Digital connectivity is the lifeblood of our modern world, which means that the importance of cybersecurity can’t be overstated.

This week, the mWISE Conference convened a gathering of experts in the industry, uniting them to decipher the intricacies of the evolving cybersecurity landscape. Throughout the event, theCUBE explored the insights and discussions, extracting invaluable wisdom from the experts leading the charge in safeguarding the digital realm.

“We talk a lot about the higher order threats, the Russians, the Chinese, but the fact is that every organization, any organization, frankly, that uses any internet-connected service is on the playing field,” said Chris Krebs (pictured, right), founding partner at Krebs Stamos Group LLC. “That’s a lot of what we’re seeing with ransomware these days where it’s all opportunistic.”

Krebs spoke with theCUBE industry analyst John Furrier (second from left) at the mWISE Conference, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. Krebs was joined by Marshall Heilman (left), global chief technology officer at Mandiant, a Google LLC company, and Ric Smith (second from right), chief product and technology officer at SentinelOne Inc. They discussed the role of artificial intelligence, the necessity of public-private collaboration and the challenges posed by an increasingly sophisticated cyberthreat landscape. (* Disclosure below.)

The evolving threat landscape and the role of AI in cybersecurity

The conversation brought to the forefront critical data protection issues, such as the role of AI, collective defense and the challenges posed by escalating cyberthreats. The need for a layered defense strategy was raised by Mandiant Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mandia during his keynote speech at the event. This approach involves a combination of proactive and reactive measures, with AI playing a crucial role in rapid threat detection and response, according to Smith.

“What we’re seeing is that we’ve always looked at data in silos and that the new opportunity that we see with applying generative AI …  is that for the first time, we can actually synthesize and see patterns across massive amounts of data,” he said.

A recurring theme throughout the conference was the critical need for public-private partnerships in the realm of cybersecurity. Businesses face many challenges in the current threat landscape. The question is, to what lengths should companies go, such as forming their own cyber militias, to defend against adversaries from other nations. It’s going to take everybody working together, pooling resources and defenses, according to Krebs.

“The good news is there’s a lot of collective defense, a lot of collective work ,and that’s why Mandiant and SentinelOne sitting next to each other is a great advantage for the defender, because you’re bringing some of the best and brightest out there together into an integrated defensive strategy,” he said.

The human factor and identity management

While advanced technology is vital in defending against cyberthreats, it’s equally important to educate employees on cybersecurity best practices. Even with robust technology, human actions can pose significant risks, making employee training and awareness crucial, according to Heilman.

“As we like to say … the attack only has to be right once,” he said. “The defender has to be right every single time. Ultimately, you’re going to find the one employee who will inadvertently click on an email or click the link he’s not supposed to and give the attackers access.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the mWISE Conference:

(* Disclosure: SentinelOne Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither SentinelOne nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE