What is OPSEC?

Ok, so for the folk who have no idea about what OPSEC is about, let me break it down for you in a... less technical and more digestible format:

Operations Security (OPSEC) is the art of protecting your secrets from nosy, prying eyes.

Imagine you are a spy with a secret mission, trying to avoid being detected by your enemy. OPSEC is your toolkit for keeping your mission on the down-low. It involves identifying what information is sensitive, who might be interested in that information, and how they might try to get it.

Think of it like playing a game of chess, but instead of trying to checkmate your opponent, you are trying to keep your opponent from even knowing that a game is being played. You don't want them to know what pieces you have, what moves you are making, or even that you are playing a game in the first place.

So, OPSEC is about being sneaky, clever, and proactive in protecting your secrets. It's like being a ninja, but instead of fighting with swords and shurikens, you're fighting with information and deception.

Now, some may wonder (yeah there do exist such specimens), why on earth would I try and practice OPSEC to such an extent? Well, JOHN, as it turns out, OPSEC is pretty damn important. You want to keep your secrets, well, secret! Just like how you wouldn't want to leave your front door unlocked for anyone to come in, you wouldn't want to leave sensitive information out in the open where any old hacker can get their grubby little hands on it. Think of it this way - if you don't practice good OPSEC, it's like walking around town with your wallet open and your cash hanging out. You might as well have a neon sign above your head that says "come and get it!" And let's be real, no one wants to be a victim of cybercrime or have their sensitive information stolen.

What might be this sensitive information, you ask? Well, it can be anything that can be exploited to either take advantage of you or anything connected to you. Your bank details like credit card information, your address, phone number, email address, and... YOUR REAL NAME. The list goes on and on. It's not that OPSEC is some part of what those big tech organizations and military hounds practice, it's just a way of life for the paranoid, the ones who value their privacy.

With all this clarified, this takes us to the primus gradus of OPSEC; The 10 Crack Commandments