Black Hat and DefCon

The annual "security summer camp" that is made up of the Black Hat and DefCon conferences is just past and the security analyst team, Scott Crawford, Dan Kennedy, Justin Lam and Mark Ehr, join host Eric Hanselman to examine what they saw and discuss the implications. Despite the heat of a Las Vegas summer, it's become bigger than the two main conferences, with a number of side events, like B-Sides, there's a lot going on. AI conversations are evolving and maturing. We've mostly moved beyond blaming user foibles for breaches, but AI is expanding the attack surface with new and more complex tactics for user manipulation. AI is lowering the barriers for attackers. The days of script kiddies have morphed into Claude Code-fueled attack development.

The larger question is how security vendors are responding to AI risks. Claims that tier 1 security analysts should start looking for another job just seem irresponsible in the current environment. AI augmentation can reduce toil and digest the masses of events that security teams struggle to deal with today. At the same time, AI is scaling attack volumes. It's the constant hegemony that's always played out at the core of security.

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• Data Security Market Monitor & Forecast
• CNAPP matures into full-spectrum security solution

Credits:

• Host/Author: Eric Hanselman
• Guests: Scott Crawford, Dan Kennedy, Justin Lam, Mark Ehr
• Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky
• Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith