Lessons - The Man Who Protects Millions of Dollars Online Every Day | John Downey - CISO at GoFundMe (Fmr PayPal)

About this episode

John Downey discusses the ongoing cybersecurity threats and the importance of human behavior in organizational security.

➡️ Like The Podcast? Leave A Rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/successstory In this "Lessons" episode, John Downey, CISO at GoFundMe and former PayPal security leader, breaks down why cybersecurity threats continue to thrive and how human behavior remains the biggest vulnerability. He explains how most attacks aren’t sophisticated break-ins but simple, opportunistic attempts that exploit weak passwords, lack of multi-factor authentication, and poor security habits. John highlights practical steps organizations can take—like enforcing strong password hygiene, enabling MFA, and securing devices—to dramatically reduce risk. He also emphasizes the importance of building a culture of trust and psychological safety, where employees feel empowered to question suspicious activity and speak up, ultimately strengthening the organization’s first line of defense. ➡️ Show Links https://successstorypodcast.com YouTube: https://youtu.be/Rv6oHZno4Ik Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/john-downey-chief-information-security-officer-at-gofundme/id1484783544/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3knf32b2M5sLIwLPETZQaP ➡️ Watch the Podcast on YouTube…

People in this episode

Host: Scott D. Clary

Guest: John Downey

Topics covered

• cybersecurity
• human behavior
• risk management
• organizational culture
• password hygiene
• multi-factor authentication

Keywords

• cybersecurity
• vulnerabilities
• passwords
• multi-factor authentication
• security culture
• risk reduction

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: GoFundMe, PayPal

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