Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share The Next Cyber War Will Be Fought by AI | Zakir Durumeric | Ep 13
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
The Next Cyber War Will Be Fought by AI | Zakir Durumeric | Ep 13
In this episode of Inside the Silicon Mind, Zakir Durumeric, Co-founder and CEO of Censys, shares how he went from academic research at the University of Michigan to building one of the world’s leading internet security companies. He recounts the creation of ZMAP, a groundbreaking tool that made large-scale internet scanning possible, and how Censys now helps governments and enterprises uncover hidden risks in real time.
Zakir dives into the evolving role of AI in cybersecurity - automating detection, exposing new attack surfaces, and reshaping how engineers think about defense. The conversation explores first-principles thinking, the balance between customer needs and technical vision, and what it takes to turn deep research into a lasting company at the front lines of digital trust.
Episode Highlights:
00:00 Introduction to Zakir Durumeric and Censys
03:04 Navigating Customer Demands and Technical Vision
06:05 The Journey from Research to Product Development
09:02 Understanding Customer Needs and Market Dynamics
12:00 ZMAP: Revolutionizing Internet Scanning
14:58 Use Cases and Customer Applications of Censys
17:56 Balancing Technical and Market Needs
21:08 Achieving Product-Market Fit
23:58 The Role of AI in Cybersecurity
26:51 VPN Threats and Censys's Protective Measures
28:22 The Potential and Limitations of AI in Cybersecurity
35:15 AI as a Target: Security Risks and Challenges
37:57 The Evolution of Engineering Talent in the Age of AI
44:01 First Principles Thinking in Computer Science
47:41 Integrating Data Sources for Enhanced Security
Book Recommendations:
Palo Alto, by Malcolm Harris
Follow Zakir on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakird/
-------------------------------------
Inside The Silicon Mind
-------------------------------------
Podcast Links:
Spotify: https://bit.ly/spotify-itsm
Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/apple-itsm
Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/amazon-itsm
Social Links:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/inside-the-silicon-mind
Instagram: https://instagram.com/insidethesiliconmind
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@insidethesiliconmind
X: https://x.com/InSiliconMind
Website Links:
https://insidethesiliconmind.com/
https://www.harrisonclarke.com/
https://www.harrisonclarkeventures.com/
https://www.ceranalabs.com/
https://thepmfplaybook.com/
View all episodes
By Firas SozanIn this episode of Inside the Silicon Mind, Zakir Durumeric, Co-founder and CEO of Censys, shares how he went from academic research at the University of Michigan to building one of the world’s leading internet security companies. He recounts the creation of ZMAP, a groundbreaking tool that made large-scale internet scanning possible, and how Censys now helps governments and enterprises uncover hidden risks in real time.
Zakir dives into the evolving role of AI in cybersecurity - automating detection, exposing new attack surfaces, and reshaping how engineers think about defense. The conversation explores first-principles thinking, the balance between customer needs and technical vision, and what it takes to turn deep research into a lasting company at the front lines of digital trust.
Episode Highlights:
00:00 Introduction to Zakir Durumeric and Censys
03:04 Navigating Customer Demands and Technical Vision
06:05 The Journey from Research to Product Development
09:02 Understanding Customer Needs and Market Dynamics
12:00 ZMAP: Revolutionizing Internet Scanning
14:58 Use Cases and Customer Applications of Censys
17:56 Balancing Technical and Market Needs
21:08 Achieving Product-Market Fit
23:58 The Role of AI in Cybersecurity
26:51 VPN Threats and Censys's Protective Measures
28:22 The Potential and Limitations of AI in Cybersecurity
35:15 AI as a Target: Security Risks and Challenges
37:57 The Evolution of Engineering Talent in the Age of AI
44:01 First Principles Thinking in Computer Science
47:41 Integrating Data Sources for Enhanced Security
Book Recommendations:
Palo Alto, by Malcolm Harris
Follow Zakir on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakird/
-------------------------------------
Inside The Silicon Mind
-------------------------------------
Podcast Links:
Spotify: https://bit.ly/spotify-itsm
Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/apple-itsm
Amazon Music: https://bit.ly/amazon-itsm
Social Links:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/inside-the-silicon-mind
Instagram: https://instagram.com/insidethesiliconmind
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@insidethesiliconmind
X: https://x.com/InSiliconMind
Website Links:
https://insidethesiliconmind.com/
https://www.harrisonclarke.com/
https://www.harrisonclarkeventures.com/
https://www.ceranalabs.com/
https://thepmfplaybook.com/