Mark Kuhr on AI pentesting and the Synack Red Team

Dr. Mark Kuhr, a former National Security Agency employee, faced a host of challenges when he co-founded Synack with CEO Jay Kaplan in 2013. As CTO for the security testing company, Mark has led Synack through dramatic growth while working to shift the mindset of some cybersecurity practitioners. For instance, the Synack platform, featuring access to security researchers around the globe, initially faced skepticism—a group of essentially strangers pentesting enterprise networks? Not the most convincing argument for CISOs. But through a trust-but-verify approach, Synack’s take on security testing has risen to prominence in the industry. 

In this episode of WE’RE IN!, Mark explains how he recruited a community of global top hackers to join the burgeoning Synack Red Team – and what’s at stake as AI capabilities ramp up for attackers and defenders alike. 

Listen to hear more about:

• Mark’s predictions about the use of AI for offensive operations, including selecting targets and applying exploits
• Synack’s FedRAMP Moderate Authorized status and how other organizations can secure approval to work with sensitive government data
• How the integration of AI in cybersecurity is increasing the pressure on organizations to patch and mitigate vulnerabilities faster