Jim Stickley has broken into more than 1,000 financial institutions, stolen countless credit card numbers, created fake ATMs, and hacked hundreds of Social Security numbers.

But he’s no criminal.

Stickley, CEO of Stickley on Security, is a cybersecurity expert credit unions and other companies hire to test their security vulnerabilities and readiness.

Typically, companies’ biggest failing is a lack of awareness among staff, he says.

“If you don’t know about all of these scams, you’re going to fall victim,” Stickley says. “Education is such an important part of any security policy. You can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on all sorts of cool security products and tools, but all it takes is one employee to make one mistake.”

Typically, employees go wrong by clicking on a link or an attachment in an email.

“It’s not that people are stupid,” Stickley says. “They’re just not aware of the latest trends, the latest risks, and the latest scams out there. Our goal is to educate staff and members so they’re aware of what the risks are day to day.”

In this CUNA News Podcast episode, Stickley explains the biggest cybersecurity risks facing credit unions, the board’s role in security, what it’s like to break into a financial institution (“It’s a crazy rush”), and how he protects his personal information.

You can listen and subscribe to the CUNA News Podcast in Apple's iTunes Store, Google Play, and Stitcher Radio.