SipCyber - Presented by IT Audit Labs

IT Audit Labs

SipCyber: Where Great Coffee Meets Essential Cybersecurity What happens when a former special education teacher turned Minnesota State Cybersecurity Coordinator sits down with a perfect cup of coffee? You get cybersecurity advice that's actually approachable. Jen Lotze from IT Audit Labs brings you SipCyber — the podcast that pairs cozy coffee shop discoveries with decaffeinated cybersecurity tips. No jargon. No fear-mongering. Just practical ways to protect yourself, your family, and your organization from digital criminals who want to ruin your perfectly good day. What You'll Get: Real-world cybersecurity advice anyone can followCoffee shop reviews and community spotlightsStories from someone who's been in classrooms, boardrooms, and government coordination centersA mission to make security everyone's job, not just the IT team'sFrom teaching special needs students to coordinating statewide cyber defense, Jen proves that cybersecurity expertise comes from the most unexpected places. And the best conversations happen over great coffee. Perfect for: Coffee lovers, small business owners, educators, parents, and anyone who wants to stay safe online without the technical overwhelm. Let's get brewing.

  1. 5D AGO

    The Illusion of Safe: Instagram, Kids & Vanishing Photos

    Temporary doesn't mean safe. In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze stops into Happy Monday and Company in Roseville, MN — a coffee shop born from a mobile cart, built on handmade pottery, good community, and the radical idea that Mondays can actually be worth looking forward to. Over a slow-steeping loose leaf black tea, Jen unpacks Instagram's expanding disappearing message features, including its new Instgram Instance app, and what parents, educators, and digital citizens need to understand before trusting "gone forever."  Because here's the thing: Instagram says screenshots are blocked. But anyone can grab a second phone. And once something is shared digitally, you've handed partial control to someone else — whether you know it or not.  For the younger generation, features like disappearing photos don't feel suspicious. They feel normal. That normalization is exactly why this conversation matters.  Key Topics Covered:   How Instagram's disappearing photo features (and the new Instance app) actually work  Why "screenshot-blocked" doesn't mean your content is safe  The low-tech workaround that defeats every privacy feature How to talk to kids about digital trust without creating fear The connection between fast digital sharing and misplaced trust online This isn't about panic. It's about slowing down long enough to think — the same way a good cup of tea asks you to.  ☕ Featured Spot: Happy Monday and Company, Roseville, MN  Think before you share — and subscribe for weekly cybersecurity insights delivered from the best local spots across the country. Pass this one along to any parent, teacher, or anyone with kids on Instagram.  #Instagram #DigitalSafety #DisappearingMessages #SipCyber #CyberSecurity #OnlineSafety #ParentingOnline #PrivacyTips #SocialMedia #InfoSec #DigitalParenting #CyberAwareness #HappyMonday

    4 min

  2. MAY 13

    AI Gets a Personality: What Could Go Wrong?

    The more consistent something feels, the more we trust it. That's human nature — and it's exactly what makes AI identity systems worth paying attention to.  In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze steps into Being There Coffee in Robbinsdale, MN — a coffee shop tucked inside a brewery, where nothing is hidden and everything is exactly what it appears to be. It's the perfect backdrop to unpack Claude Mythos: Anthropic's framework for giving AI a stable, consistent identity across conversations.  It sounds like a feature. And in many ways, it is. But consistency isn't the same as correctness — and when a tool starts to feel familiar, we stop questioning it. That's the moment worth noticing.  Key Topics Covered:   What Claude Mythos is and why AI identity continuity matters  How consistency in AI creates unconscious trust — for better and worse  The difference between something feeling accurate vs. being accurate  Simple guardrails for individuals and businesses using AI tools  Why staying curious about what's "underneath" matters more than ever This isn't about distrusting AI. It's about staying human while using it.  ☕ Featured Spot: Being There Coffee, Robbinsdale, MN  Don't let familiarity replace judgment. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity insights from coffee shops across the country — and share this with anyone who uses AI at work.  #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AITrust #ClaudeAI #CyberSecurity #AISafety

    4 min

  3. MAY 6

    AI Phishing Attacks: When Fake Emails Feel Too Real

    If something feels right, do you question it? In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze sits down at Walden Coffee in Minnesota with a plain latte—one with just enough latte art to make her stop and look twice. And that moment of recognition becomes the perfect lens for one of the most dangerous trends in cybersecurity right now: AI-generated phishing emails that sound exactly like the people you trust.  Attackers aren't guessing anymore. They're studying. Pulling patterns from LinkedIn, past emails, and social media to reconstruct how your boss writes, how your coworker asks for favors, and what a "normal" request looks like in your world. Then they send something that fits. Perfectly.  Key Topics Covered:  How AI learns your communication style to impersonate people you trust  Why today's phishing emails have no typos, no red flags—just context  The one-step verification habit that breaks the attacker's pattern  How businesses can implement a simple "second check" policy for urgent requests Why the things that feel most natural online deserve a second look This isn't about paranoia. It's about adding one intentional pause before acting—because that's all it takes to break the spell.  ☕ Featured Spot: Walden Coffee, Minnesota 🍵 Jen's Order: Plain latte  Don't click before you think twice. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity insights from the best local spots across the country—and share this with someone who's ever gotten an email that felt just a little too convenient.  #Phishing #AIPhishing #CyberSecurity #EmailSecurity #SocialEngineering #InfoSec #SipCyber #CyberAwareness #AIThreats #DigitalSafety #CyberCrime #HumanHacking #ScamAlert #SecurityTips

    4 min

  4. APR 29

    AI Is Reading Your Emails Before You Do

    AI doesn't just help defenders anymore—attackers are using it to study you before you ever know you're a target.  In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze sits down at Forgotten Star Brewing in Fridley, MN—a former WWII manufacturing facility built on a legacy of doing things right—with a rare seasonal Maibock in hand, and a sharp warning about how AI is quietly transforming phishing attacks into something far more dangerous: emails that look exactly like everything else in your inbox.  Key Topics Covered:  How attackers use AI to map relationships and mimic writing styles inside your organization Why 91% of successful cyberattacks still start with an email Advanced email filtering tools (Harmony, Abnormal) and what they actually do What you can do if you don't have enterprise-level protection at home The simple habit—verify outside the email—that can stop even sophisticated attacks This isn't about fear. It's about the one pause that changes everything.  🍺 Featured Spot: Forgotten Star Brewing, Fridley, MN (Formerly a WWII boiler room—and yes, the Maibock is worth the wait.)  Don't let a "normal-looking" email cost you everything. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity insights delivered from the best local spots across the country—and share this with anyone who uses email at work.  #AIPhishing #CyberSecurity #EmailSecurity #PhishingAttack #InfoSec #SipCyber #AIThreats #CyberAwareness #SocialEngineering #DigitalSafety #EmailHacking #CyberDefense #ForgottenStarBrewing

    5 min

  5. APR 15

    Your Photos Are Sharing More Than You Think

    Your photos are talking behind your back — and most people have no idea.  In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze stops into Profit Coffee in North Charleston, SC — a thoughtfully designed space where even the milk choices signal awareness — and unpacks a privacy habit you probably never knew you needed. Inspired by a fisherman friend who screenshots every photo before sending it, Jen breaks down what's quietly hiding inside the images you share every day.  Key Topics Covered:  What photo metadata is — and why it matters for your privacy How a single image can reveal your home, your routines, and your location history The simple screenshot trick that strips hidden data before you share How to disable location tagging in your camera settings in under a minute Why awareness — not paranoia — is the most powerful privacy tool you have You're not oversharing on purpose. You're oversharing by default. One small setting change fixes that.  ☕ Featured Spot: Profit Coffee, North Charleston, SC  Think privacy is complicated? It doesn't have to be. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity tips from the best local spots across the country — and share this with someone who still sends photos straight from their camera roll.  #PhotoPrivacy #Metadata #CyberSecurity #DigitalPrivacy #InfoSec #SipCyber #DataPrivacy #OnlineSafety #CyberAwareness #PrivacyTips #LocationData #EXIF #PhotoSecurity #CyberTips #DigitalSafety

    4 min

  6. APR 8

    The Privacy Trade-Off You Didn't Know You Agreed To

    You assume your messages are private. But what if that assumption is the vulnerability?  In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze settles in at Estuary in St. John's Island with a wheat ale and unpacks a quiet but significant shift in how two of the world's biggest social platforms handle your private conversations. Instagram is walking back end-to-end encrypted DMs—meaning the platform can once again read, scan, and analyze your messages. And TikTok? It never offered that protection to begin with.  This isn't about paranoia. It's about knowing what "private" actually means in 2025—and closing the gap between how things feel and how they actually work.  Key Topics Covered:  What end-to-end encryption is—and why Instagram just stepped away from it Why TikTok DMs were never as private as users assumed The real trade-off between platform safety and personal privacy How your "private" messages can be accessed, reviewed, and analyzed Why assumption is the most common cybersecurity vulnerability ☕ Featured Spot: Estuary, St. John's Island  Think your DMs are private? Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity awareness delivered from coffee shops and breweries—and share this with someone who needs a reality check on their social media habits.  #Privacy #SocialMediaPrivacy #Instagram #TikTok #Encryption #CyberSecurity #DataPrivacy #SipCyber #InfoSec #DigitalSafety #OnlineSafety #EndToEndEncryption #MetaPrivacy

    3 min

  7. APR 1

    Your Social Security Number Has a Lock—Are You Using It?

    You already know to watch out for IRS scams—but do you know how to lock down your Social Security number before someone uses it? In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze visits Claddagh Coffee on 7th St. in St. Paul, MN, sipping a bright caramel salty dog latte, to unpack a quiet but powerful identity protection tool most people have never heard of: E-Verify Self Lock.  The connection between tax season scams and this free SSN protection tool is closer than you think. Scammers don't need to break in—they just need you to move too fast. Jen walks through exactly how that gap gets exploited, and what a simple 10-minute setup can do to close it.  Key Topics Covered:   What E-Verify Self Lock is and how it works  Why your Social Security number is the #1 target in identity theft  How urgency and polished design are weaponized to earn digital trust  The difference between trust in the physical world vs. the digital world  Step-by-step: how to set up SSN protection directly and safely Trust builds slowly in real life—but online, it shows up instantly. A clean graphic, a confident voice, a sense of urgency. Scammers know this. Now you do too.  ☕ Featured Coffee Shop: Claddagh Coffee, 7th St., St. Paul, MN  🥤 Jen's Order: Caramel Salty Dog Latte  Ten minutes is all it takes. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity tips delivered from coffee shops across the country—and share this with someone who thinks identity theft won't happen to them.  #IdentityTheft #SocialSecurityNumber #EVerify #CyberSecurity #ScamAwareness #IdentityProtection #DataBreach #SipCyber #InfoSec #CyberSafety #TaxScams #DigitalSafety #OnlineSecurity

    3 min

  8. MAR 25

    The "Accidental" Venmo Payment That Drains Your Account

    The moment money shows up unexpectedly, most of us want to do the right thing—send it back, fix the mistake, move on. That's exactly what scammers are counting on. In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze visits Hamlin Bread inside Oxford's historic Covered Market to unpack one of the most deceptively simple scams circulating right now: the Venmo overpayment fraud.  From accidental transfers to online selling setups and fake "upgrade" emails, these scams share one common ingredient—urgency. And the antidote is surprisingly simple: a pause.  Key Topics Covered:  How the "accidental payment" scam works—and why it's so effective The overpayment trap targeting people selling items online Why Venmo's refund system can be weaponized against you The fake Venmo business account upgrade scam The one rule that protects you: never send money back yourself The same trust that makes peer-to-peer payment apps feel friendly is what makes them a prime target. A single pause between notification and action can be the difference between keeping your money and losing it.  ☕ Featured Spot: Hamblin Bread, Oxford Covered Market, Oxford, UK  Don't let a scammer turn your good instincts against you. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity insights from coffee shops and bakeries across the globe—and share this with anyone who uses Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App.  #VenmoScam #CyberSecurity #ScamAwareness #DigitalSafety #SipCyber #OnlineFraud #PaymentScams #Phishing #InfoSec #PeerToPeerPayments #FinancialFraud #CyberAware #SocialEngineering

    4 min
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About

SipCyber: Where Great Coffee Meets Essential Cybersecurity What happens when a former special education teacher turned Minnesota State Cybersecurity Coordinator sits down with a perfect cup of coffee? You get cybersecurity advice that's actually approachable. Jen Lotze from IT Audit Labs brings you SipCyber — the podcast that pairs cozy coffee shop discoveries with decaffeinated cybersecurity tips. No jargon. No fear-mongering. Just practical ways to protect yourself, your family, and your organization from digital criminals who want to ruin your perfectly good day. What You'll Get: Real-world cybersecurity advice anyone can followCoffee shop reviews and community spotlightsStories from someone who's been in classrooms, boardrooms, and government coordination centersA mission to make security everyone's job, not just the IT team'sFrom teaching special needs students to coordinating statewide cyber defense, Jen proves that cybersecurity expertise comes from the most unexpected places. And the best conversations happen over great coffee. Perfect for: Coffee lovers, small business owners, educators, parents, and anyone who wants to stay safe online without the technical overwhelm. Let's get brewing.

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