That Naiad: an Introduction

Hello and welcome!

This blog is a personal experiment which I am hoping, will be a place for me to explore two worlds which might seem separate from each other, but as I have been discovering, they are more related than what you’d imagine.

A designer and artist at my core, I have been working in this are for over a decade now. But my curiosity on various topics has kept me with a constant thirst for learning and trying out new things. Some years ago, I discovered the world of OSINT and social engineering. The stories of these professionals sounded to impossible, almost like a spy movie, sprinkled with psychologic tricks, and computer knowledge. I was instantly hooked!

Without even knowing, a lot of people already engage in basic OSINT practices. In this day and age, where so many people post online without giving a second thought to their online safety, a lot of information is easily accessible. After freaking out some friends one too many times with my online sleuth findings, I started to consider that this might be an interesting path to follow.

But HOW was I going to accomplish this? Even with all of my experience as a digital designer, I'm no computer expert. I have learned how to use a good amount of design software and knew some basic computer troubleshooting. But programming, or even basic understanding of Networks or Computers? This was like sorcery to me. Something absolutely foreign and the complete opposite to art and creativity. Or was it?

With AI looming over designers and artists around the world, I made the choice of expanding my skillset. I’d face the dreaded programming courses, learn about the OSI layers, learn how to hack! Every little step in my progress felt like such a huge rush of accomplishment and validation. Who knew that gaining root access could be so addictive?

Slowly but surely, I have been immersing myself in this world. My findings? The world of design and the world of cybersecurity aren’t all that different. After all, doesn’t a strong blue team require a thorough design of security measures and rules? And doesn’t someone on the red team need constant creativity to come up with ways of infiltrating a system? Doesn’t a good OSINT researcher need pattern and image recognition in a way that allows them to obtain even more information?

This might be an odd path, but in my opinion, a path worth exploring. Join me in my learning process?

-Nadia.