How a $50M ransomware attack led me to document cyber threats for indie hackers
Last month I watched a founder friend lose his entire SaaS to ransomware. 6 months of growth, 200 customers, $8k MRR - all gone because he couldn't afford the $50k ransom.
The attack came through a forgotten staging server running WordPress. Not even the main app.
As someone who works in cybersecurity, this hit me hard. He did everything right as a founder - great product, happy customers, steady growth. But security was always next sprint's problem.
After helping him try and fail to recover, I realized indie hackers face unique security challenges:
Building in public exposes our tech stack
Running lean means no dedicated security person
Limited budgets make us perfect ransomware targets
We chain together dozens of services hoping for the best
So I documented the 12 types of cyber attacks I've seen destroy small companies. Not enterprise stuff - the attacks that actually hit bootstrapped startups.
Key learnings from writing this:
Your AWS keys in a public repo get found in minutes by bots
That npm package with 50 stars could be malware
Most attacks succeed through basic oversights, not sophisticated hacking
Cyber insurance isn't optional anymore - one breach and you're personally liable
The full guide covers network attacks, social engineering, malware evolution, and prevention frameworks that work on indie budgets. It's written for bigger companies but the fundamentals apply to us.
I know security feels like a luxury when you're chasing PMF. But after watching my friend's dream die to preventable ransomware, I had to share what I've learned.
Link: https://ncse.info/types-of-cyber-attacks-cost-us-businesses-10-5-trillion/
Milestone: This is my first attempt at creating security content for the indie hacker community. Would love feedback on what security topics you actually want to learn about.
What's your biggest security concern right now? Or is it all "I'll deal with it when I'm bigger"?
