Ciao. I’m Mefat, a cybersecurity professional based in the EU.

Ciao. I’m Mefat, a cybersecurity professional based in the EU.

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My Story

I’m Mefat Shabani, a cybersecurity manager based near Riga, Latvia, with 10+ years in application security, DevSecOps, and infrastructure security.

I started as a security engineer and learned fast that firewalls do not fix bad passwords. From there I moved into banking, where the stakes got higher and the reports got longer. I now lead cybersecurity strategy and the DevSecOps function for a major banking client at 28Stone Consulting, under FED MRA regulatory scrutiny. In practice, that means regulators read my reports closely, and I do not get to guess. Over the past few years I scaled application security coverage from around 300 to over 1,000 components across 50+ development teams, and my team closed more than 100,000 vulnerabilities. I also hold ISO 27001 and NIST compliance experience, plus a master’s degree in Cybersecurity Engineering.

None of that is why this site exists. It exists because I am the unofficial IT department for my entire circle of family and friends. Someone always needs a laptop recommendation, or wants to know if that “your account has been suspended” email is real. I got tired of repeating the same answers in different group chats, so I started writing them down properly, with evidence instead of guesswork.

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My desk, where I spend most of the day working, chatting, writing, or sometimes gaming.

Why Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity content online is full of noise. There is a lot of money in security software, and wherever there is money, marketing shows up dressed as advice. Most “best VPN” and “best antivirus” lists are ranked by commission, not research. Password manager reviews often come from people who have clearly never set one up.

My approach is simpler: use the tool, check the audits, read the complaints people actually leave, and write down what holds up. Keeper manages my passwords. Bitdefender protects my devices. NordVPN and Mullvad handle my VPN needs, depending on the day. My home network runs on a MikroTik hAP ax3 I have tinkered with more than is strictly healthy. If something gets recommended here, it is because I use it and trust it with my own data, not because it pays the best commission.

There are affiliate links on this site, only for tools I actually use, and they do not decide what I write. If a product is solid, I will say so. If it is overpriced or badly built, I will say that too.

Outside of work, I read, cook when I have the patience, travel when I can, and I am always looking for a decent cup of coffee.

The Human Behind the Keyboard

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Family trip to Cesis, Latvia, my uncles and brother came to visit.
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Checking out a private aircraft at a hangar in Estonia.
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Having beers at Medieval Tavern "U Krale Brabantskeho," one of the oldest pubs in Prague
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With friends at the Colosseum, Italy, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
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Amazing art. A stop at the Uffizi Gallery, Firenze.
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A visit to Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome.
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Catching up over drinks at Shega in Shkodër, Albania.
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Nikšićko pivo at Tropico, Budva, Montenegro.
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On the road to Theth, Albania, summer 2024.
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Early start on Lake Koman, Albania, around 7 AM, right before the boat trip.
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My first AI-generated image, made during summer vacation in Turkey.
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With my best friends in a bar in Trastevere, Rome, after a long night out.
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With my best friend after the Pilsner Urquell tour in Prague, Czechia.
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Looking out over the Tiber from Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome.
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Family trip to Cesis, Latvia, my uncles and brother came to visit.
firenze italyplaceholder
Amazing art. A stop at the Uffizi Gallery, Firenze.
colosseumplaceholder
With friends at the Colosseum, Italy, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
beers shega scaledplaceholder
Catching up over drinks at Shega in Shkodër, Albania.
serxho mefat beer pragueplaceholder
With my best friend after the Pilsner Urquell tour in Prague, Czechia.
efes turkeyplaceholder
My first AI-generated image, made during summer vacation in Turkey.
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On the road to Theth, Albania, summer 2024.
mediterrian pragczplaceholder
Having beers at Medieval Tavern "U Krale Brabantskeho," one of the oldest pubs in Prague
Saint Peters Basilica Romeplaceholder
A visit to Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome.
20250816 065956000 iOSplaceholder
Early start on Lake Koman, Albania, around 7 AM, right before the boat trip.
budva beerplaceholder
Nikšićko pivo at Tropico, Budva, Montenegro.
Castel SantAngelo Romeplaceholder
Looking out over the Tiber from Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome.
transtevere romeplaceholder
With my best friends in a bar in Trastevere, Rome, after a long night out.
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Checking out a private aircraft at a hangar in Estonia.

What I Tell Family and Friends

A few habits worth adopting before you read another word of this site:

  1. Use a password manager. It creates and remembers strong passwords for you, so you do not have to use “Password123” everywhere.
  2. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever you can. This means you need your password plus a code from your phone to log in, so a stolen password alone is not enough.
  3. Do not trust emails that say “your account has been suspended, click here now.” This is one of the most common tricks used to steal passwords.
  4. Check the website HaveIBeenPwned once in a while. You type in your email, and it tells you if that email was part of a data leak. It takes 10 seconds.
  5. Update your home Wi-Fi router sometimes. Most people set it up once and never touch it again, but updates fix security holes.
  6. Never use the same password on more than one website. If one site gets hacked, the same password should not open your other accounts too.
  7. Use a VPN when you connect to public Wi-Fi, like in a cafe or airport. It hides what you are doing online from other people on the same network.
  8. Keep a backup of your important files in two places. One on an external drive at home, and one somewhere online. If your laptop breaks or gets stolen, you do not lose everything.

Got a Tool You Want Reviewed?

Want a specific tool reviewed, or noticed a guide here is out of date? Reach me at [email protected]. Just skip the marketing pitches, I will spot them anyway. 

Cheers,
Mefat