{"id":4315,"date":"2021-06-23T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/?post_type=customer-spotlight&#038;p=4315"},"modified":"2025-05-06T20:37:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T20:37:26","slug":"tarah-wheeler","status":"publish","type":"customer-spotlight","link":"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/customer-spotlight\/tarah-wheeler\/","title":{"rendered":"How Tarah Wheeler Uses Her Cybersecurity Skills to Help Others Hack Their Way to Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Tarah Wheeler wrote&nbsp;<em>Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories<\/em>&nbsp;simply because no one else had done it yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"324\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/19dba31c-17fc-43ce-b448-fa6f7005f55f_Women20in20Tech20book20cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/19dba31c-17fc-43ce-b448-fa6f7005f55f_Women20in20Tech20book20cover.jpg 324w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/19dba31c-17fc-43ce-b448-fa6f7005f55f_Women20in20Tech20book20cover-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/19dba31c-17fc-43ce-b448-fa6f7005f55f_Women20in20Tech20book20cover-96x148.jpg 96w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/19dba31c-17fc-43ce-b448-fa6f7005f55f_Women20in20Tech20book20cover-192x296.jpg 192w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 324px) 100vw, 324px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wrote mad and edited more calmly,\u201d she says. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/must-reads-for-women-in-tech\/\">book<\/a>, published in 2016, topped the Amazon bestseller lists in Career Guides, Women &amp; Business, and technology nonfiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based in Seattle,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tarah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wheeler<\/a>&nbsp;is an information security researcher and social scientist. She is a New America international security fellow, a cybersecurity fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School\u2019s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and a Fulbright scholar in cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given her CV, it\u2019s not that shocking that she&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tarah.org\/2020\/07\/11\/yes-there-was-a-hidden-epic-cryptographic-puzzle-story-inside-my-book-women-in-tech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hid a cryptographic puzzle<\/a>&nbsp;in her&nbsp;<em>Women in&nbsp;Tech<\/em>&nbsp;book that took people four years to solve. \u201cIt was a callout to the gaming and puzzle culture I grew up in from the time,\u201d Wheeler says. \u201cI started playing HeroQuest when I was little, then Shadowrun on tabletop, then Earthdawn and D&amp;D, and just kept going. I love cryptographic puzzles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Secret In The Book: Cipher Wheel In Silver\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fxjpTIBpRpw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>With that in mind, it makes sense that one of Wheeler\u2019s early positions was working at Halo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat role working on Halo\u2019s web applications was my first role in web app security, even if I didn\u2019t realize it at the time,\u201d she says. \u201cI was the person fixing all the holes in the community management software\u2019s interface, from moving single pixels in CSS to changing sprocs to sanitizing db [database] inputs. Being a cocktail waitress taught me an awful lot about cybersecurity, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Previously, Wheeler was the cybersecurity czar at Symantec, a globally renowned cybersecurity firm, and the Head of Offensive Security &amp; Technical Data Privacy at Splunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wheeler has always been drawn to the field. \u201cTechnology and cybersecurity are simply different words to describe some of the tools people use to connect with one another in cooperative or adversarial ways,\u201d she says. \u201cBoth those things interest me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"article-newsletter article-newsletter--gradient\">\n\n\n\n<form class=\"nwsl-form\" id=\"newsletter_article_single_\" novalidate><div class=\"messages\"><\/div><div class=\"form-group\"><label for=\"input_newsletter_article_single_\"><input type=\"email\"name=\"email\"id=\"input_newsletter_article_single_\"placeholder=\"Enter your email address\"novalidatedisabled=\"disabled\"\/><\/label><button type=\"submit\"class=\"btn btn--brand\"disabled=\"disabled\"><span>Sign Me Up!<\/span><\/button><\/div><\/form><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">High Card<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas.jpg\" alt=\"Wheeler at SANS Las Vegas.\" class=\"wp-image-4319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas.jpg 900w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-96x72.jpg 96w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-192x144.jpg 192w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-682x512.jpg 682w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-512x384.jpg 512w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-540x405.jpg 540w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-877x658.jpg 877w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-784x588.jpg 784w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/13053aa7-62b4-4447-826b-863f0a01261f_Tarah20Las20Vegas-460x345.jpg 460w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wheeler at SANS Las Vegas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So how did Wheeler carve out a career path to become one of the top cybersecurity experts in the country?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am barely an acceptable student yet, much less any kind of expert,\u201d she says. \u201cI strove for aggressive mediocrity at a lot of different topics and became someone who could explain a lot of different fundamental tech and security concepts to people outside the industry. I\u2019m not an expert in much other than knowing exactly how to script cronjobs to look very much like an actual human is monitoring the network while I was playing Knights of the Old Republic. Here are two hints on how to do that: 1) randomly run scripts in a Fibonacci sequence to do things like check for updates on packages, and 2) use natural numbers and normal distributions when randomizing to look like human behavior. I was using some of the principles of creating a Turing test-passing avatar of myself to skive off. It makes you able to see when other people are doing the same kinds of things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from gaming, another skill that has paid off for Wheeler is being a Texas Hold \u2019em poker player. There\u2019s a key thing poker and cybersecurity have in common, she says: They\u2019re both risk management as a high art form. In fact, her poker skills enabled her to acquire startup funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy dad taught me with jelly beans starting when I was four,\u201d Wheeler says. \u201cHe\u2019s a poker pro. When we sit down at tables together in Vegas, we always tell people that I\u2019m his daughter, and once or twice, someone\u2019s made a remark like \u2018how do we know you\u2019re not colluding?\u2019 And I say \u2018Are you kidding me? That man took all my jelly beans at the poker table when I was four and I\u2019m never going to be done trying to get them back. Collude with him? I\u2019ll *murder* him at this table if I can.\u2019 And then everyone looks at my face and realizes that I mean every word of it. And that\u2019s how I learned poker. Cash to pay for cloud hosting was just a side benefit to my Hero\u2019s Journey of trying to always outdo my father!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Continuing Ed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Much like a poker game, one thing Wheeler relishes about her career is that every day is different \u2014 there\u2019s no such thing as a typical day. \u201cI can tell you that half my day is spent talking to people and figuring out how to use a two-syllable word for something that other people are using a five-syllable word to describe,\u201d she says. \u201cThe next half of my day is spent listening to people. The last half of my day is learning things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, Wheeler says the most rewarding aspect of her career so far is that she is now paid to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For starters, she conducted research at Oxford University to define cyberwar crimes and reduce the consequences for civilians. \u201cI just completed my Fulbright award in cybersecurity through the US-UK Fulbright Commission,\u201d she says. \u201cI focused on listening to the incident responders from WannaCry, the 2017 global cyberattack that took down the UK\u2019s National Health Service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace.jpg\" alt=\"Alt Text: Wheeler at the United States Institute of Peace.\" class=\"wp-image-4320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace.jpg 900w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-96x54.jpg 96w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-192x108.jpg 192w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-682x383.jpg 682w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-540x304.jpg 540w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-877x493.jpg 877w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-784x441.jpg 784w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/c90ff00f-d739-4b66-a36f-bd48ca08372e_Tarah20Institute20of20Peace-460x259.jpg 460w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alt Text: Wheeler at the United States Institute of Peace.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, Wheeler is an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) advisory board member, an inaugural contributing cybersecurity expert for the <em>Washington Post,<\/em> and a Foreign Policy contributor on cyberwarfare. She is also a Cyber Project Fellow, leading an international cybersecurity capacity building project at Harvard University\u2019s Kennedy School of Government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her work there entails \u201cin general, convincing people who aren\u2019t usually listened to in international security policy that their voices matter,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s a huge call for diverse perspectives on the global stage for people who understand security from all perspectives. Countries and intergovernmental organizations like the OECD know they need to be listening, but their networks are often thin when it comes to women and people of color. I often translate the expertise of women and people of color into a bio that senior conference and workshop organizers can understand and would want on panels and in speaking roles. This is my public service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of public service, Wheeler has an interesting philosophy when it comes to mentoring, requesting that potential mentees help others first before approaching her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am sorting for a couple of personality traits, and there are two sides to my request,\u201d Wheeler explains. \u201cOne: People who have little self-confidence and think they have nothing to offer someone don\u2019t need me to help them professionally; they need to do other work on themselves first. Two: People confident in themselves who know who they are and what they can offer will already be mentoring people and already be looking for a good person to learn from themselves, and I want to be around that energy. Ideally, people I\u2019m helping professionally turn into friends, colleagues, and peers. One day I want to be hired by someone I\u2019ve sponsored \u2014 I think that means I won at sponsoring people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sage Advice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s clear that Wheeler has paved the way for women to work in tech. For those who aren\u2019t lucky enough to be her mentee, her advice for other women in the tech industry is straightforward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t put fuzzy, cute mentorship energy out into the universe,\u201d she says. \u201cChoose three people underrepresented in tech who are one step behind you on the career ladder and deliberately sponsor them. Write them recommendations; find them jobs; when you can\u2019t do talks, hand&nbsp;them off; make time; and publicly advocate for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3.jpg\" alt=\"Braille puzzle in Women in Tech.\" class=\"wp-image-4321\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3.jpg 900w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-96x72.jpg 96w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-192x144.jpg 192w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-682x512.jpg 682w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-512x384.jpg 512w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-540x405.jpg 540w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-877x658.jpg 877w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-784x588.jpg 784w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/92ed0303-5348-4b2d-821a-3b821b49ea84_Customer-Spotlight-Tara-Wheeler-Dreamhost-3-460x345.jpg 460w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, Wheeler\u2019s words of wisdom are to fail more. \u201cIf you\u2019re not failing at seven out of 10 things you try for, jobs you apply for, schools you try to get into, promotions you reach for, games you challenge yourself with, you\u2019re not pushing yourself hard enough and using the law of averages to get big breaks,\u201d she says. \u201cLong term, if you\u2019re trying to make the world a better place, no one cares about your failures but you anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DreamHost History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Wheeler speaking at Pass Summit 2019.\" class=\"wp-image-4322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-96x54.jpg 96w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-192x108.jpg 192w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-682x384.jpg 682w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-1364x767.jpg 1364w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-540x304.jpg 540w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-1080x608.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-877x493.jpg 877w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-784x441.jpg 784w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-1598x899.jpg 1598w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-460x259.jpg 460w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201-920x518.jpg 920w, https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/426075d7-5d4b-474a-80c3-0fb49cae0e08_IMG_20191107_083959201.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wheeler speaking at Pass Summit 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To take a deep dive into Wheeler\u2019s work, visit her portfolio site,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/tarah.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tarah.org<\/a>, which she hosts with DreamHost. Wheeler has two takes on why she uses DreamHost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, there\u2019s the \u201cnerdy version,\u201d as she describes it: \u201cMy WordPress install on a different cloud provider\u2019s Ubuntu LTS servers wasn\u2019t as LT as I\u2019d hoped. After I stopped coding PHP as my daily driver in maybe 2014 or 2015 and really started moving to Python, I didn\u2019t have the time to keep up with WordPress vulns, and IIRC one of my sites got popped through a vulnerable plugin I\u2019d forgotten to update or add to my cronjobs for reminders. DreamPress has automagical WP plugin updates!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there\u2019s also a longer history to it. \u201cIn reality, it\u2019s a bit of a sad story,\u201d Wheeler says. \u201cI had gotten one site popped, as I said, but the truth was that a dear friend passed away unexpectedly in 2017. He had a beloved blog and a big digital presence, and I was the person the family and friends handed his laptop to in order to bypass his security measures to ensure control of his accounts and his site. I did it the day before his funeral in November 2017, and I\u2019ve never cried so much while hacking. It brings a new meaning to \u2018digital forensics.\u2019 I now own that domain name and I keep his blog up on DreamHost, and I\u2019ve never had to worry that someone would take advantage of any momentary lapse on my part with web security to mess with his legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another element that keeps Wheeler loyal to DreamHost is the customer service. \u201cThe chat support is courteous and rapid,\u201d she says. \u201cI just say&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/xkcd.com\/806\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018shibboleet\u2019<\/a>&nbsp;and they instantly just give me the code or reboot my server or fix the perms. I love those folks. They\u2019re diverse and helpful and funny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"article-cta-shared article-cta-small\">\n\t<div class=\"tr-img-wrap-outer jsLoading\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-img-lazy \" src=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/themes\/dhtheme2023\/assets\/img\/lazy-loading-transparent.webp\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/themes\/dhtheme2023\/assets\/img\/article-small-ad-cta-placeholder.jpg\"  alt=\"Ad background image\" \/><\/div>\n\n\t<a href='https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/hosting\/' class='link-top'>\n\t\t<span>Shared Hosting<\/span>\n\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 384 512\" width=\"15\"><path d=\"M342.6 233.4c12.5 12.5 12.5 32.8 0 45.3l-192 192c-12.5 12.5-32.8 12.5-45.3 0s-12.5-32.8 0-45.3L274.7 256 105.4 86.6c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.8 0-45.3s32.8-12.5 45.3 0l192 192z\"\/><\/svg>\n\t<\/a>\n\n\t<div class=\"content-btm\">\n\t\t<h2 class=\"h2--md\">\n\t\t\tWe Support Your Dream\n\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t<p class=\"p--md\">\n\t\t\tWhatever your online goals, we\u2019ll be right there with you, making sure your site is fast, secure, and always up. Plans start at $2.59\/mo.\n\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t        <a\n            href=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/hosting\/\"\n                        class=\"btn btn--white-outline btn--sm btn--round\"\n                        >\n            Choose Your Plan        <\/a>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Currently, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/customer-spotlight-jos-velasco\/\">technologies and products she uses for her site<\/a> include WordPress, so she uses <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/wordpress\/managed\/\">DreamPress<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI like simple UI with clean interfaces,\u201d Wheeler says. Ultimately, she hopes to accomplish more with&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/tarah.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tarah.org<\/a>&nbsp;than she does now, eventually expanding beyond a portfolio site. \u201cI\u2019ve started really coming back to the idea of blogging, but I also love to collaborate a lot,\u201d Wheeler says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not just her website that Wheeler has big future plans for. \u201cI optimize to prevent several poor outcomes and I maintain three or four skill sets that can pay the bills, and then I just ride this planet on whatever streak I can catch,\u201d she says. \u201cThe last year and a half has taught me that I need to make time for joy every day, and that 10 minutes a day spent learning something puts me massively out in front of a pack of people in 10 years who try to catch up then. I will never stop learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Images courtesy of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tarah.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tarah.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tarah Wheeler wrote&nbsp;Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories&nbsp;simply because no one else had done it yet. \u201cI wrote mad and edited more calmly,\u201d she says. The book, published in 2016, topped the Amazon bestseller lists in Career Guides, Women &amp; Business, and technology nonfiction. Based [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":4317,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Find out how tech multi-hyphenate Tarah Wheeler brought her diverse skill set together to build a career mentoring organizations and underrepresented groups alike.","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4315","customer-spotlight","type-customer-spotlight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Tarah Wheeler Uses Cybersecurity Skills to Help Others Hack Their Way to Success - DreamHost<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out how tech multi-hyphenate Tarah Wheeler brought her diverse skill set together to build a career mentoring organizations and underrepresented groups alike.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/customer-spotlight\/tarah-wheeler\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tarah Wheeler Uses Cybersecurity Skills to Help Others Hack Their Way to Success - 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