Security expert Chris Castaldo joins Stitch as Security Advisor

Security expert Chris Castaldo, CISO at Crossbeam, author of Start-Up Secure, and Visiting Fellow at the National Security Institute, joins Stitch as a Security Advisor assisting the team in maintaining world-class security standards as we scale.

At Stitch, we take the safety and security of our clients and their end-users extremely seriously. As such, we’re constantly working to improve our security practices and standards.

We’re pleased to announce that Chris Castaldo has joined our team in an advisory capacity to help guide and inform our implementation of the latest security best practices.

Meet Chris Castaldo

Having spent his entire career in the cybersecurity space, Chris served ten years at the National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States before leaving active duty to pursue work in the private sector. Recognising that many companies face disadvantages when it comes to advanced attackers, he set out to build cybersecurity programmes that can help to defend startups against security-related threats.

The best-selling author of Start-Up Secure: Baking Cybersecurity into your Company from Founding to Exit, Chris is an expert on building cybersecurity in startups and a transformational cybersecurity executive focused on creating innovative, revenue-focused solutions that can enable businesses to scale securely.

Currently the Chief Information Security Officer at Crossbeam, Chris also spends much of his time advising startups, like Stitch, to understand what to look out for when it comes to potential attacks and the various measures needed to mitigate risks and protect our clients and their users.

The importance of security in the fintech industry

The financial and banking industries are some of the most highly regulated spaces, and although regulation differs between countries and jurisdictions, when it comes to people’s finances, it’s imperative that the correct security measures are in place.

Today, the majority of cyber-attacks are financially motivated, and with over 26,000 fintech startups worldwide – many of which manage users’ data and money – the risk of falling victim to a hack is much higher than in previous years. Additionally, like many SaaS companies, most fintechs find themselves operating in a B2B and B2B2C environment, requiring a highly sophisticated and nuanced approach to security.

The growth of fintech means more and more people are interacting with financial products outside of traditional banking, where standardised regulations have been in place for decades. To ensure consumer and organisational safety, remaining up to date with the latest cybersecurity standards is an absolute necessity.

When customers interact with Stitch via our clients, we work hard to ensure they’re able to do so easily, but most importantly, safely and securely. Find out more about our Terms of Service and Data Practices.

Keep an eye on our blog to find out more about how we’re committed to upholding security best practices in the fintech space.