Credit Union Information Security Podcast

Gail Mikolich stumbled into a banking career 23 years ago. Today, she is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Northeast Bank, a $400 million community bank based in Minneapolis.

In a discussion about careers in banking, Mikolich touches upon:

Mikolich has overall responsibility for the executive offices, operations, information systems, security, fixed assets, account services, electronic banking and teller departments at Northeast Bank. She also coordinates the bank's audit and loan review functions. She is a 23-year employee of the institution.

So, how should businesses and government agencies prepare for the expected widespread return of the H1N1 virus?

Regina Phelps, a noted expert in pandemic preparedness, updates us on H1N1, discussing:

Phelps is an internationally recognized expert in the field of emergency management and continuity planning. With over 26 years of experience, she has provided consultation and educational speaking services to clients in four continents. She is founder of Emergency Management & Safety Solutions, a consulting company specializing in emergency management, continuity planning and safety.

Rob Lee, a director with Mandiant and curriculum lead for digital forensic training at SANS Institute, discusses:

Lee has more than 13 years experience in computer forensics, vulnerability and exploit discovery, intrusion detection/prevention, and incident response. Rob graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served in the U.S. Air Force as a founding member of the 609th Information Warfare Squadron, the first U.S. military operational unit focused on Information Operations. Later, he was a member of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations where he conducted computer crime investigations, incident response, and computer forensics. Prior to joining MANDIANT, he directly worked with a variety of government agencies in the law enforcement, Dept. of Defense, and intelligence communities where he was the technical lead for a vulnerability discovery and exploit development team, lead for a cyber forensics branch, and led a computer forensic and security software development team. Rob also coauthored the bestselling book, Know Your Enemy, 2nd Edition. Rob earned his MBA from Georgetown University. Finally, Rob was awarded the "Digital Forensic Examiner of the Year" from the Forensic 4Cast 2009 Awards.

So, how should banks respond to this alert and assist their business customers?

Doug Johnson of the American Bankers Association addresses:

Johnson serves as Senior Policy Analyst for the American Bankers Association, where his public policy responsibilities include payments system technology and the relationship between technology, privacy, and security. He also advises the ABA and its members on a variety of other matters, including social security reform, real estate brokerage, mortgage finance, and public funds.

The Heartland Payment Systems and Network Solutions data breaches have thrust the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) into the spotlight, raising the question: Does PCI compliance help in the fight against fraud?

David Taylor, founder of PCI Knowledge Base, recently administered new research on PCI compliance, and in an exclusive interview he discusses:

Taylor founded the PCI Knowledge Base and before that the PCI Alliance. He has worked with many leading edge companies as an analyst for Gartner for 14 years. The PCI Knowledge Base is a Research Community which shares information and knowledge to help merchants, banks and other organizations achieve PCI compliance.

For years, this is how banking institutions have responded to robberies - with an attitude of compliance.

But in Seattle, the local division of the FBI has turned this attitude on its heels with SafeCatch, a program designed to train bank employees to spot and deter potential robberies before they even occur.

In an exclusive interview about SafeCatch, FBI Special Agent Larry Carr discusses:

Carr is the bank robbery coordinator within the FBI's Seattle office. He is credited with creating the SafeCatch program.

Since 2006, Carr has provided SafeCatch training to some 40 Washington State financial institutions -- roughly 400 bank branches and 3,000 employees. Last year, Seattle saw a 51 percent decrease in the number of bank robberies from its 1996-2006 average of approximately 300 robberies annually.

This is the message from Mary Monahan, Managing Partner and Research Director at Javelin Strategy & Research. In a discussion of current data breach trends, Monahan touches upon:

Monahan has 10 years of financial services industry experience. Her banking background includes extensive managerial experience working with growth businesses, strategizing and implementing cross-sectional financial plans to accommodate multiple projective scenarios. As a college educator, Ms. Monahan's work focused on current issues in accounting and economics.

Javelin, based in the San Francisco Bay area, provides direction on key facts and forces that materially determine the success of customer-facing financial services, payments and security initiatives.

Matthew Speare of M&T Bank, which recently acquired Provident Bank, discusses:

Speare oversees security for M & T Bank Corporation, the nation's 17th largest bank holding company, based in Buffalo, New York. He is responsible for developing and sustaining an information risk program that effectively protects the personal information of millions of M & T Bank customers. His responsibilities include information security management, IT compliance and risk management, corporate emergency and incident response, and business continuity management.

Matt is also a Major in the Army National Guard, serving as the 42nd Infantry Division Aviation Operations Officer, and is a AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter pilot.

Today, the ranks have swollen to over 100 CAE-designated schools, and information assurance professionals are much better prepared to tackle the cybersecurity challenges we face.

Dickie George, Information Assurance Technical Director within the NSA, discusses:

George began at the National Security Agency in August 1970 after graduating from Dartmouth College. He started in the Crypto-Math Intern Program, having tours in Research, the SIGINT Directorate, and the Information Assurance Directorate's (IAD) predecessor organization. Except for a tour in the Signals Intelligence Directorate (SID) and one at the Center for Communications Research in Princeton, he has worked in the IAD since 1973, and has served as the Technical Director of the IAD since 2003.