Why the Human Layer Is Cybersecurity's Real Battleground with Sarah Gosler, Head of Cyber Resiliency and Human Defense at Wells Fargo
Show notes
Recorded live at Black Hat 2026, this episode features Sarah Gosler, Managing Director and Head of Cyber Resiliency and Human Defense at Wells Fargo. Sarah explains why humans are the largest attack surface and how—when AI has industrialized social engineering and cybersecurity is an "everybody problem"—the role of the CISO has shifted to encompass both the technical and the operational. Sarah makes the case that the more automated attacks get, the more the human side of defense matters.
Before Wells Fargo, Sarah was Global Head of Cyber Human Defense and Readiness Products at BNY Mellon, where she built the firm's first commercial cyber product and earned two patents for a dynamic wargaming system. A former chief marketing officer, she brings a user-experience lens to cyber defense and is a featured cast member in Semperis’ new documentary Midnight in the War Room.
Guest Bio Sarah Gosler is a senior cybersecurity executive focused on cyber resiliency and the human dimension of institutional risk. Her work is grounded in a simple premise: systems break — what matters is whether the organization holds.
As Managing Director and Head of Cyber Resiliency & Human Defense at Wells Fargo, Sarah leads initiatives that strengthen how the firm prepares for and responds to cyber incidents. She integrates advanced wargaming, human defense strategy, and behavioral science to enhance institutional coordination, executive decision-making, and organizational performance under stress.
Previously, at the Bank of New York, she built and scaled the firm’s global Cyber Human Defense program and pioneered its first commercial cyber readiness product, earning two patents in cyber wargaming and advancing industry approaches to social engineering resilience.
Sarah is a frequent keynote speaker, media contributor, and published author of white papers on the psychological and organizational dimensions of cyber risk. She is widely recognized for bridging technical resilience with executive leadership and dynamics — shaping how financial institutions address cyber as both a technological and human challenge.
With more than two decades at the intersection of finance, technology, and organizational performance, Sarah continues to influence the global conversation on institutional resilience, crisis leadership, and the evolving human front line of cyber defense.
Guest Quote “I'm such a big advocate of making sure people don't say that humans are the weakest link. Humans represent the largest attack surface of any company. And so, if you think about it, if that's the biggest attack surface, but you're calling it the weakest link, you're really setting yourself up to fail.”
Time stamps 00:30 Meet Sarah Gosler 03:46 Why Weakest Link Is the Wrong Framing 06:18 A Marketing Approach to Cybersecurity 07:30 The Cyber Villains Series 10:02 Cyber Is an Everybody Problem 14:36 Deepfakes on the Rise 15:32 Safe Words as a Cyber Defense 16:41 Sarah's Video Game Creation at BNY Mellon 20:09 The Industrialization of Social Engineering 23:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Sponsor The HIP Podcast is brought to you by Semperis, the leader in identity-driven cyber resilience for the hybrid enterprise. Trusted by the world’s leading businesses, Semperis protects critical Active Directory and Entra ID environments from cyberattacks, ensuring rapid recovery and business continuity when every second counts. Visit semperis.com to learn more.
Links Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn
Midnight in the War Room tells the story of cyber defenders on the front lines. See this pioneering documentary at an upcoming screening near you: https://www.semperis.com/midnight-in-the-war-room/events/