The cyber weekly

Hosted by Deogratius Okello, Josephine Olok and Angella Nabbanja

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100

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Dive into the world of cybersecurity, book reviews, and effective management strategies, including how to communicate with a board. If this piques your interest, join the club!

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60 recent

October 14, 2026Episode 11534 min

Fixing Broken SOC Operations with Lean Six Sigma

Welcome back to The Cyber Weekly! In this episode, Deo sits down with Kago Ezekiel Setshogo, a SOC Analyst at Augmenta Cybersecurity. Kago brings a rare and fascinating perspective to the table: combining Lean Six Sigma process engineering with hands-on SOC analysis to eliminate operational noise and streamline triaging. Whether you're a seasoned security professional looking to optimize your team's workflow, or an aspiring analyst trying to break into the industry, Kago shares actionable insights on building virtual labs, mastering frameworks like NIST and ISO, and understanding your own strengths through psychometric testing. Make sure to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode! ⏳ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro: Meet Kago Ezekiel Setshogo 02:22 Transitioning from System Administrator to SOC Analyst 05:38 The hardest barrier when moving to a SOC role 10:31 What is Lean Six Sigma and how does it apply to cybersecurity? 15:32 Process Engineering in a SOC context explained 20:02 Integrating NIST, ISO, and other frameworks into daily operations 24:29 Advice for breaking into the cyber industry: Homelabs & Portfolios 29:48 Future projects, mentorship, and final advice 🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned: Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/T0wHoyta1xk Connect with Kago Ezekiel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kago-ezekiel-setshogo/ NIST Cybersecurity Framework: https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework ISO/IEC 27001: https://www.iso.org/isoiec-27001-information-security.html Lean Six Sigma Resources: https://asq.org/quality-resources/six-sigma Microsoft Azure Training: https://learn.microsoft.com/training/azure/ AWS Training and Certification: https://aws.amazon.com/training/ SANS Institute Training: https://www.sans.org GIAC Cybersecurity Certifications: https://www.giac.org ISC2 Entry-Level Certification: https://www.isc2.org/certifications/cc Hashtags: #TheCyberWeekly #CyberSecurity #SOCAnalyst #ProcessEngineering #LeanSixSigma #InfoSec #TechCareer 💼 LinkedIn Title: Why do most security breakdowns stem from process failures, rather than technology? 🤔 Body: Installing a firewall doesn't automatically make you secure. In our latest episode of The Cyber Weekly, we explore how the real secret to a robust defense lies in process engineering. I had a fantastic conversation with Kago Ezekiel Setshogo, who transitioned from a System Administrator to a SOC Analyst. He brought an incredible framework with him: Lean Six Sigma. We discussed: 🔹 How to eliminate operational noise in a SOC. 🔹 Mapping daily workflows to NIST and ISO frameworks. 🔹 Why building virtual labs is the best way to land your first cyber role. If your security operations feel chaotic, you need to hear Kago’s breakdown of how to automate and optimize your incident response from step A to Z. 📺 Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/T0wHoyta1xk What processes in your daily workflow do you think could benefit from a "Lean" overhaul? Let me know below! 👇 #CyberSecurity #InformationSecurity #SOC #LeanSixSigma #ProcessEngineering #TheCyberWeekly #TechCareers

October 7, 2026Episode 11438 min

Can You Trust Digital Forensics Tools? | Julian Derry on Digital Evidence

Can you trust a digital forensics tool simply because it displays results on a dashboard? Not according to digital forensics professional Julian Derry. In this episode of The Cyber Weekly, Julian joins Deo Okello to explain why investigators must go beyond graphical interfaces and independently validate digital evidence. 🔍 In this episode, you'll discover: ✅ Why digital forensics tools can produce misleading results. ✅ How to validate evidence using raw data and multiple tools. ✅ How to investigate timestamp manipulation and anti-forensics. ✅ Why hands-on virtual labs are essential for learning. ✅ How to build a cybersecurity portfolio without expensive certifications. ✅ Why AI assistants and cloud platforms matter in future investigations. ✅ The practical tools, habits, and communities that help digital forensics professionals grow. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and guest introduction 02:02 Why digital forensics? The missing left shoe story 👟 04:23 From bank hardware support to security 06:45 Breaking into forensics beyond the textbooks 11:16 Why you can't trust the GUI 13:23 Case study: when the MFT tool misbehaved 17:17 Detecting time stomping (anti-forensics) 19:53 Android, iOS, macOS and Linux: same principles 21:08 Why forensics is reactive 21:42 Standing out without expensive certifications 25:59 Emerging evidence: AI assistants and the cloud ☁️ 28:08 Quick fire: 5 tools every analyst needs 33:07 Where to follow Julian's work (X, GitHub, Hive Consult) 38:02 Closing 💡 Julian's advice to aspiring professionals: Build your skills, document your findings, and show your work publicly. 🎙️ Whether you're a cybersecurity student, SOC analyst, digital forensics enthusiast, or experienced investigator, this conversation will challenge how you think about digital evidence. 👍 Like, comment, and subscribe to The Cyber Weekly for conversations that make cybersecurity careers and expertise easier to understand. 💬 QUESTION:Have you ever encountered a tool that produced unexpected results? What did you do? #TheCyberWeekly #DigitalForensics #CyberSecurity #DFIR #DigitalEvidence #CyberSecurityCareers

September 30, 2026Episode 1130 min

Stop Relying on Firewalls How an Engineer Defends Critical Financial Infrastructure 🔐

🎙️ Welcome to The Cyber Weekly Podcast! In this episode, Deo Okello sits down with Venuste Niyodusenga, Senior Network Engineer at the National Bank of Rwanda. He holds CISSP, CCSP, CCNP, PMP and AWS Solutions Architect Professional credentials and has a Master's from Carnegie Mellon University Africa. He has 10+ years across IT, SCADA and industrial systems, and cybersecurity consulting. 🔥 In this episode you'll learn: ✅ Why perimeter-only security fails against stolen credentials and session cookies ✅ What identity-driven defense in depth looks like: MFA, least privilege, just-in-time access, device posture and AAA ✅ How to handle unpatched critical systems in a bank without causing an outage ✅ The biggest architectural shift African financial institutions must prepare for (hint: fighting AI with AI) ✅ How to break the "experience trap" and get into cybersecurity without waiting for permission

September 24, 2026Episode 11231 min

From Fixing Printers to CISO: Grant Hughes' Unlikely Cybersecurity Journey

Ever feel stuck in a help desk role, wondering if cybersecurity is even reachable without a degree or years of "experience"? Grant Hughes was exactly there — until he sent one cold email that changed his career forever. In this episode of The Cyber Weekly Podcast, Grant Hughes (CISO at The Nascent Group, Founding President of the ISC2 Cape Town Chapter) breaks down: How he went from desktop support to CISO with zero security certs The exact conversation that got him his first break in security Why most security awareness training fails — and what actually works The real reason you don't need 5 years of experience to break in The one skill every newcomer needs right now 🔗 Connect with Grant Hughes: Portfolio: https://granthughes.co.za/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-hughes-52196569/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@granthughes4989 🌍 African Tech Talent Support Project: https://isc2capetownchapter.com/africa-tech-talent-support-project/ 🏢 ISC2 Cape Town Chapter: https://www.linkedin.com/company/isc2-cape-town-chapter/ 💼 The Nascent Group: https://nascent.group/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nascent-group-global/ Chapters 00:53 Meet Grant Hughes: From help desk to CISO 02:05 The one takeaway Grant wants you to leave with 03:12 What pulled him from IT support into cybersecurity 04:56 The cold email that changed his life 08:39 What 6 years on the front lines taught him 10:40 Why the basics keep evolving 11:26 What security culture really means 16:44 Handling employee pushback and busy schedules 19:34 Why explaining "why" makes training stick (the password story) 20:15 No certs, no experience? Here's your path in 24:11 The power of networking (and why it beats applying blind) 26:14 AI, soft skills, and what's next for cybersecurity 30:00 Where to find Grant + the African Tech Talent Support Project

September 16, 2026Episode 11125 min

Why Most CISOs Don't Know What Their Business Actually Does

🚨 Most CISOs can explain every control on their stack but ask them what the business actually sells, and they go quiet. In this episode of The Cyber Weekly, Deo sits down with Jake Bernardes CISO at Gambit Security, ex-pen tester, chartered accountant, and a guy who learned Chinese and German before ever touching cybersecurity. We get into: 💰 The "Minimum Viable Business" framework for justifying security spend 🧩 Why GRC is broken (and how to fix the forgotten "R") 🤖 Which security roles AI will kill and which ones it can't touch 📜 Why Jake thinks certifications are mostly pointless 🌐 Why your network matters more than your CISSP 🎙️ Building leadership on transparency, vulnerability, and authenticity Here the links Random Access Memories: https://randomaccessmemories.io Jake Bernardes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeleobernardes/ Random Access Memories on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RandomAccessMemoriesPod If you're in GRC, trying to break into cybersecurity, or leading a security team through the AI shift this conversation will change how you think about your career. 00:00 Intro: The Intersection of Chinese & Cybersecurity 01:19 Who is Jake Bernardes? 03:18 How Accounting Creates Better CISOs 04:14 The "Minimum Viable Business" & Proving ROI 08:26 Why GRC is Broken (And How to Fix It) 13:02 The Future of GRC Engineering & Automation 17:32 Why Cyber Certifications Are "Pointless" 19:24 AI is Killing Tier 1 SOC Jobs: What to do next 22:43 The 3 Pillars of True Leadership #TheCyberWeekly #CISO #Cybersecurity #GRC #RiskManagement #CyberCareers #InfoSec #CyberLeadership 🔐🎙️📈

September 9, 2026Episode 11041 min

Why Most Cybersecurity Salespeople Fail (And How to Fix It)

In this episode of The Cyber Weekly Podcast, hosts Deogratius Okello and Angella Nabbanja sit down with Mădălin Bratu — General Manager and Founder of Sectio Aurea (operating under the brand Phi). Mădălin brings 20 years of experience across cybersecurity, governance, risk, and enterprise technology, sharing insights from his career at IBM, CA Technologies, and Eviden/Atos. He breaks down the realities of implementing frameworks like NIS2 and ISO 27001 in complex operational environments, why compliance must move beyond "paperwork security," and how he utilizes the expert-network model to deliver real-world security solutions. Whether you're starting out in GRC or looking to build your own consultancy, this conversation is packed with hard-earned lessons on compliance, operational friction, and building a resilient security program. 🎧 Connect with our guest: Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madalin-bratu/ Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1-61803 Website: https://www.phi.ro #CyberSecurity 🔐 #SalesStrategy 💼 #Entrepreneurship 🚀 #TheCyberWeeklyPodcast 🎙️ #CareerAdvice 📈 #B2BSales 🤝 #CyberSecuritySales 🛡️ #Podcast 🎧

September 2, 2026Episode 10930 min

Heather Reed - She Turned 5 Volunteers Into 75 Cybersecurity Ambassadors 🔐

Only 40% of her company completed the annual security awareness training. Human error was the #1 risk on the register. So she stopped writing policies and started recruiting people. 👥 In this episode of The Cyber Weekly Podcast, Deo Okello sits down with Heather Reed — cybersecurity leader, Cyber Security Woman of the Year finalist, competitive cookie designer 🍪 and former Cookie Wars contestant on the Food Network. Heather came into security from marketing, people leadership and compliance, and she says that non-traditional path became her biggest advantage. She never carried the "Department of No" reputation, because she'd spent years on the other side of it. We get into: 🔹 How she built a cybersecurity ambassador network from 5 departments to 75 ambassadors — and hit 100% training completion 🔹 Why she chose the friendliest people in the business, not the most technical 🔹 The 4 years it took to bring 23 factories and 8,000 employees into the ISMS — and how they scored their best audit ever 🔹 What a real "yes, if" conversation sounds like when the business wants speed 🔹 Tabletop exercises that actually work (hint: ask your execs what keeps them up at night) 🔹 Handling DLP and insider risk without turning security into the police 🚔 🔹 AI agents, guardrails, and why security leaders should be talking to startups 🔹 Her honest answer to "did you ever feel you didn't belong?" — and why that question is only ever asked of women 🔹 Three things any security leader can do in the next 90 days to shift culture

August 20, 2026Episode 10844 min

90 days from technical to IT risk professional

⚠️ One overlooked technical issue could become a major financial, operational or reputational crisis. But what exactly is IT risk, and why do organizations invest so much in managing it? In this episode of The Cyber Weekly Podcast, Deo Okello sits down with IT risk and security professional Peter Muhumuza to break down IT risk in practical, easy-to-understand language. You will learn: 🔍 How technical weaknesses become business risks 📊 How organizations classify and track risks ⚖️ Which risks can be accepted and which require immediate action 🚀 How risk professionals support innovation without becoming “Mr. No” 🤝 Why third-party and vendor risk assessments matter ☁️ The risks created by cloud concentration and AI adoption ✅ Why passing an audit does not mean risk management is complete 📈 How technical professionals can begin transitioning into IT risk within 90 days Peter also explains why effective IT risk management is about more than fixing technical problems. It requires understanding business priorities, regulatory obligations, operational downtime and financial exposure. If you work in cybersecurity, IT, banking, fintech, audit, governance or risk management, this conversation is for you. 👍 Like this episode 💬 Share your biggest IT risk lesson in the comments 🔔 Subscribe to The Cyber Weekly Podcast for more practical cybersecurity conversations 📤 Share this episode with someone interested in IT risk #TheCyberWeekly #ITRisk #RiskManagement #Cybersecurity #InformationSecurity #GRC #ThirdPartyRisk #CloudSecurity #CyberRisk #ITGovernance

August 13, 2026Episode 10741 min

Your Business Is NOT Too Small to Be Hacked 🚨

Think your company is too small for cybercriminals to care about? Think again. 🚨 On this episode of The Cyber Weekly, cybersecurity leader and vCISO Brandon Krieger breaks down what businesses need to understand about cybersecurity right now. We discuss: 🔐 What a fractional vCISO actually does 🤖 Why AI adoption needs security guardrails 🏢 Why small businesses are attractive targets 🛡️ The cybersecurity basics companies often overlook 🔎 Why every organization should consider a security gap assessment 📈 How cybersecurity professionals can work toward becoming a vCISO 💼 Why understanding business is just as important as understanding security Follow Brandon Krieger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonkrieger/ Follow KNSS Consulting Group: https://www.knssconsulting.com Like and Follow our LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thecyberweekly Like and Follow our X page: https://twitter.com/thecyberweekly Brandon makes an important point: cybersecurity professionals must understand the business they are protecting—not just the technology

July 29, 2026Episode 10639 min

The Unexpected Risks of Cloud Security That Experts Are Overlooking

Cybersecurity in the Cloud: The Hidden Threats and Future of Digital Defense If you’re managing cloud infrastructure or responsible for cybersecurity in a hybrid environment, overlooking emerging threats can leave your organization exposed before you even notice the gap. In this episode, Muhiire Bill, a seasoned IT security professional with nearly a decade in financial institutions, reveals the cloud security blind spots most teams miss. From misconfigured cloud resources and weak access controls to API vulnerabilities and social media reconnaissance, this conversation uncovers the real risks hiding behind “secure” systems. Bill also breaks down how organizations can balance usability, compliance, and protection without slowing the business down. You’ll learn: Why misconfigured cloud settings create massive breach risks How multi-factor authentication and role-based access can strengthen defenses Why API security is becoming one of the biggest threats in cloud environments How continuous compliance helps teams stay ahead of attackers Practical ways to align security with real-world operations If you work in IT, security, cloud operations, or leadership, this episode gives you the insight you need to avoid common mistakes and build a stronger security culture. Bill’s experience across financial and manufacturing sectors brings a practical, real-world perspective to one of today’s most important tech conversations. Stay ahead of the curve hit play now.