Lost In Cyberia

Ep. 8 Revenge of the Nerds: Confronting Gender Bias in Cyber Security and Cybercrime

Lost In Cyberia

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 often overlooked 😡
  • The contrast between Kevin Mitnick and Steve Wozniak 🤖
  • Feminist crime theories, cyber policing, and redefining “penetration testing” (yep, we went there)

If you've ever felt like cybersecurity wasn’t built with you in mind, you're not alone. Let’s talk about changing the culture, one hoodie cliché at a time.

You can also watch this presentation on our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/NVYKIugo_jM?si=LXnvDAX5z94NMJk-

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