Megan Brandow

This month’s major breach headline details how healthcare services firm Episource disclosed that threat actors exfiltrated sensitive data belonging to 5.4 million individuals, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and medical details. While the disclosure by Episource—a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group’s (UHG) Optum arm—arrived in mid‑July 2025, the incident traces back to a ransomware intrusion that began January 27, 2025 and remained undetected for ten days. Episource’s announcement follows a brutal year for UHG after the Change Healthcare mega‑breach exposed an estimated 190 million people. The latest event underscores a stubborn reality: as long as protected health information (PHI) can be viewed in plaintext during everyday processing, attackers will keep coming back. What Happened at Episource? According to the breach notice filed with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the attackers gained access to Episource’s network between January 27 and February 6, 2025, siphoning off roughly 6 TB of PHI before deploying […]

Picture this: It’s 3:47 PM on a Thursday, and your wealth management team is scrambling. A member’s investment application from Monday is still sitting in processing because someone needs to manually re-enter the handwritten beneficiary information—for the third time. Meanwhile, the broker-dealer is asking for documentation that’s somewhere in a shared drive, and your newest advisor is spending two hours trying to locate a member’s risk assessment from six months ago. Sound familiar? If you’re nodding, you’re experiencing what we call the “paper profit paradox”—where manual, paper-based operations are literally blocking your wealth management program from reaching its revenue potential. For credit union operational leaders evaluating wealth management technology solutions, the question isn’t whether to implement document automation—it’s which credit union document management system will deliver the fastest ROI while meeting regulatory requirements. After three decades supporting financial services digital transformation, we’ve learned that successful credit unions treat operational efficiency […]

In a world increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure, protecting sensitive information is more critical than ever. Data is vulnerable at different stages—when stored, when moving between systems, and even when being processed (often referred to as data in use, active data, or operational data).  Unfortunately, compliance is typically vague when it comes to data encryption requirements for data at rest and in transit, and there is little mention of encrypting data in use.   There is also a lot of confusion distinguishing between data in transit and data in use. Many security leaders see these states as being one in the same. In reality, they are vastly different and not recognizing the difference will leave an operation’s most valuable data fully exposed to threat.    This blog post breaks down the three primary types of data encryption: Data at Rest, Data in Transit, and Data in Use. We’ll explore why each is […]

Guest post by Heather Lowrie, Paperclip Advisor and Content Contributor   — An introduction to the author: Heather Lowrie is a highly-experienced CISO, keynote speaker, and cybersecurity advocate that serves as an advisor for its SAFE encryption solution. With more than 25 years’ experience across cybersecurity, technology, risk, and resilience, Lowrie has led major digital and security transformations for high-impact public and private sector organizations. Lowrie was recognized by her peers as CISO of the Year at the 2024 SC Awards Europe and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security. “Heather addresses a key challenge in cybersecurity. How do we share sensitive content to meet transparency and threat concerns? Secure multi-party computation is the only way to reach true data-centric collaboration and transparency without exposing private data or trade secrets.” – Chad Walter, Paperclip CRO —   As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and data breaches increase […]

Credit unions are sitting on a $2.8 trillion opportunity in wealth management services that their members are increasingly seeking elsewhere. With the right operational foundation and document management software infrastructure, credit unions can leverage their unique trust advantage to build sustainable revenue streams while deepening member relationships. The Revenue Opportunity That’s Walking Out the Door Every day, credit union members take their wealth management needs to banks, independent advisors, and fintech platforms—representing billions in lost revenue. According to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, households with credit union relationships hold over $2.8 trillion in investable assets, yet most credit unions capture less than 5% of their members’ total financial services business. When members seek wealth management services elsewhere, they’re signaling that your institution may not be their primary financial partner for life’s most important decisions. The Wealth Management Imperative for Credit Unions Credit union membership demographics are shifting toward […]

The opportunity to break into wealth management for credit unions has never been more compelling. As members increasingly seek comprehensive financial guidance beyond traditional banking services, credit unions are uniquely positioned to deliver personalized wealth management with the trust and community focus that defines their mission. Yet for many credit union operations leaders, the prospect of adding wealth management operations feels like a bridge too far. The operational complexity of wealth management can seem overwhelming: new partnerships with broker-dealers, more paperwork, stricter compliance management requirements, and data security standards that go beyond traditional credit union operations. It’s enough to make even the most ambitious credit union pause and wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze. Here’s the truth: With the right operational foundation and credit union wealth management technology, credit unions can successfully launch and scale wealth management services without overwhelming their teams or compromising their member-first values. After […]

Wealth management firms operate as custodians of their clients’ most sensitive financial information—from investment portfolios and estate plans to tax strategies and personal identification details. This privileged position comes with tremendous responsibility: safeguarding these digital assets against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats while maintaining operational efficiency. The stakes are substantial. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023, financial services face an average breach cost of $5.9 million—significantly higher than the global average. For wealth management firms specifically, breaches extend beyond financial losses to damaged reputation, broken client trust, regulatory penalties, and potential legal liability. Simultaneously, the regulatory landscape continues to intensify. The EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), effective January 2025, explicitly mandates encryption of data in use for financial institutions operating in European markets, with similar requirements emerging globally. Data Security Challenges Wealth management operations present unique data security challenges that stem from the industry’s fundamental need […]

Banks remain prime targets for cyber threats due to the wealth of sensitive financial information they store. According to recent data from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), financial institutions face an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape, with cybercrime complaints rising nearly 10% year-over-year and associated financial losses climbing by 22% to exceed $12.5 billion in 2023 alone [1][2]. This trend shows no signs of slowing as attackers continuously evolve their tactics. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Banking institutions maintain vast repositories of highly sensitive customer data—from account numbers and transaction histories to personal identification information. When breaches occur, the consequences extend beyond immediate financial losses to long-term reputational damage and regulatory penalties. In this environment, robust data security frameworks aren’t just beneficial—they’re essential for operational continuity and maintaining customer trust. Current Security Landscape The Expanding Threat Surface Today’s banking sector faces a multifaceted threat landscape characterized by increasingly sophisticated […]

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, companies continuously play catch-up, while cybercriminals thrive by exploiting vulnerabilities. In 2024 alone, over a billion records were compromised by cybercrime, costing the world an estimated $9.5 trillion USD—an involuntary digital tax of approximately $4,604 per family of four. Clearly, being online is becoming increasingly expensive and riskier each year. The Innovation Race: Accelerating Risk in Data Security Solutions As we advance into 2025, the allure of artificial intelligence and quantum computing captures the world’s attention. Companies eager to stay competitive rush toward technological adoption, often prioritizing speed over robust data security solutions. This leaves sensitive data management outsourced to third-party operational platform providers who may not adequately prioritize security. Understanding Operational Platform Providers and Their Data Security Management Operational platform providers efficiently process vast amounts of sensitive data across industries such as insurance, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. Unfortunately, many providers still lack comprehensive […]