Dr. Eric Cole - Former McAfee CTO | No One Is Safe Anymore
Wed Feb 04 2026
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Dr. Eric Cole is a cybersecurity expert, entrepreneur, and bestselling author with over three decades of experience in the industry. His career has advanced from starting as a professional hacker for the CIA to becoming a commissioner on cybersecurity for the Obama administration. He has served as chief technology officer at McAfee and chief scientist at Lockheed Martin Corporation, and his accomplishments have earned him an induction into the Information Security Hall of Fame. Cole is the founder and CEO of Secure Anchor Consulting and has authored multiple books on cybersecurity, with his latest work, Cyber Crisis, debuting as a bestseller. He holds a doctorate in information technology from Pace University and multiple degrees in computer science from New York Institute of Technology, and he is a sought-after keynote speaker who advises Fortune 500 companies and world leaders on cybersecurity strategy.
➡️ Show Links
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https://www.youtube.com/c/DrEricCole/
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➡️ Talking Points
00:00 – Intro
01:24 – The End of Passwords
09:58 – Can Humans Be Trained Out of Being Hacked
14:12 – How Phishing Really Works
21:07 – How Vulnerable Is the Average Person
26:09 – Why Convenience Always Beats Security
29:34 – Simple Cybersecurity Rules Everyone Should Follow
34:17 – Why the World Needs Global Cyber Laws
47:13 – Sponsor Break
49:44 – Hacking a Nuclear Reactor in 37 Seconds
57:41 – Why Deepfakes Are a Real Threat
1:07:40 – What a Real Cyber War Could Look Like
1:15:39 – How We Can Defend Against Cyber Threats
1:23:38 – Lessons from Working with the Gates Foundation
1:28:16 – Sponsor Break
1:30:10 – Can the US Win the Cyber War
1:33:39 – Why AI Without Safeguards Is Dangerous
1:45:52 – The One Lesson Eric Would Teach His Kids
1:48:51 – Lessons Learned from Powerful People
1:53:18 – Eric’s Mission Today
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➡️ Join 321,000 people who read my free weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.scottdclary.com ➡️ Like The Podcast? Leave A Rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/successstory Dr. Eric Cole is a cybersecurity expert, entrepreneur, and bestselling author with over three decades of experience in the industry. His career has advanced from starting as a professional hacker for the CIA to becoming a commissioner on cybersecurity for the Obama administration. He has served as chief technology officer at McAfee and chief scientist at Lockheed Martin Corporation, and his accomplishments have earned him an induction into the Information Security Hall of Fame. Cole is the founder and CEO of Secure Anchor Consulting and has authored multiple books on cybersecurity, with his latest work, Cyber Crisis, debuting as a bestseller. He holds a doctorate in information technology from Pace University and multiple degrees in computer science from New York Institute of Technology, and he is a sought-after keynote speaker who advises Fortune 500 companies and world leaders on cybersecurity strategy. ➡️ Show Links https://www.instagram.com/drericcole/ https://x.com/drericcole/ https://www.youtube.com/c/DrEricCole/ ➡️ Podcast Sponsors Hubspot - https://hubspot.com/ Huel - https://huel.com/scott (Code: scott) The Ross Simmonds Show - https://podcasts.apple.com/kz/podcast/the-ross-simmonds-show/id1653650073 NetSuite - https://netsuite.com/scottclary/ Indeed - https://indeed.com/clary Framer - https://framer.com/design (Code: SuccessStory) LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/success Wix - https://wix.com/ NorthWest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/paidsuccess BELAY - https://belaysolutions.com (Text ‘scott’ at 55123) Gusto - https://gusto.com/successstory Lennar - https://www.lennar.com/ ➡️ Talking Points 00:00 – Intro 01:24 – The End of Passwords 09:58 – Can Humans Be Trained Out of Being Hacked 14:12 – How Phishing Really Works 21:07 – How Vulnerable Is the Average Person 26:09 – Why Convenience Always Beats Security 29:34 – Simple Cybersecurity Rules Everyone Should Follow 34:17 – Why the World Needs Global Cyber Laws 47:13 – Sponsor Break 49:44 – Hacking a Nuclear Reactor in 37 Seconds 57:41 – Why Deepfakes Are a Real Threat 1:07:40 – What a Real Cyber War Could Look Like 1:15:39 – How We Can Defend Against Cyber Threats 1:23:38 – Lessons from Working with the Gates Foundation 1:28:16 – Sponsor Break 1:30:10 – Can the US Win the Cyber War 1:33:39 – Why AI Without Safeguards Is Dangerous 1:45:52 – The One Lesson Eric Would Teach His Kids 1:48:51 – Lessons Learned from Powerful People 1:53:18 – Eric’s Mission Today