Skip to content

Building a Fun Daily Cybersecurity Trainer in Trusty Potato

Trusty Potato mascot

Trusty Potato is a lightweight, always-fresh web app that turns cybersecurity awareness into a quick daily habit. Every day it pulls the latest security headlines and generates new quizzes + phishing simulations so users can test themselves against current threats via retro aesthetic with a friendly potato mascot.

The goal? Make learning about phishing, ransomware, exploits, and social engineering feel engaging with a bit of friendly competition.

  • Homepage Headline Homepage Headline
    Retro terminal view with animated "Defend Cyber Awareness" title.

  • Quiz in Progress Daily Quiz Active
    Answering fresh questions pulled from today's security headlines.

  • Completed Quiz Results Quiz Results
    Score breakdown with explanations and pass/fail status.

  • Google Sign-In Screen Sign In Prompt
    Google OAuth login to save your progress and scores.

  • Score Saved Confirmation Score Saved
    Confirmation message after logging in—your quiz is now recorded.

  • Phish Simulation with Red Flags Phish Simulation
    Spot and click suspicious elements (red flags) in the mock email.

  • Leaderboard Ranking Tab Rankings View
    Weekly/all-time/team leaderboards with user ranks and scores.

  • User Profile Page Profile Stats
    Personal totals, averages, history, and privacy settings.

Tech Stack & Key Features

# Component Details
1 Backend Python + Flask (blueprints for clean routing)
2 Database PostgreSQL — stores users, scores, headlines, quizzes, phish sims
3 Frontend Vanilla JS modules, dark/light mode, responsive terminal styling
4 Content Engine Daily RSS parsing → AI-generated quizzes & phish sims (via xAI)
5 Scheduler APScheduler — auto refresh content, post daily teaser to X
6 Auth Google & Microsoft OAuth for saving scores & profiles
7 Deployment Render (Git-based CI/CD from dev/main branches)
8 Mascot Trusty Potato — friendly potato with propeller hat

How It Works Right Now (Jan '26)

  • Pulls latest security news from trusted RSS feeds (Krebs, Dark Reading, etc.)
  • Generates 5-question quizzes and 4–7 red-flag phishing simulations automatically
  • Users take the daily content anonymously or sign in to save scores
  • Leaderboards show weekly/all-time/team rankings (great for company groups)
  • Profiles track total score, perfect quizzes, phish completions, and history
  • Every day at 11:11 AM ET, the app tweets a fun teaser question with the mascot

The terminal-style UI, animated typing effect, and potato mascot keep the experience light-hearted while delivering serious, timely content.

Current Status & Next Steps

The core loop is live and stable: daily refresh → quiz/phish generation → user engagement → leaderboards. As of January 2026, Trusty Potato has served over 150 quizzes and 95 phish simulations.

Next priorities:

  • Add more granular team/org features
  • Improve mobile experience for quick daily checks
  • Expand headline sources and AI prompt tuning for even better questions
  • Publish a public API for embedding mini-quizzes elsewhere

If you're interested in cybersecurity awareness with a playful twist, give it a try at https://trustypotato.com/.

Feedback always welcome!

Joe Hawley
Fortune 500 Director | CISSP
M.S. Cybersecurity Graduate Student @ Georgia Institute of Technology