Cybersecurity Today A Hacker Tells His Story
Dec 28, 2025
Brian Black, Head of Security Engineering at Deep Instinct and a former black hat hacker, shares his compelling journey from hacking to cybersecurity. He reflects on the early curiosity that led him to break into systems and discusses the evolution of hacker culture. Brian reveals the alarming effectiveness of AI in crafting zero-day exploits, stressing the importance of preemptive AI defenses. He also advocates for continuous learning in C-suite environments and explains how companies can effectively test their security through red teams, while reminding us to assume breaches will occur.
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People And Unknown Data Are The Weakest Links
- Humans remain the largest point of failure because attacks exploit trust and social engineering. Many organizations also lack inventory and governance over where their critical data resides.
Treat MFA As Risk Reduction, Not Perfection
- Deploy MFA but treat it as risk reduction, not a silver bullet, because phone/SMS and trunk lines can be hijacked. Prefer stronger factors and layered controls while remaining aware of evolving bypass techniques.
AI Lets Attackers Mutate Code Faster Than Defenses
- Dark AI and LLMs let attackers generate and mutate exploit code rapidly, changing language or compiler to evade defenses. Defenders that rely on detect-and-respond struggle because attackers operate at AI speed and mutate payloads.