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BeginnerModule 7Lesson 5/6

Lab — Personal Security Self-Audit

Deep checklist — score your real defenses

25 min+17 XP3 quiz
Module progress5 of 6

Opening

Theory ends when you audit your own life

Topic 1 taught CIA thinking, authentication, MFA, encryption basics, privacy (footprint, VPN limits, browser hardening, public Wi-Fi caution, app permissions), hygiene (patching, 3-2-1 backups, physical locks), AI-scam verification, incident response, and everyday guides for passwords, phishing pause, recovery, and checkout safety. This lab turns that stack into an honest personal scorecard written only about YOU. Create $HOME/cyberlium-lab/topic01-self-audit.txt with chmod 600. No judgment theater. Every No or Partial becomes a one-week improvement mission — not shame, and not a license to inspect classmates, partners, or strangers.

1. How to run the lab — scope, scoring, file mode 600

Work on devices and accounts you own or administer for yourself. For each checklist line, mark Y (Yes — true today), P (Partial — started but incomplete), or N (No). Spend about 25–40 minutes in one sitting if you can. Do not inflate scores for vibes. Do not mark Yes on backups without a restore test. Do not mark Yes on MFA if email still lacks it.

Write results to $HOME/cyberlium-lab/topic01-self-audit.txt and chmod 600 so a shared laptop account does not casually read your gaps. On native Windows without chmod, create the file under your user profile (or WSL path) and restrict ACLs if you know how; in macOS/Linux/WSL, chmod 600 is required for the mission. Never commit the file to a public git repo. Never collect other people's audit files to "average the class."

2. Deep self-audit pillars — what each bar actually means

Screen lock: strong credential (not 1234/birthday), auto-lock ≤ 1–2 minutes, sensitive notification previews hidden. Unique passwords / manager: email and banking passwords are unique; a manager is ideal. MFA: on email and money apps; prefer authenticator/security key over SMS when offered. Updates: OS, browser, and critical apps auto-update or checked within a week. Backups: second copy AND off-site/cloud in 3-2-1 spirit, plus a successful test restore. Permissions: Location/Mic/Camera audited recently with excess revoked. Browser privacy: third-party cookies blocked or strict tracking protection on. Public Wi-Fi rule: no banking on open Wi-Fi without cellular/VPN; auto-join controlled. Phishing pause: preview links; no passwords from unexpected email/SMS. IR first-five: disconnect → clean-device resets → notify bank/IT → restore from clean backup. Physical/FDE: lock reflex + disk encryption status known. AI-scam ritual: hang up → delay → call-back on saved number / code word for urgent money.

Score yourself honestly across Topic 1 pillars (Y / P / N):

  • Screen lock

    Phone and laptop use strong lock; auto-lock short; OTP previews not public on the lock screen.

  • Unique passwords / manager

    Email and banking passwords unique. Ideally a password manager is in use.

  • MFA

    MFA on email and money apps. Prefer authenticator/security key over SMS when possible.

  • Updates / patching

    OS, browser, and critical apps auto-update or checked within the last week.

  • Backups (3-2-1 spirit)

    Second copy AND off-site/cloud. You restored a TEST file successfully.

  • App permissions

    Location/Mic/Camera audited recently; excess access revoked on YOUR phone.

  • Browser privacy

    Third-party cookies blocked or strict tracking protection enabled on daily browser.

  • Public Wi-Fi rule

    No banking on open Wi-Fi without mobile data/VPN; auto-join controlled; no evil-twin experiments.

  • Phishing pause habit

    Preview links; never enter passwords from unexpected email/SMS links.

  • Incident first-five plan

    Know: disconnect → clean device resets → notify bank/IT → restore from clean backup.

  • Physical / FDE

    Lock-on-stand habit; BitLocker/FileVault/device encryption status verified.

  • AI-scam verification ritual

    Code word / hang-up / call-back on saved numbers for urgent money or seed requests.

3. Wrong vs right: fake audit vs honest file

Worked failure — same checklist, two ethics:

  • Wrong

    You mark everything Yes because it "sounds secure," skip restore tests, leave MFA off on email, chmod 644 the notes on a shared PC, and "help" by scoring a roommate's phone without consent. The score comforts you; reality and ethics both fail. You also never create the cyberlium-lab file.

  • Right

    You mark N on backups and MFA if true, write Y/P/N lines into $HOME/cyberlium-lab/topic01-self-audit.txt, chmod 600, list top three gaps with one action each this week, and fix email MFA before chasing perfect browser tweaks. Yourself only. Honesty creates progress; mode 600 protects the artifact.

4. Practical: write the worksheet, lock the file

Create the directory if earlier labs did not. Fill every line. Empty files fail the mission. After editing scores, re-run chmod 600. Optionally add a 30-day revisit date. Defensive self-audit only — no scanning other people, no café Wi-Fi attacks, no doxxing, no stalkerware to "verify permissions."

Command guide

Topic 1 deep self-audit → topic01-self-audit.txt (chmod 600)

Command — copy this

mkdir -p "$HOME/cyberlium-lab"
NOTES="$HOME/cyberlium-lab/topic01-self-audit.txt"

Mark Y / P / N (Yes / Partial / No) — YOUR devices & accounts only

Command — copy this

{
  echo "date: $(date -Iseconds 2>/dev/null || date /t)"
  echo "lesson: topic_01_m07_l05_personal_security_self_audit"
  echo ""
  echo "screen_lock_strong_short_autolock: N"
  echo "unique_email_password_or_manager: N"
  echo "mfa_email: N"
  echo "mfa_banking_payments: N"
  echo "os_updated_or_autoupdate: N"
  echo "browser_updated: N"
  echo "backup_second_copy_exists: N"
  echo "backup_offsite_or_cloud_exists: N"
  echo "backup_test_restore_ok: N"
  echo "location_permissions_audited: N"
  echo "mic_camera_permissions_audited: N"
  echo "browser_third_party_cookies_or_strict_tracking: N"
  echo "public_wifi_banking_rule_written: N"
  echo "wifi_autojoin_controlled: N"
  echo "phishing_no_password_via_unexpected_links: N"
  echo "ir_card_disconnect_clean_reset_notify: N"
  echo "disk_encryption_status_checked: N"
  echo "ai_scam_callback_or_codeword_ritual: N"
  echo ""
  echo "top_gap_1: "
  echo "top_gap_1_action_this_week: "
  echo "top_gap_2: "
  echo "top_gap_2_action_this_week: "
  echo "top_gap_3: "
  echo "top_gap_3_action_this_week: "
  echo "revisit_date_30_days: "
  echo "scope: myself only — no other people's phones, profiles, or networks"
} > "$NOTES"

Edit the Y/P/N values in your editor, then:

Command — copy this

chmod 600 "$NOTES"
ls -l "$NOTES"

Expect: -rw------- ... topic01-self-audit.txt

Windows without chmod: Use WSL/Git Bash, OR create %USERPROFILE%\cyberlium-lab opic01-self-audit.txt and restrict Permissions / remove inheritance if you know how.

VERIFY backup line honestly Pick one real file → restore to temp folder → open it → then mark backup_test_restore_ok

NEVER - Score someone else's devices - chmod 644 / commit this file to public git - Attack café Wi-Fi or build evil twins "to test" - Dox, scrape, or install stalkerware

Command guide

Terminal practice (Linux / Kali / macOS — YOUR machine only)

Quick identity + Windows PowerShell twin of the self-audit path

Command — copy this

whoami
id 2>/dev/null || true
uname -a 2>/dev/null || true
mkdir -p "$HOME/cyberlium-lab"
ls -l "$HOME/cyberlium-lab/topic01-self-audit.txt" 2>/dev/null || ls -la "$HOME/cyberlium-lab"

Windows PowerShell (YOUR profile only)

Optional command

whoami
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\cyberlium-lab" | Out-Null
Set-Location "$env:USERPROFILE\cyberlium-lab"

@"

Optional command

date: $(Get-Date -Format o)

screen_lock_strong_short_autolock: N mfa_email: N backup_test_restore_ok: N top_gap_1: "@ | Set-Content -Encoding utf8 topic01-self-audit.txt

Optional command

Get-ChildItem topic01-self-audit.txt

Fill Y/P/N honestly. Scope: yourself only. NEVER: score other people's devices or attack café Wi-Fi

Mission: complete the deep self-audit (file mode 600)

1) Create $HOME/cyberlium-lab/topic01-self-audit.txt and mark every line Y / P / N for YOUR stack. 2) Verify screen lock, MFA on email, update status, and one backup restore test before marking those Yes. 3) Audit Location and Microphone permissions on YOUR phone. 4) Write top three gaps and one action for each this week. 5) chmod 600 the file (or equivalent ACL restrict). Revisit in 30 days. 6) Do not audit other people; do not attack networks.

Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor

Ask: "Hint only: if I can only fix two gaps this week, should I prioritize MFA on email or blocking third-party cookies first — and why?" Or: "Hint only: how do I chmod 600 $HOME/cyberlium-lab/topic01-self-audit.txt in WSL on Windows?" Decide after the hint. Never ask Mentor how to audit someone else or attack public Wi-Fi.

You now have a living, private security baseline for Topic 1 — scored honestly, stored under mode 600, scoped to you alone. Next — Quiz: Cybersecurity Fundamentals Final — proves Topic 1 end-to-end: CIA through everyday defenses and IR thinking.

Knowledge Check

1

APPLY: During a personal security audit, which gap usually deserves earlier attention?

Multiple choice

Knowledge Check

2

APPLY: True or False: Marking "Yes" on backups without ever restoring a test file is enough for this lab.

True or False

Knowledge Check

3

APPLY: The lab writes topic01-self-audit.txt and chmod 600. A teammate wants everyone's files to "grade the average." Best move?

Multiple choice

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Answer all 3 knowledge checks to continue. (0/3 answered)