CYBER KOALIFIED
AS CYBER SECURITY PROFESSIONALS, IT IS OFTEN EXPECTED THAT WE ARE EITHER A “JACK/JILL OF ALL TRADES AND A MASTER OF NONE”.
Our team are having fun with this concept in 2025. As you visit one of our conference booths this year, decide for yourself which “Cygence Cyber Koala” you wish to be and get Cyber-Koalified by our team! There are 10 cyber koala personas to choose from (detailed and pictured below), so choose wisely…
CYGENCE CYBER KOALAS
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SNOWY
The Cyber Scout
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Buttercup
The Cyber Unicorn
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Maverick
The Top Gun of Cyber Security
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Nellie
The Cyber Hula Dancer
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Gandalf
The Cyber Wizard
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Ariel
The Cyber Mermaid Rebel
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Jacques
The Cyber Scuba Diver
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Candy
The Cyber Cheerleader
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Spider
The Cyber Ice Cream Fiend
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Bob
The Cyber Builder and Architect
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Kurt the Koala
The Calm Commander
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Role: Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst
Cyber Persona: The Trusted Pathfinder
Snowy constantly scans the cyber landscape for threats, vulnerabilities, and potential attacks. He tracks threat actor behavior and maps out adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Snowy provides timely alerts to operations teams and informs incident response.
He’s highly dependable, even in high-stress or ambiguous cyber environments. Excellent OSINT, SIGINT, and HUMINT collection skills.
Personal Vibe: Cool under pressure, Snowy is the team's reconnaissance expert, always a step ahead and guiding others through digital storms.
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Role: Full Spectrum Cyber Security (Red & Blue Team, SecDevOps and Policy)
Cyber Persona: The Ultimate All-Rounder
Buttercup bridges the gap between offence and defence: penetration testing, code reviews, architecture design, and incident response. She is equally fluent in technical tasks and governance, risk and compliance (GRC). She mentors junior analysts and drives cross-functional synergies
She’s the master of multiple domains in cyber security.
She’s rare and highly sought-after due to a blend of technical and soft skills.
Personal Vibe: Buttercup shines wherever needed - adaptabnpe, rate and inspiring awe wherever she goes.
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Role: Red Team Leader
Cyber Persona: The Cyber Daredevil
Maverick leads advanced red team operations to simulate adversary attacks. He develops and uses custom exploits and tooling to test enterprise resilience.
He debriefs stakeholders with high-impact, high-adrenaline results.
Maverick is a bold, calculated risk-taker. His utilises sharp reflexes in high-stakes engagements, with elite penetration testing and social engineering skills.
Personal Vibe: Maverick flies solo or leads a squad with precision. High-speed, low-drag hacker with flair.
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Role: Cyber Security Awareness and Training
Cyber Persona: The Cultural Communicator
Nellie designs and delivers engaging security training across organisations. She translates complex security concepts into digestible, interactive content. She promotes a culture of cyber security that goes beyond awareness.
Nellie is a charismatic communicator with a creative edge. She has all the "moves" to get buy-in from diverse audiences.
Personal Vibe: Nellie dances between teams and departments, weaving cyber security into the fabric of the company through joy and rhythm.
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Role: Senior Cyber Security Advisor
Cyber Persona: The Wise Strategist
Gandalf defines the security vision and aligns it with business strategy. He advises on emerging threats, policy decisions, and long-term planning. He leads major incident responses with calm, experienced authority. He possesses deep knowledge of cyber security frameworks, risk management, and governance.
Gandalf is a mentor to the team and the go-to for ancient wisdom and future-proof insights.
Personal Vibe: Gandalf doesn’t just protect the perimeter—he watches the horizon. A sage who commands respect and guides with purpose.
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Role: Privacy Expert and Security UX Designer
Cyber Persona: The Empathic Challenger
Ariel designs user-centric security interfaces and workflows. She advocates for user privacy and ethical design in security practices. Ariel bridges the worlds of usability and secure-by-design development. Ariel is bold, curious, and questions the status quo. She advocates for users who often feel out of place in tech-heavy environments.
Personal Vibe: Ariel dares to dream of a world where humans and security systems live harmoniously. She's the voice for the unheard.
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Role: Malware Reverse Engineer / Forensic Analyst
Cyber Persona: The Digital Deep-Sea Explorer
Jacques explores and dissects malware samples to understand payload, C2 channels, and persistence. He dives deep into memory dumps, file systems, and volatile data for forensic investigation. Jacques provides attribution and remediations post-breach.
Jacques is analytical and unafraid of complex, low-level code or obscure cybercrime tactics.
He is investigative by nature with strong low-level technical prowess.
Personal Vibe: Jacques lives in the depths of code, discovering dangers and digital treasures others fear to touch.
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Role: Cybersecurity Project Coordinator / Team Culture Champion
Cyber Persona: The Motivational Force
Candy boosts morale, team engagement, and cross-functional collaboration. She coordinates projects, ensures alignment, and celebrates wins.
Candy champions diversity, inclusion, and recognition. High EQ, organizational skills, and natural enthusiasm.
Candy keeps the team energised and connected, especially during long sprints or incidents.
Personal Vibe: Candy is the heartbeat of the team—pumping positivity and keeping everyone in sync.
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Role: Security Engineer and Automation Specialist
Cyber Persona: The Sweet Spinner
Spider creates scripts, tools, and automated systems for vulnerability scanning, SIEM rules, and alerting.
He keeps a balance between high-security and usability. Spider is an efficient coder who crafts fun, effective solutions to serious problems. He knows that cyber security should be secure and delightful.
Personal Vibe: Spider’s web catches threats before anyone notices, all while adding a scoop of fun to the job.
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Role: Security Solutions Architect
Cyber Persona: The Digital Constructor
Bob designs secure systems, infrastructure, and enterprise security architecture.
He works with DevOps, cloud, and software teams to embed security from the ground up. He evaluates and selects tools, frameworks, and design patterns.
He has a strong technical architecture background with a passion for building secure systems that scale. He’s a pragmatic, structured thinker who’s always hands-on.
Personal Vibe: “Can he fix it?” Yes, Bob can—and he’ll build it better. The architect of safe digital spaces.
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Role: As the top cyber leader, Kurt is responsible for the strategic direction, governance, and operational leadership of the entire cyber security function. He combines wisdom from decades in the field with a deeply protective instinct for his team and organisation. Kurt embodies both the vision and the guardianship of enterprise security.
Cyber Persona: The Calm Commander
Personal Vibe: Kurt is the wise protector of the cyber forest. Like a true OG, he’s been there, done that, and wrote the playbook. He’s known for his no-drama leadership, long memory, and ability to calmly lift the team through stormy skies.
He leads with empathy, commands with presence, and protects with precision.