On the 25th episode of Enterprise AI Defenders, hosts Evan Reiser and Mike Britton, both executives at Abnormal Security, talk with Joshua Brown, former Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at H&R Block. H&R Block is one of the largest tax preparation companies in the United States, with tens of millions of customers relying on its services each year. Managing security for a global tax enterprise requires defending against large-scale fraud, identity theft, and AI-powered social engineering attacks—all while ensuring compliance with strict regulatory requirements. In this conversation, Joshua discusses how AI is accelerating cyber attacks, the challenges of using AI for fraud detection in financial services, and the impact of automation on the next generation of cybersecurity teams.
Quick hits from Joshua:
On the state of fraud in financial services and how AI can help: “If you're talking about a normal year, you might see a thousand potentially fraudulent returns, and then suddenly it jumps up to a million or more. You don’t have enough analysts to look through that. It’s not possible. You have to do something with machine learning or AI to be able to narrow that down and help make faster decisions.”
On balancing the need for efficiency and the need for future talent in cybersecurity: “I think businesses are so hungry for efficiency that they risk gutting their talent pipelines. If we’re not careful, we’re going to end up with a senior workforce and no way to develop new security talent.”
On leadership strategy in security: “How you motivate a team is by connecting them with the why of what they’re doing and letting them figure out the how. That’s why you hire people smarter than you, right? It’s not so that everybody does things the way you do it.”
Book Recommendation: Right Kind of Wrong by Amy Edmondson
--
Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enterprise AI Defenders is a show where top security executives share how moves to the cloud have created an evolved threat landscape that requires new tools to protect against cybercrime. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/
Enterprise AI Defenders is produced by Josh Meer.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.