Charles Montago is a hacker first — active in the security community, not an observer of it. The published Amazon bio puts it this way: a cybersecurity expert and author with over 15 years of experience, including service in the U.S. Army.

What he does

He plays CTFs (capture-the-flag competitions — legal, competitive security puzzles), runs a homelab, and lives day to day in Linux, RHEL, and STIG/compliance tooling. He attends DEF CON — most recently DEF CON 34 in Las Vegas, August 2026.

The books

Three titles, two tracks:

• Cybersecurity for Normal People — the everyday track. What's actually at risk and the handful of habits that block most of it, for people who don't work in tech.
• Mastering Online CTFs and The Ultimate BlackArch Linux Book — the practitioner track. Real, hands-on skill building for legal environments: competitions, your own lab, authorized tests.

Why the site exists

The mission is translation, not gatekeeping: take what the hacker community already knows and hand it to people who don't live in it. Education, never fear. Everyday readers get plain-English protection that actually gets done; practitioners get procedure with prerequisites, versions, and verification steps. The two tracks are one ladder — curious readers climb it.

How content is made

Articles are drafted in a private publishing vault, reviewed and approved by a human, and published here through Git. Nothing goes up unreviewed, and no claim on this site goes past the published bio above.