Risky Business Risky Biz Soap Box: Why Mastercard is scaling its cybersecurity business
Oct 16, 2025
In this insightful discussion, Johan Gerber, Executive Vice President at Mastercard, dives deep into the company’s strategic pivot into cybersecurity. He reveals why Mastercard invested $2.65 billion in threat intelligence, explaining their proactive measures against fraud and malware, including dark web monitoring. Johan shares how they collaborate with banks and governments, and discusses the impact of ransomware on small businesses. He also touches on the role of AI in enhancing defensive strategies against evolving cyber threats.
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Prevent Fraud By Shifting Left
- Mastercard sees fraud prevention as needing upstream, preventative action beyond the transaction layer.
- Johan Gerber argues cyber and identity checks must shift left to stop fraud earlier in the ecosystem.
Card Network Sees Limited Customer Data
- Mastercard's network sees limited PII: card tokens, amounts, merchant, date and time, but not buyer details or basket contents.
- That limited visibility forces Mastercard to combine external cyber intel with transaction signals to act proactively.
Mass ATM Heist Example
- Johan recounts a 2013 attack where malware forced an ATM authorization system to approve withdrawals.
- The criminals used 300 people across 26 countries to withdraw millions in minutes.