Threat Vector by Palo Alto Networks

Can you trust your AI systems with your business, or are they just another attack surface waiting to be exploited?

Aaron Isaksen leads AI Research and Engineering at Palo Alto Networks, where he advances state-of-the-art AI in cybersecurity while overseeing Cortex Xpanse's teams automating attack surface management across some of the world's largest networks. In this episode of Threat Vector, host David Moulton sits down with Dr. Aaron Isaksen to explore why engineering excellence must precede ethical AI debates, how adversarial AI is reshaping cybersecurity, and what it actually takes to build AI systems resilient enough to operate in hostile environments.

You'll learn:

Why well-engineered AI must be the prerequisite before discussing AI ethics

How prompt injection attacks are becoming the "SQL injection of the AI era," and why they may never be fully solved

What defending the Black Hat USA NOC with AI-powered security taught about real-world AI resilience

How machine learning transforms attack surface management from manual inventory chaos to automated risk reduction

Why game development experience creates better cybersecurity AI researchers (and what curiosity has to do with it)

Before Palo Alto Networks, Aaron spent 15+ years building products across wildly different domains. From co-founding mobile gaming companies and funding independent game developers through Indie Fund, to leading ML engineering at ASAPP where his teams prototyped state-of-the-art neural networks for NLP. With a PhD from NYU (automated software design), a Master's from MIT (light field rendering), and a BS from UC Berkeley, Aaron brings a unique perspective: AI security isn't about philosophical debates. It's about rigorous engineering, continuous red teaming, and building systems that can withstand determined adversaries.

This episode is essential listening if you're: deploying AI in production systems, building security programs around generative AI tools, leading attack surface management initiatives, trying to separate AI security theater from actual resilience, or wondering whether your AI agents can operate safely on the open web. #AI

Related Episodes:

Identity: The Kill Switch for AI Agents

Securing AI in the Enterprise

Inside AI Runtime Defense

About Threat Vector

Threat Vector by Palo Alto Networks is your premier podcast for security thought leadership. Join us as we explore pressing cybersecurity threats, robust protection strategies, and the latest industry trends.

The podcast features in-depth discussions with industry leaders, Palo Alto Networks experts, and customers, providing crucial insights for security decision-makers.

Whether you're looking to stay ahead of the curve with innovative solutions or understand the evolving cybersecurity landscape, Threat Vector equips you with the knowledge needed to safeguard your organization.

Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks enables your team to prevent successful cyberattacks with an automated approach that delivers consistent security across the cloud, network, and mobile.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠http://paloaltonetworks.com.

Can AI agents be trusted when 80% of today's breaches start with compromised identities?

Carey Frey, Chief Security Officer at TELUS, joins Threat Vector host David Moulton to tackle the most overlooked security challenge in the AI revolution: identity. With 20+ years protecting everything from Canada's Communication Security Establishment to one of North America's largest telecommunications companies, Carey brings hard-won wisdom about why identity isn't just important—it's the foundation that determines whether agentic AI becomes a force multiplier or an attack surface disaster.

You'll learn:


Why 95% of organizations haven't thought about AI agent identity (and what happens when they deploy anyway)


The single data layer CISOs need to build before AI agents can operate safely at scale


How threat actors have already abandoned malware for something far simpler—and why AI makes it exponentially worse


What "delegated authority" means for AI agents and why Gmail's EA permissions model points the way forward


The maturity model that tells you if your identity foundation will crumble under agentic AI

Carey leads security programs protecting TELUS's global assets while delivering managed cybersecurity services to 450+ customers across Canada. As a member of the Security Innovation Network (SINet), he co-authored practitioner guidance defining what "AI-native identity fabric" actually means—and why solving identity before deploying agents isn't optional. His insights bridge 20 years of government intelligence work with real-world enterprise security at telecommunications scale.

Read Carey's work on identity and AI:


The AI Revolution: Identity Will Unleash Its Full Power


SINet Identity Working Group Strategic Guide

This episode is essential listening if you're: evaluating AI agent platforms, struggling with fragmented IAM systems across cloud and on-prem, implementing Zero Trust for non-human identities, or trying to understand why identity suddenly became the CISO's #1 priority after being the "third rail" for decades.

Related Episodes:


Transform Your SOC And Get Ahead Of The Threats


Securing AI in the Enterprise


How to Scale Responsible AI in the Enterprise

Join the conversation on our social media channels:


Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Threat Research:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/LifeatPaloAltoNetworks/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/unit42/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@paloaltonetworks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


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About Threat Vector

Threat Vector by Palo Alto Networks is your premier podcast for security thought leadership. Join us as we explore pressing cybersecurity threats, robust protection strategies, and the latest industry trends.

The podcast features in-depth discussions with industry leaders, Palo Alto Networks experts, and customers, providing crucial insights for security decision-makers.

Whether you're looking to stay ahead of the curve with innovative solutions or understand the evolving cybersecurity landscape, Threat Vector equips you with the knowledge needed to safeguard your organization.

Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks enables your team to prevent successful cyberattacks with an automated approach that delivers consistent security across the cloud, network, and mobile.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠http://paloaltonetworks.com.

What does it take to lead the world's largest cybersecurity company through the AI revolution—without breaking things?

Nikesh Arora, Chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, doesn't sugarcoat it: security always becomes an afterthought during innovation cycles. In this special 100th episode of Threat Vector, Nikesh sits down with host David Moulton to share how he transformed Palo Alto Networks from a $2.7B firewall company into the world's largest cybersecurity platform—and why the AI inflection point requires a completely different playbook.

You'll learn:

Why security inevitably lags innovation (and the psychology behind "Jerry-rigging production")

The three-part strategic framework that separates winners from losers during inflection points

How "deep laziness" drives first-principles thinking and better decision-making

Why enterprises will need 3-5x more data consumption to properly train AI

How Palo Alto Networks reduced mean time to detect from 4 days to 1 minute through architectural reinvention

What 11 pages of written business principles look like in practice

Before Palo Alto Networks, Nikesh served as President and COO at SoftBank and spent nearly a decade at Google as Chief Business Officer. He's seen consumer tech explosions, enterprise transformations, and now leads cybersecurity's response to AI—giving him a rare vantage point on how companies actually navigate technological shifts.

The conversation ranges from rapid-fire questions about cricket and family time to deep strategic thinking about looking around corners, normalizing pressure, and the radical bets required to transform a company. Nikesh shares how intent matters more than perfection, why automation will eventually require AI to execute on our behalf, and what he wants his legacy to be.

This episode is essential listening if you're: navigating AI adoption without clear playbooks, leading teams through uncertainty, trying to balance innovation velocity with security discipline, or building long-term strategy when the ground keeps shifting beneath you.

Related Episodes:


Why Security Platformization Is the Future of Cyber Resilience 


Securing the AI Frontier 

Transform Your SOC and Get Ahead of the Threats 

#Leadership #AI

Join the conversation on our social media channels:


Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Threat Research:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


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LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/unit42/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@paloaltonetworks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/PaloAltoNtwks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

About Threat Vector

Threat Vector by Palo Alto Networks is your premier podcast for security thought leadership. Join us as we explore pressing cybersecurity threats, robust protection strategies, and the latest industry trends.

The podcast features in-depth discussions with industry leaders, Palo Alto Networks experts, and customers, providing crucial insights for security decision-makers.

Whether you're looking to stay ahead of the curve with innovative solutions or understand the evolving cybersecurity landscape, Threat Vector equips you with the knowledge needed to safeguard your organization.

Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks enables your team to prevent successful cyberattacks with an automated approach that delivers consistent security across the cloud, network, and mobile.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠http://paloaltonetworks.com.

AI security is no longer optional, it’s urgent. In this episode of Threat Vector, David Moulton sits down with Ian Swanson, former CEO of Protect AI and now the AI Security Leader at Palo Alto Networks. Ian shares how securing the AI supply chain has become the next frontier in cybersecurity and why every enterprise building or integrating AI needs to treat it like any other software pipeline—rife with dependencies, blind spots, and adversaries ready to exploit them. They also explore "vibe coding" the practice of developers relying on instinct and intuition rather than rigorous review when coding with or around LLMs. It's a fun name for a very real risk. Whether you're a CISO, a developer, or anyone helping shape AI in your organization, this conversation is your guide to locking down AI before it locks you out.

Join the conversation on our social media channels:


Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Threat Research:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/LifeatPaloAltoNetworks/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/unit42/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@paloaltonetworks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/PaloAltoNtwks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

About Threat Vector

Threat Vector by Palo Alto Networks is your premier podcast for security thought leadership. Join us as we explore pressing cybersecurity threats, robust protection strategies, and the latest industry trends.

The podcast features in-depth discussions with industry leaders, Palo Alto Networks experts, and customers, providing crucial insights for security decision-makers.

Whether you're looking to stay ahead of the curve with innovative solutions or understand the evolving cybersecurity landscape, Threat Vector equips you with the knowledge needed to safeguard your organization.

Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks enables your team to prevent successful cyberattacks with an automated approach that delivers consistent security across the cloud, network, and mobile.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠http://paloaltonetworks.com.⁠

While our team is out on winter break, please enjoy this encore episode of Threat Vector .

In this episode of Threat Vector, host ⁠David Moulton⁠ talks with ⁠Wendi Whitmore⁠, Chief Security Intelligence Officer at Palo Alto Networks, about the increasing scale of China-linked cyber threats and the vulnerabilities in outdated OT environments. 

Wendi shares critical insights on how nation-state threats have evolved, why AI must be part of modern defense strategies, and the importance of real-time intelligence sharing. They also dive into scenario planning as a key to resilience. If you want to know how cybersecurity leaders are preparing for the next wave of threats, this episode is a must-listen.

From the show:


⁠ASEAN Entities in the Spotlight: Chinese APT Group Targeting⁠


⁠Preparing for a Secure Paris 2024⁠


⁠Unit 42 Predicts the Year of Disruption and Other Top Threats in 2025⁠


⁠FBI talks about how China is testing AI in cyberattacks⁠

Hear more from Wendi Whitmore on Threat Vector:


⁠Episode 5: From Nation States to Cybercriminals⁠

Join the conversation on our social media channels:


Website:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/⁠⁠


Threat Research:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Facebook:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/LifeatPaloAltoNetworks/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


LinkedIn:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/unit42/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


YouTube:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@paloaltonetworks⁠⁠


Twitter:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/PaloAltoNtwks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

About Threat Vector

Threat Vector by Palo Alto Networks is your premier podcast for security thought leadership. Join us as we explore pressing cybersecurity threats, robust protection strategies, and the latest industry trends.

The podcast features in-depth discussions with industry leaders, Palo Alto Networks experts, and customers, providing crucial insights for security decision-makers.

Whether you're looking to stay ahead of the curve with innovative solutions or understand the evolving cybersecurity landscape, Threat Vector equips you with the knowledge needed to safeguard your organization.

Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks enables your team to prevent successful cyberattacks with an automated approach that delivers consistent security across the cloud, network, and mobile.⁠⁠ ⁠http://paloaltonetworks.com⁠