Plain-English security. Every week.

Stay safe online without becoming a tech person

Cyber Safety for Normies is a free weekly email about scams, passwords, data breaches, and protecting your family and your money. Short, friendly, and written for people who don’t speak tech.

Written by Brennan Decker. Say hi on X at @brennan_decker.

Made for normal people

You don’t need to know what a firewall is. If any of these sound like you, you’re in the right place.

  • You get texts about packages you never ordered and you’re not sure which ones are real.
  • You use the same password in a few places. No judgment. We’ll fix it together, one step at a time.
  • You’re the family’s tech support, or you wish you had one.
  • You want to protect your parents or kids from scams without lecturing anyone.
  • You got a “your data was in a breach” email and had no idea what to do next.
  • You tune out when security advice gets technical or scary. Same.

What you get each week

One short issue, built so you can read it over coffee and actually do something with it.

Know

One thing worth knowing

A scam, a breach, or a tech change that affects regular people, explained without jargon.

Do

One small thing to do

A clear, step-by-step fix you can finish in one sitting. No weekend projects.

Spot

One scam to recognize

What it looks like, why it works, and how to tell the real thing from the fake.

Example topics

  • How to spot a fake delivery text
  • Password managers, minus the jargon
  • You got a breach notice. Now what?
  • Two-step login for the accounts that matter most
  • A family code word for “emergency” calls
  • Freezing your credit, step by step
  • Gift card scams and why they ask for gift cards
  • Making your phone harder to break into

Peek at a sample issue

This is a sample written to show the style. Real issues follow the same idea: what’s happening, how to spot it, and exactly what to do.

Free, with an optional paid tier later

The weekly newsletter is free. A paid tier is coming for people who want more.

Free

The weekly newsletter

$0

  • One plain-English issue every week
  • Scams to watch for, explained simply
  • Small, doable steps to protect your accounts, family, and money
Get the free newsletter
Coming soon

Paid

For people who want extra help

$5 / month

  • Everything in Free
  • Extras we’re still shaping. Free subscribers hear the details first.

Aiming for mid-December 2026. Nobody gets moved to paid automatically.

Hi, I’m Brennan

I care a lot about one simple idea: staying safe online shouldn’t require a computer science degree. Most of the people I know aren’t careless. They’re busy, and the advice out there wasn’t written for them.

A lot of security advice is written for experts, or written to scare you. I started Cyber Safety for Normies to do the opposite: explain what matters, skip what doesn’t, and give you one small step at a time.

Say hi on X at @brennan_decker.

Questions

Is it really free?

Yes. The weekly newsletter is free. A $5 a month paid tier is coming later for people who want extras, and the free issue stays free.

Do I need to be good with computers?

No. It’s written for people who don’t work in tech. If a term needs explaining, we explain it.

How often will I get emails?

One issue a week.

Will you sell my email address?

No. Your email is used to send you the newsletter and nothing else.

Can I forward it to my parents or kids?

Please do. Each issue is written so you can forward it to someone who needs it.

How do I unsubscribe?

Every email has an unsubscribe link at the bottom. One click and you’re off the list.

Is this professional security advice?

It’s general education for everyday people, not personalized security, legal, or financial advice. If something serious happens, contact your bank, the company involved, or local authorities.

When does the paid tier start?

We’re aiming for mid-December 2026. Free subscribers will hear about it first, and nobody is moved to paid automatically.

Feel a little safer every week

Free, plain English, and easy to forward to the people you look out for.

Get the free newsletter