence

A recognized subject matter expert (SME) with top-tier expert networks including GLG (Top 1%), AlphaSights, and Third Bridge, Hunter Storm advises Board Members, CEOs, CTOs, CISOs, Founders, and Senior Executives across technology, finance, and consulting sectors. Her insights have shaped policy, strategy, and high-risk decision-making at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, quantum technology, and human-technical threat surfaces.

Projects | Research and Development (R&D) | Frameworks

Hunter Storm is the creator of The Storm Project: AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and the Future of Intelligence, the largest AI research initiative in history.

She is the originator of the Hacking Humans: Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering, a foundational framework in psychological operations (PsyOps) and biohacking, adopted by governments, enterprises, and global security communities.

Hunter Storm also pioneered the first global forensic mapping of digital repression architecture, suppression, and censorship through her project Discrimination by Design: First Global Forensic Mapping of Digital Repression Architecture, monitoring platform accountability and digital suppression worldwide.

Achievements and Awards

Hunter Storm is a Mensa member and recipient of the Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award, reflecting her enduring influence on AI, cybersecurity, quantum, technology, strategy, and global security.

Hunter Storm | The Ultimate Asymmetric Advantage

Hunter Storm is known for solving problems most won’t touch. She combines technical mastery, operational agility, and strategic foresight to protect critical assets and shape the future at the intersection of technology, strategy, and high-risk decision-making.

Hunter Storm reframes human-technical threat surfaces to expose vulnerabilities others miss, delivering the ultimate asymmetric advantage.

Discover Hunter Storm’s full About the Author biography and career highlights.

Securing the Future | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum computing, innovation, risk management, hybrid threats, security. Hunter Storm (“The Fourth Option”) is here. Let’s get to work.

Confidential Contact

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Insights from a Cybersecurity Veteran | Understanding Cyber Threats