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This is your guide to navigating the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity. Hosted by Annie-Mei Forster and Anika Guenov, this podcast breaks down complex topics into relatable, easy-to-understand conversations. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious newcomer, or a professional looking for fresh perspectives, join us as we explore cyber threats, digital safety tips, and the human stories behind the screen. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube @thecybersecuritygals
26 Episodes
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In this episode of Lost In Cyberia, we’re joined by Rue Maharaj. Rue shares his extensive background, detailing his journey from South Africa to Australia via New Zealand, and his transition from private sector IT roles to public sector cybersecurity. Focusing on his current role in cybersecurity defence management at Melbourne Water, Rue highlights the critical importance of incident response and psychological resilience in cybersecurity. The discussion dives deep into various profiles...
We are back in 2026 with our first guest of the year Louis Cremen (although this was recorded last year). Louis shares his interesting career journey from software development to becoming a leading cybersecurity educator. He talks about the challenges of centralising security testing for a whole country, the thrill of traveling and working internationally, and the importance of sovereign capabilities in AI and quantum computing for Australia. Louis shares his teaching experience, includ...
In the final episode of their first season, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika celebrate reaching 1,000 downloads with a not-so-suspicious balloon and recap the whirlwind year of 2025. The duo chats about their international listeners, weird podcast recommendations for pets, and their favourite episodes and guests. The conversation then takes a reflective turn as they answer each other’s questions about personal growth, setting boundaries, and their experiences in the podcasting and content creation w...
Why should you have to decide between listening to Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber on your phone? With the cloud you don't have to... but at what cost? This episode of Lost in Cyberia was recorded down in Melbourne while we were there for CyberCon. We recap what we've been up to the last few months while also debunking some of the funniest misconceptions about “the cloud.” Equal parts educational and entertaining, this episode is a perfect blend of pop culture banter and tech nostalgia. ¿P...
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika welcome James Corera, Director of Cyber, Technology and Security Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). James shares insights on his extensive career in national security, his educational background, and his experiences in intelligence and foreign policy. The discussion covers the evolving nature of global threats, ASPI's role in providing diverse policy perspectives, and the complexity of cybersecurity challe...
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika welcome special guest Ray Goldman, a former miscreant turned Business Information Security Officer. Ray shares his journey into the InfoSec world, his involvement with the DC 814 hacker meetups, and his passion for pro wrestling. The discussion covers topics such as community building within cybersecurity, the importance of soft skills, mentorship, and the psychology behind both cybersecurity and pro wrestling. Ray also provides in...
In this episode of 'Lost in Cyberia,' hosts Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by Betta Leon Delsordo and Clarissa Bury, to discuss their journeys and expertise in cybersecurity. Betta shares her path from self-taught coder to lead application penetration tester at OnDefend, with a focus on application security and AI hacking. Clarissa, a strategic advisor with experience at CrowdStrike and Rapid7, talks about the importance of tabletop exercises and proactive security measures. ...
Hosts Annie-Mei and Anika unpack social engineering or “human hacking”, with insights from books by Chris Hadnagy and Kevin Mitnick. They break down the attack lifecycle, common tactics (phishing, pretexting, tailgating, quid pro quo), and how AI is supercharging scams, then share practical defences: pause-and-verify, reduce digital footprints, and normalise double-checking at work and home. A clear, actionable guide to spotting and resisting manipulation online and off. Practical takea...
Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by Wadzi Nenzou, who is the founder of 'Our Scam Stories'. Wadzi shares her mission of educating people about investment scams to help them build wealth without losing hard-earned money. With over 18 years of experience in financial services, Wadzi discusses the importance of sharing scam survivor stories to reduce stigma and educate the public. The conversation covers the increasing sophistication of scams, common scam tactics, and which demographics most likel...
Annie-Mei and Anika discuss their experiences of going to cybersecurity conferences. They talk about what you can expect and how not all conferences are the same. Anika explains her experience at BSides Canberra and doing the CTF challenge. Annie-Mei talks about her first time going to the biggest hacker conference in the world - DEFCON. Spoiler alert: it was awesome. 00:00 Introduction 01:08 First Cybersecurity Conference Experiences 05:52 BSides Canberra: A Community-Focused Event 07:...
Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by cybersecurity professional Rodman Ramezanian. Rodman shares insights into his 14-year career, touching on his beginnings at Apple as an iOS specialist, his role in cybersecurity across various sectors, and his position as the Director of Events and Professional Development for ISACA Canberra. He also dives into the unexpectedly transferable skills from DJing to his professional life, the importance of communication and mentorship, and his experiences at event...
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika explore the question of whether you need a cybersecurity degree to work in the field. With varied personal experiences, they provide insights into the current job market, entry-level challenges, and the importance of hands-on skills versus formal education. They discuss alternative pathways like bootcamps, networking, certifications, and transferable skills from other industries. The conversation also touches on the importance of f...
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by Veronika Kolek Netolická, the co-founder of Women4Cyber Czechia and current cyber attachée for the Indo-Pacific at the National Cyber and Information Security Agency. The discussion takes place at the Czech Embassy in Canberra, looking at Veronika's extensive background in cybersecurity, her education, and her various roles and initiatives. The conversation explores the importance of diversity and inclusivity in...
In this episode, Harriet and Annie-Mei have a chat over wine and ice-cream sundaes from a hotel room in Sydney before heading to a Gracie Abrams concert. They explore Harriet's journey as the founder of Mileva Security Labs, an AI security company that addresses security risks to AI systems. Harriet shares insights into the challenges of starting and running a business, especially as a young woman in a male-dominated field. The discussion delves into issues of bias, gender, and ageism in the ...
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, hosts Annie Mei and Anika are joined by Alaina Lawson, a Perth-based cybersecurity consultant. Alaina discusses her journey into cybersecurity, starting from her interest in IT during high school, influenced by her family background in IT. She shares how asking a simple question to a customer when she was working in a bakery changed her entire career trajectory. Alaina also shares her experiences navigating a male-dominated field, the encouragement she rece...
In this episode of Lost In Cyberia, Bianca Puglisi and Kathy Sisson share their unconventional journeys into project management. Bianca shares her journey from hospitality and psychology to joining the Army at 30, becoming a corporate trainer in cyber, and currently serving as the Operations Manager at Solvyr. Kathy details her career path from being a photographer in the Air Force to working within New Zealand's government and defence sectors, and now tackling IT security projects in Austral...
In this episode of Lost in Cyberia, we’re joined by Hortense Rothery, the Relationship Manager at Volkis. Hortense shares her unique career journey from studying fashion design in New Zealand to transitioning into software development and eventually finding her calling in cybersecurity. She discusses the challenges of running a fashion business and moving back to New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hortense talks about why we need to stop saying ‘imposter syndrome’, the importance of wo...
This episode of Lost in Cyberia is what we (Annie-Mei and Anika) presented at CyberCon Canberra 2025. We look at the evolution of nerd culture, from the dawn of the internet til now. We also discuss: Why the “hacker in a hoodie” stereotype is doing more harm than good 👨💻The echo chamber of women-in-tech panels and why men need to be part of the convo 🧠Toxic work culture, burnout, and the pressure to play tough 💼🔥Cybercrime targeting women (deepfakes, harassment, etc.) and why it’s ofte...
March nearly broke us, but it also kind of made us. In this episode, Annie-Mei and Anika unpack a chaotic month full of firsts: our first podcast guests (shoutout to Harry from Phronesis and Hortense from Volkis 💜), first guest spot on another podcast (AISA Cyber Voices, with David!), and Anika’s first-ever conference presentation (spoiler: improv background came in handy 🎭). We chat about: CyberCon chaos 🧠Presenting at Volkis Day in Sydney (Chinese firewalls and Aussie cybercrime ft. pig but...
Harry Smith (who also goes by Harrison, Hazza or H) is our very first guest on the podcast! Harry works at Phronesis Security in the application security space but has previously done pentesting on LLMs (large language models). We spoke to Harry when he was up in Canberra for CyberCon. If you're looking to get into cybersecurity and want to know how you can practice hacking (ethically), then this is the episode for you. Harry discusses how doing capture the flag (CTF) competitions and Hack Th...
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