COVER story
As Generative AI fuels a surge in phishing, deepfakes and adversarial malware, Palo Alto Networks’ Chief Security Officer for EMEA and LATAM, Haider Pasha, shares how CISOs can stay ahead – with the right tools, strategies and mindset.
WHY PALO ALTO NETWORKS BELIEVES DEFENDERS MUST RETHINK AI BEFORE IT’ S TOO LATE
n November 2022, AI broke out of
I the lab and into the mainstream. What was once limited to coders and researchers became accessible to anyone with a browser. Almost instantly, Generative AI unleashed a wave of innovation – and exploitation.
By mid-2023, WormGPT surfaced: a Generative AI tool designed for cybercriminals. Trained on hacking data and stripped of ethical safeguards, it was followed by FraudGPT, marketed on the Dark Web as an all-in-one toolkit for phishing, malware and identity fraud.
These tools can now craft convincing phishing emails, generate undetectable malware and guide users through bypassing Two-Factor Authentication – all for under US $ 100 per month.
No coding skills. No broken English. Just AI-enabled cybercrime, faster, cheaper and at scale.
Faced with this escalating threat, the role of defenders is undergoing radical transformation. Haider Pasha, Chief Security Officer for EMEA and LATAM at Palo Alto Networks, believes the only way forward is through strategic consolidation, automation and a fundamental shift in how cybersecurity is understood.
“ This is no longer a tools issue – it’ s a mindset issue,” Pasha said in a recent conversation as part of the CXO Vision Series. He went on to discuss what AI means for both attackers and defenders:“ Cybersecurity can’ t be managed with 80 siloed tools. Defenders need unified, AI-powered platforms that think and act faster than the threats they’ re facing.”
He explained that most people believe AI benefits attackers more than defenders, however, he disagrees. He believes this could be the case if we change how we approach security.
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