Exclusive: Palo Alto Networks CEO says AI demands a new focus on threat detection
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Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora. Axios screenshot.
Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora said growing AI threats make new detection methods a more pressing need than simply doubling down on protecting outdated systems at Axios' AI+ Summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
Why it matters: AI relies on massive amounts of personal data to function, making those systems a tantalizing target for a new wave of attackers who are also using AI to boost their hacking capabilities, he said.
What they're saying: "Don't spend all your money in protection. Spend your money in what we call detection and remediation," he said to Axios' Sam Sabin.
- "We think AI is going to be very useful in the detection and remediation world, which is where cyber security needs to live."
- "Physical security has lived fundamentally in the protection world, and that's not working, because protection means you have to basically reinforce everything 100% of time and be on guard," he said.
- "The bad actors have to be right once. We have to be right 100 times out of 100, so it's unbalanced."
Context: Palo Alto sits at a $132 billion market cap, and provides cybersecurity to over 70,000 clients, from hospitals to banks.
- The company has made a slew of acquisitions since Arora took over in 2018, aiming to become a one-stop shop for all things cybersecurity.
Case in point: Palo Alto finalized a $25 billion deal to buy Israeli cybersecurity firm CyberArk in July, giving the Silicon Valley firm access to a leader in the identity security and management space for people, machines and AI agents.
- The deal highlights how, regardless of how good an AI model is, no one can win the AI race without solid supporting services.
State of play: Arora has a good reason to be wary of cyber threats from bad actors capitalizing on AI.
- Just last month, Anthropic uncovered what it says is the first documented case of a fully automated cyberattack.
- And the threat is growing at time when the United States is pulling back on cyber investments and laying off workers at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The intrigue: Arora's not the only one betting big on the increasing necessity for cybersecurity as the AI industry grows and infiltrates more spaces.
- Rubrik CEO Bipul Sinha told Sam Sabin in April that he predicts the first trillion-dollar cybersecurity company will be here in the next five years.
- Growing investments in defense tech for cyber warfare will fuel that boon too.
Go deeper: Cybersecurity's trillion-dollar chase
