Cybersecurity Mentors
62 episodes listed below
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In this podcast we discuss mentoring in cybersecurity, information for those that are looking to get into cybersecurity, and tips for those that are looking to advance their careers. Check out our community: https://www.skool.com/the-cybersecurity-mentors
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · June 2026
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast makes cybersecurity feel like a practical career beat, covering skills, mentorship, leadership, negotiation, and AI-era pressure.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast fits the Technology beat as a grounded look at cybersecurity careers. The sampled episodes spend less time on breach headlines and more time on how people enter the field, grow inside it, and lead once the work gets complicated.
A CISSP won't choose your path; John Hoyt and Steve Higuretta ask what would actually prepare you.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A firewall change opens the harder question: what does an institution owe its community after a breach?
A breach report becomes the episode's real battleground. Once a firewall change temporarily pushes threat actors out of the Australian National University's network, the pressure moves from containment to the messier public work of breach handling: communications, transparency,…
A breach response becomes a grounded study of calm, controlled leadership when the hardest conversation arrives.
A breach response turns into a close look at how leadership sounds when the pressure is no longer abstract. Suthagar Sivaratnam recalls calling vice chancellor Brian Schmidt, getting time with him pretty much within the hour, and opening with the line that set the tone: this…
A practical walkthrough of how AFL and compiler choice shape the start of vulnerability hunting.
The episode frames Carson Salas's offensive security work at NVIDIA as a practical walkthrough of fuzzing rather than a broad survey. He starts with AFL, shows why compiling C with the fuzzer's own clang compiler can expose more of a program's behavior, and builds from a small…
A grounded career reset built around small habits, community, and steady forward motion.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast starts season six with a practical reset for listeners whose 2025 plans slowed down, whether from roadblocks, burnout, stalled interviews, or certifications that have not yet opened doors.
A practical look at cybersecurity hiring signals and the resume keywords entry-level candidates can credibly support.
Cybersecurity hiring comes through as a sorting problem, with the hosts looking at why some resumes get skipped when recruiters are facing large applicant pools.
A season recap that keeps circling back to practical cyber career advice.
The season five finale of Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast looks back at conversations with spy hunters, CISOs, breach-response leaders, and social engineering voices, then turns to Q&A on SOC readiness and other career questions.
Networking advice that treats LinkedIn, GitHub, and first impressions as part of the job search.
Cybersecurity Mentors makes a plain argument that networking matters in cybersecurity, and that online applications and a solid resume only go so far.
A practical resume audit that favors plain, useful fixes over hype.
The episode treats resume mistakes as a practical bottleneck, not a theory problem, and it stays close to habits that can slow a job search down. The examples come from real resume reviews, which gives the guidance a grounded feel.
Deeply researched narrative dives into hacking history and cyber-law cases, hosted by Ran Levi.
Reported narratives on hackers, spyware, and data crimes from Dina Temple-Raston.
Dave, Joe, and Maria break down phishing kits, deepfakes, and social-engineering scams weekly.
IAPP's Jedidiah Bracy interviews the regulators and lawyers writing privacy and AI law.
A daily cybersecurity briefing hosted by Dave Bittner, pairing breaking incidents with a guest interview.
Former FBI undercover agent Eric O'Neill discusses his experience catching spy Robert Hansen and how espionage tactics apply to cybersecurity.
The Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast episode “Why You’re Not Getting Cybersecurity Interviews (Resume & LinkedIn Fixes for 2026)” centers on a Resimatch.io study of more than 125,000 resumes and the hosts’ hiring-manager feedback.
This episode focuses on rebuilding confidence in cybersecurity careers, addressing imposter syndrome, and practical strategies like learning from failure, building competence, and leveraging community support.
Retired Marine Corps officer and leadership expert Dave Burke discusses the critical leadership gap in cybersecurity and IT, emphasizing that leadership is a learnable skill, not an innate trait.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast’s “Mastering Cybersecurity: Part 3 - Hack to Defend: Why Offensive Knowledge Matters” centers on John’s story of finding a server with open shares that contained scanned credit-card numbers, security codes, and PII.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast focuses on resetting a cybersecurity learning plan after scattered progress, with Steven Higuera and John Hoyt arguing that unfinished certs and paused study still count.
People fail not because they lack understanding, but because they feel alone climbing that mountain.
Suthagar Seevaratnam, former CISO at the Australian National University, describes the day he told Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt, "this is the worst conversation you and I are ever going to have." A baseline threat hunt brought in external companies and uncovered a second breach, which forced the team to split efforts between tracing entry and tracking what attackers were doing.
In this season five finale, hosts John and Steve recap key episodes featuring guests like spy hunter Eric O'Neill and incident leader Suthagar, discussing topics from breach response to career negotiation.
Carson Salas, an offensive security engineer at NVIDIA and the show’s returning top guest, explains how his work moves from pen testing into vulnerability research and bug hunting.
Retired FBI agent Matt Ossigard discusses his career journey from teaching to the FBI, detailing Quantico training, cyber investigations, and counterintelligence work.
In this final episode of season four, hosts John and Steve answer common cybersecurity career questions, covering topics like getting started without IT background, the value of degrees vs.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast’s "Mastering Cybersecurity: Part 2 – Securing Systems and Environments" focuses on hardening systems, not just detecting attacks or running tools.
Grant Adams returns to the Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast one year after his first coaching session to explain how he landed a job at NetSpy.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast’s “Why Cybersecurity Candidates Fail Interviews (From Hiring Managers)” centers on a blunt hiring-manager checklist: fundamentals, honesty, soft skills, and whether the candidate matches the job description.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast opens season four with Steve Higuretta and John Hoyt arguing that soft skills matter at least as much as technical skills in cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast frames salary negotiation with two numbers: Glassdoor says about 54% of people do not negotiate, while a 2024 survey found 82% of full-time workers who asked for a raise got one.
Brian Brushwood joins Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast to argue that scam defense should move from "video quiz video quiz" training to repeated deceptive role play.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast part two with Suthagar Seevaratnam of the Australian National University focuses on a routine firewall change that unexpectedly cut off the attackers’ C2 path.
The Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast sits down with Evan Reiser, founder and CEO of Abnormal AI, for a conversation that opens with how he got into building companies and moves into the shifting shape of AI risk.
Networking gets the blunt treatment here.
Randy Marchini joins Jon Hoyt and Steve Higureta as he prepares to retire after 15 years as Virginia Tech's CISO.
Dr.
Steve Higureta and John Hoyt ask whether a mentor or coach can actually help someone succeed in cybersecurity.
Charles Carmakal, CTO at Mandiant, discusses the current cybersecurity threat landscape, including mass exploitation events and extortion tactics by groups like CLOP.
The hosts review ACI Learning's Security+ bundle, discussing structured vs.
Jeffrey Wheatman discusses the power of storytelling in cybersecurity, sharing techniques from his experience as a former Gartner analyst and evangelist.
Ed Skoudis says his cybersecurity path started with a Commodore VIC-20, moved through Carnegie Mellon network hacking, and later led to SANS courses 504 and 560.
Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast’s "Land the Job: The 10 Resume Mistakes Holding You Back in Cybersecurity" opens with a warning that sending out "100 resumes" and hearing nothing usually means the resume is at fault.
A casual after-hours episode where hosts discuss personal topics and offer cybersecurity career insights.
An interview with a cybersecurity analyst who transitioned from teaching English, discussing unconventional paths into the field.
An interview with storytelling expert Matthew Dix about the power of stories in cybersecurity careers.
Hosts interview a senior offensive security engineer about his journey and mentorship in cybersecurity.
Hosts discuss how to be a better mentor and find the right mentor in cybersecurity, sharing personal stories and challenges.
Hosts discuss how to get a job in cybersecurity, addressing the catch-22 of needing experience to get experience.