AI is redrawing the economic map while vendors rush to “platformize” and attackers weaponize LLMs. Leaders must push for real platforms (shared data planes + policy layers), avoid “platform-in-name-only” lock-in, and prepare for agentic threats like PromptLock.

(00:00) Introduction — Why this week matters: AI divide, platformization reality check, agentic ransomware.

(02:10) Topic 1 — The AI Divide; Anthropic’s index shows productivity clustering in high-adoption regions; implications for hiring, policy, and multi-national execution.

(12:00) Topic 2 — Platformization & Consolidation; CrowdStrike–Pangea and Check Point–Lakera signal AI-security land grab; what “true platform” means; buyer guardrails.

(22:40) Topic 3 — PromptLock & Agentic Threats; ransomware that personalizes and negotiates; how to update IR/comms playbooks.

(31:30) Closing — Play offense: evidence-based platformization, workforce redesign, agentic blue-team prep.

• Anthropic: Economic Index — global AI adoption & productivity
• HR Grapevine: Zoom chief predicts three-day workweeks & role erosion
• Wall Street Journal: CrowdStrike to buy AI security company Pangea
• CyberScoop: Check Point to acquire Lakera for AI security
• ESET / WeLiveSecurity: PromptLock ransomware uses ChatGPT/LLMs
• AI Darwin Awards: Taco Bell drive-thru fiasco
• Venture in Security (Ross Haleliuk): Consolidation & platformization essays | LinkedIn activity

NIST AI RMF — governance + risk controls: https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework

OWASP GenAI / LLM Top 10 — threat categories: https://genai.owasp.org/llm-top-10/

Key Topics & TimestampsResources & ReferencesArticles / StudiesTools / Frameworks

Quick Take (TL;DR)

This episode examines the evolving cybersecurity economy, the impact of AI on security roles and investments, and why trust, adaptability, and community are more crucial than ever for security leaders.

Key Topics & Timestamps

• (00:00) Introduction — Mike’s journey as the first security hire at a FinTech and the realities of building trust in security leadership.
• (04:32) Security Leadership — Strategies for first-time CISOs, balancing technical depth with business needs, and the importance of level-setting expectations.
• (08:36) The Cybersecurity Economy — Mike’s five-pillar framework: investment, government, regulation, labor market, and community.
• (13:07) AI’s Impact — How AI is reshaping security investments, the rise of AI-enabled tools, and the explosion of red teaming for AI applications.
• (20:09) Evolving Roles — The growing importance of AI governance, the dual mandate for CISOs, and the enduring need for fundamentals like authentication and identity.
• (34:34) Mike’s advice on building a personal brand, sharing experiences.
• (41:27) The future of Return on Security.
• (43:44) Closing

Guest Spotlight

Mike Privette is the founder of Return on Security, recognized as the industry’s first cybersecurity economist. He’s known for his in-depth analysis of funding trends, M&A, and the shifting landscape of security and AI. Mike’s work has been featured at B-Sides and followed by thousands of industry leaders.

Connect with Mike: LinkedIn | Newsletter.

Resources & References

Articles / Studies

• Mike’s annual cybersecurity funding reports: Return on Security Newsletter

Tools / Frameworks

• AI Red Teaming (general concept, not a specific tool)
• Mike’s Five-Pillar Cybersecurity Economy Framework (investment, government, regulation, labor, community)

Call to Action

• Conor Sherman — LinkedIn | Website | Sysdig;
• Stuart Mitchell — LinkedIn | Website.
• Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Website

Summary

In this episode, Conor Sherman and Stuart Mitchell discuss the evolving landscape of education, job markets, and AI regulation. They explore the implications of Gen Z's shifting attitudes towards college, the impact of AI on job security, and the recent endorsement of AI safety legislation by Anthropic. The conversation also delves into the current job market trends, the integration of AI in security teams, and the alarming advancements in exploit development through tools like CVE Genie.

Articles

• Axios: Gen Z still choosing college despite AI anxieties
• PBS NewsHour: Why many in Gen Z are ditching college for training in skilled trades
• Axios: Jobs data shows hiring momentum slowdown
• Moneywise: US has more unemployed than job openings for first time since 2021
• TechCrunch: Anthropic endorses California’s AI safety bill SB-53
• Anthropic: Anthropic is endorsing SB-53
• OpenAI blog: Why language models hallucinate
• OpenAI paper PDF: Why Language Models Hallucinate

Follow for More

Conor Sherman — LinkedIn | Website | Sysdig;

Stuart Mitchell — LinkedIn | Website.

Add subscription links: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Website.

Quick Take (TL;DR)

Daniel Miessler, cybersecurity veteran and creator of Unsupervised Learning, explores the future of work in an AI-driven world—why the ideal number of employees might be zero, and what that means for society, security, and meaning.

Key Topics & Timestamps

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:00) Defining AGI
• (07:00) Zero-Employee Ideal
• (13:00) Security in an AI Economy
• (18:45) Meaning Crisis
• (35:36) Optimism & Opportunity
• (40:05) Closing

Guest Spotlight

Daniel Miessler is a cybersecurity expert, writer, and creator of the Unsupervised Learning newsletter and podcast.

Connect: LinkedIn | Website | Newsletter | Twitter/X

Resources & References

Books

• The Innovator’s Dilemma
• Star Trek and Philosophy

Articles / Studies

• AI-Generated Code Vulnerabilities
• Animatrix

Tools / Frameworks

• GitHubdanielmiessler/fabric
• GitHubdanielmiessler/t-lios

If you found this episode useful, please share and subscribe!

Connect with the Hosts:

• Conor Sherman — LinkedIn | Website | Sysdig
• Stuart Mitchell — LinkedIn | Website

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Website

Conor Sherman and Stuart Mitchell dive into the intersection of AI, coding, security, and leadership. They discuss the “September Surge” in hiring, the evolving role of AI in software development, and the critical need for strong security fundamentals as organizations accelerate their adoption of AI technologies. The conversation covers the risks and rewards of AI-driven coding, the responsibilities of security teams, and the importance of leadership and organizational change in navigating this new landscape.

• The “back to school” energy in the hiring market and what it means for tech teams
• How AI is shifting from an option to a directive in technology strategy
• Balancing speed and security: the risks of increased code output from AI assistants
• The fundamentals of security and why they matter more than ever
• The human element in AI leadership and organizational change
• Real-world risks: prompt injection, agentic browsers, and exposed LLM servers
• Adapting security controls for AI with frameworks like NIST’s COSAIS

4x Velocity, 10x Vulnerabilities: AI Coding Assistants Are Shipping More Risks: Read the Apiiro blog

Sysdig 2025 Cloud-Native Security Report. Read the Sysdig report

Cisco: Detecting Exposed LLM Servers (Ollama/Shodan Study). Read the Cisco blog

Brave Research: Indirect Prompt Injection in Perplexity Comet: Read the Brave blog

NIST CSRC: Control Overlays for Securing AI Systems (COSAIS) – Concept Paper: Read the NIST concept paper

Key Topics CoveredFeatured Links & Resources

Quick Take (TL;DR)

LLMs don’t think—they predict. Keith Hoodlet shows what this means for CISOs facing bias, slopsquatting, MCP risks, and burnout.

Guest Spotlight

Keith Hoodlet is Engineering Director at Trail of Bits. He previously led at GitHub and Rapid7, co-founded Application Security Weekly, and launched the InfoSec Mentors Project.

LinkedIn | Website | Newsletter

Resources & References

Books

• AI Snake Oil
• Four Thousand WeeksArticles / Studies
• Marine Corps Times
• 2025 Cloud‐Native Security and Usage Report
• The Register: SlopsquattingTools / Frameworks
• Model Context Protocol
• NVIDIA NeMo Guardrails
• Meta Llama Guard

Call to Action

If this episode reshaped how you think about AI security, share it. Connect with your hosts:

Conor Sherman — LinkedIn | Website | Sysdig;

Stuart Mitchell — LinkedIn | Website.

Subscribe to Zero Signal: Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Website

Quick Take (TL;DR)

AI is rapidly transforming cybersecurity, demanding new frameworks for trust, leadership, and risk. Olivia Phillips shares why integrating security and ethics from the ground up is essential as organizations re-platform for an AI-driven future.

Guest Spotlight

Olivia Phillips is Vice President and US Chapter Chair of the Global Council of Responsible AI and founder of Wolf by Technology. With over 20 years in cybersecurity, she began in malware analysis and forensics and is now a leading voice on AI ethics, risk, and leadership. Connect with Olivia on LinkedIn.

Call to Action

If you found this episode useful, please share it and subscribe!

• Conor Sherman — LinkedIn | Website | Sysdig
• Stuart Mitchell — LinkedIn | Website
• Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Website

In this conversation, Ashish Rajan, the founder of TechRiot.io discusses the evolving landscape of AI security, emphasizing the challenges faced by security leaders as AI technologies rapidly advance. He highlights the need for CISOs to balance innovation with security, the importance of trust in AI systems, and the frameworks that can guide organizations in navigating these changes. The discussion also covers the layered security approach necessary for AI applications and the role of human oversight in AI decision-making.

Takeaways

• AI is transforming the security landscape, creating new risks.
• CISOs must adapt to rapid changes in technology and security.
• Trust in AI is built on transparency and reliability.
• Organizations need to establish frameworks for AI governance.
• Human oversight is essential in AI decision-making processes.
• Authorization remains a significant challenge in cybersecurity.
• The pace of AI adoption is faster than previous technological shifts.
• Security hygiene is crucial to prevent incidents.
• AI's integration into business processes requires careful management.
• Collaboration across departments is vital for effective AI governance.

Episode Summary

Business-Driven Security: SAP on Cyber Risk & AI Security features Jay Thoden van Velzen, Technical Advisor in SAP’s Office of the Chief Security Officer. The episode explores how cybersecurity must evolve to secure business processes, not just technology, and addresses the challenges of agentic AI, risk quantification, and the importance of human-centric controls in enterprise environments.

Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors who make this show possible.

→ https://hamptonnorth.com/. Hampton North is the premium US-based cybersecurity search firm.

→ https://www.sysdig.com/. Leader in real-time AI-powered cloud security.

Guest Introduction

Jay Thoden van Velzen is a Technical Advisor in SAP's Office of the Chief Security Officer, supporting security processes, products, and partner management across cybersecurity functions. He previously led SAP cloud security operations and transformation during SAP’s rapid shift to cloud business applications and platforms.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to SAP and Its Impact
• 02:44 The Role of Cybersecurity in Business Processes
• 13:38 Risk Management and Business Outcomes
• 23:02 Exploring Security in Agentic Systems
• 27:20 Balancing Innovation and Compliance in AI
• 31:22 The Weight of SAP: Stability vs. Innovation
• 38:12 Future of AI and Data Sovereignty

Referenced Links & Resources

• SAP Community Security Blog
• SAP TechEd 2025: SAP launches RPT-1, AI & Security in Business Process Platforms

Call to Action

For more insights on business-driven security and agentic AI, follow Jay and the SAP Security team at SAP Community.

Episode Summary

The episode features Mike Privette, founder of Return on Security, discussing the 2025 State of the Cybersecurity Market.

Key topics include the realities behind AI security funding, the shift from product to service models, the impact of M&A and capital flows, and how regional consolidation is shaping the industry.

Subscribe to the Return on Security Newsletter 

Guest Introduction

Mike Privette is the founder of Return on Security and creator of Security, Funded, a data-driven briefing on cybersecurity funding, M&A, and market trends. He is recognized for his independent, data-driven analysis and his ability to bridge the gap between boardroom strategy and operational security.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
• 02:46 The Role of a Market Analyst in Cybersecurity
• 05:23 Understanding the 2025 Cybersecurity Market Report
• 08:06 AI's Impact on Cybersecurity Investments
• 10:52 The Shift from Products to Services in Cybersecurity
• 13:43 Unit Economics and the Future of Cybersecurity Companies
• 16:15 The Dynamics of Private Equity and Venture Capital in Cybersecurity
• 24:35 The Great Bundling Era in M&A
• 35:34 Regional Capital Flows in Cybersecurity
• 45:35 Outro

Referenced Links & Resources

• 2025 State of the Cybersecurity Market: $25B Funding, $76B M&A, and What's Next