Security Gets Serious Episode 002: Ryan Permeh on AI-Driven Security

Experts disagree as to whether AI is the game changer for humanity as promised or will spell the end of us all – it just depends on who you ask. AI/ML have been in use in security solutions for some time, and it hasn’t killed anyone yet (mostly).  

But are there still ethical considerations that arise when applying AI/ML in cybersecurity? Yes, because in a world increasingly reliant on AI/ML-powered solutions for cybersecurity, we still need to ensure there is transparency and accountability for those who develop the algorithms that run our detection engines.

In this episode of Security Gets Serious with Ben Carr, host Ben Carr sits down with a pioneer in the application of AI/ML in solving security challenges, Ryan Permeh, partner at technology investment group Syn Ventures.

Permeh has been a leader in security innovation for several decades and has a storied career in both offensive and defensive security, helping pioneer the use of AI/ML to detect and defeat novel threats.  

He discovered and was the primary analyst investigating the “Code Red” computer worm and contributed to many other analyses of significant threats over his career.

Permeh was Co-Founder and former Chief Scientist at Cylance (acquired by Blackberry $1.4b in 2020) and led development of the architecture behind Cylance’s mathematical engine and groundbreaking approach to security that disrupted the industry and introduced Next-Generation Antivirus (NGAV).  

Prior to co-founding Cylance, he served as Chief Scientist at McAfee focusing on technology strategy. Prior to that, Permeh was a Distinguished Engineer at eEye Digital Security where he focused on building security assessment tools.

Permeh has published numerous articles, papers and books, and is a frequent speaker at conferences around the world on the topics of security, privacy, AI/ML, and entrepreneurship.  

His research has led to numerous innovations in both offensive and defensive security technology, and he has more than 20 patents in the security and data science fields.  

Your Host: Ben Carr, Halcyon Advisory CISO: Carr is a Security & Risk Executive and recognized thought leader with more than 25 years of results driven experience in developing and executing security strategies. Carr has served in global leadership roles at advanced technology, high risk, and rapid growth companies such as Ericsson (Cradlepoint), Qualys, Aristocrat, Tenable, Visa and Nokia. Ben has served as a member of the Board of Directors for organizations such as IT-ISAC and NTXPKUA. He is an advisor for Noname Security and Syn Ventures and has previously served on Advisory boards for Living Security, TruStar, Mimecast, Qualys, and Accuvant. ‍

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