Tolga TAVLAS

I’m delighted to share that my new book, “HACK HAPPENS,” has just been launched! 🙂 You probably know this is my third book, after Digital Banking Tips (2015) and Cybersecurity Dictionary for Everyone (2024). Of course, each has a different story behind it. Digital Banking Tips started with a blog post I wrote for Finextra at 3:30 a.m. when I couldn’t sleep. Then came more posts, three of which made it into the Top 5 Finextra blogs 2015. Even though I’ve loved it since day one, I always thought banking was a boring topic for most people. So I was surprised when those tips reached hundreds of thousands of readers. That content is still part of some university curricula and is frequently referenced. (Except by one guy 🥴 who apparently knows everything about digital banking and found it “totally useless.” The rest seemed to love it.) It even made me a small celebrity in the fintech world at the time. I once appeared on an influencer list alongside Bill Gates, just slightly above The Financial Times. It’s a pity that the influence wasn’t about financial well-being — just influence with no commercial value. Still, it meant something. Then came Cybersecurity Dictionary for Everyone (2024). That one started as a book on Identity and Access Management (IAM), but the content turned out to be either too complicated, boring, or just plain dull. Two editors I hired walked away mid-project — not once, but twice. That was enough to convince me that something wasn’t working. Maybe the world needed a cybersecurity dictionary more than it needed another IAM book. In some ways, it was an easier task — I’d been collecting cybersecurity terms for years. But translating them into everyday language was tough. I kept wondering: Is this even useful in the age of AI? Aren’t all these terms already on Google? But the last year proved otherwise, not because of sales (yes, the most frequently asked and “respected” KPI 🙄). And no, it’s obviously not selling enough — otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this from the small desk in my bedroom, but from a yacht in the Mediterranean, right? What was amazing was the interaction with people worldwide while promoting the dictionary. For a modest cybersecurity guy, working independently with no PR budget, reaching 400 million impressions, 3.5 million engagements, and thousands of conversations was unexpected — numbers you'd usually associate with major corporations or government campaigns. That gives you insight. Big insight. HACK HAPPENS is the result of that insight. I have no idea how much it will sell, what kind of reach it will have, or whether people will love it. But I did my best to repay what I owe to society and the good people who share this world with us. I hope I managed to do that. 🥸 Let’s see what unique experiences it brings… 😎 amazon.com/dp/B0FBWC4B7V

Giving a break from writing a book for almost 10 years, knowing that your content will compete with hundreds (if not thousands) AI-written books, concerning that Amazon located your book in one of the most competitive categories (Dictionaries and Thesauruses) and waking up one morning & seeing your book as the number 1 of best seller list of hot releases in its category (and 86# of  English Dictionaries & Thesauruses - not bad for a book released 2 days ago - when the competition is Oxford, Webster and Collins!) - is an amazing feeling!!! I would like to thank all my friends, colleagues, and family members - who encouraged me to continue writing when I have so many doubts. Anyway, the real news is that the Kindle version of the book will be freely available on Amazon for five days starting tomorrow. If you are interested, you can download it during this time, and I would appreciate your reviews if possible. amazon.com/CYBERSECURITY-DIC… Also, if somehow this message reaches you—if you are a teacher, instructor, lecturer, or academic teaching cybersecurity to children—but you have some limited means to buy the book, please get in touch with me. #cybersecurity #cybercrime #cyberattack #cybersecuritydictionary

🤔 Confused by cybersecurity jargon? "Cybersecurity Dictionary for Everyone translates complex terms into plain English. Available now on Amazon! #Cybersecurity #cybersecurityawareness #cybersecuritydictionary #dictionary #cyberattack #cybercrime amazon.com/CYBERSECURITY-DIC… xitter.gq/ttavlas/status/1800974…

100 years ago today, the foundations of the Turkish Republic were laid by Atatürk. He was, as a great leader, paved the way for independence and progress for the Turkish nation. Today, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic! 🙏❤️ #Atatürk #TurkeyRepublic100Years

Our friends' 1st class work deserve no less than 1st class flight going back home! 🐕‍🦺❤️‍🩹 #turkishairlines this is why you are the best! 👏👏 #turkeyearthquake #Türkiye #turkey #RescueDog #dog

During these hard times, we understood very well that the differences that separate human beings are nothing compared to the similarities that we have. #turkeyearthquake #Türkiye #China #thankyou #deprem

Bütün Trabzonluspor'lu kardeşlerimin gözlerinden öpüyorum, bizleri çok duygulandırdiniz - harika bir organizasyon, göz yaşları içinde izledik.

#Proteo is here, with us.

"You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop.” / Rumi With the highest respect and love to the all health care workers in the world 🙏 You have been doing the most valuable, meaningful & sacred job❤️‍🩹 #Turkey #earthquake #turkeyearthquake #healthcare