EP 551 Cybersecurity Reality Check - with Daniel Metcalf

Cybercriminals don’t need to “hack” our systems when they can trick someone into handing over access, and AI is making those tricks more realistic and scalable. We talk with Daniel Metcalfe of Cyberfin about where benefits advisors are most exposed and the layered, practical steps that reduce breach risk while still letting teams use AI responsibly. • why employee and employer data is “gold” to attackers • how advisors get used as a pathway to bigger targets • why MFA and antivirus alone don’t stop social engineering • where agencies are most vulnerable today: email credentials and tool connections • what “layered” user-based protection looks like in real life • why password managers change the social engineering game • how ongoing security awareness training finds gaps faster than annual check-the-box training • why cloud storage is not the same as encrypted backups • how AI is already being used inside agencies without formal approval • practical AI wins that avoid sensitive data and improve efficiency • what client expectations are becoming in an AI world and why relationships still matter