Stay ConnectedThreat Vector is the hit podcast from Palo Alto Networks, with over 1 million downloads and growing. Get inside the minds of top cybersecurity leaders as they break down real threats, smart defenses, and what’s coming next.
Each episode features insights from industry experts, customers, and Palo Alto Networks teams. It is built for security pros who want to stay ahead.
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On this episode of Threat Vector, host David Moulton sits down with Andy Piazza, Senior Director of Threat Intelligence at Unit 42, to unpack the good, the bad, and the ugly of AI in security. We explore how AI is accelerating detection and response, where it’s already saving thousands of analyst hours, and why human-in-the-loop still matters. We also examine the darker side: LLMs in command-and-control, deepfake-driven fraud, model drift, and data governance blind spots. For security leaders evaluating AI, Andy shares practical questions to cut through hype, real metrics that matter, and a blueprint for building trust. This conversation is essential for decision-makers aiming to secure AI everywhere while strengthening identity controls and SOC workflows.
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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.
In this episode of Threat Vector, host David Moulton speaks with Asher Davila, Principal Security Researcher at Palo Alto Networks, about the newly released 2025 Device Security Enterprise Threat Report. This data-rich report reveals that over 21% of connected enterprise devices have known vulnerabilities, and nearly 40% of devices registered in Active Directory lack proper EDR/XDR coverage. Even more concerning, 32.5% of all network-connected assets are unmanaged, creating a massive blind spot for defenders. Asher breaks down why understanding both managed and unmanaged device exposure is essential to securing modern environments. From weak segmentation to credential-based threats and lifecycle risks, this conversation delivers critical insights for security leaders seeking to gain control of their expanding device landscape.
Read the 2025 Device Security Threat Report.
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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.
In this episode of Threat Vector, David Moulton speaks with two cybersecurity leaders from Palo Alto Networks: Sarit Tager, Vice President of Product Management, and Krithivasan Mecheri (Krithi), Senior Director of Product Security. Together, they dive into the urgent challenges of securing modern development in the age of AI. The discussion explores the rise of Application Security Posture Management (ASPM), how organizations can move from reactive patching to proactive prevention, and the growing security crisis fueled by AI-generated code. With decades of combined experience in product security, cloud security, and DevSecOps, Sarit and Krithi share strategies for managing security backlogs, aligning executives and developers, and addressing the economics of technical debt. For decision-makers grappling with the balance between speed and resilience, this episode offers essential insights into securing the future of software development.
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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.
In this episode of Threat Vector, David Moulton sits down with Mohammed Saleh, Associate Chief Technology and Management Information Systems Officer at Paterson Public Schools. They explore how school districts can balance cybersecurity, accessibility, and affordability while navigating the evolving threat landscape in K-12 education. Mohammed shares his insights into implementing device management, training programs, and policy changes following a security incident, and how his district uses Chromebooks and SaaS tools to reduce attack surface. This conversation highlights the unique security challenges of public education and the innovative strategies being used to overcome them.
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Threat Research:https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/
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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
Hybrid work has changed the game, but has your security kept up? In this episode of Threat Vector, David Moulton sits down with Harish Singh, Vice President and Global Head of Infrastructure and Application Management at Wipro, to unpack the evolving cybersecurity landscape at the intersection of digital transformation, SaaS expansion, and AI-powered operations.
With decades of experience driving infrastructure modernization and risk mitigation across global enterprises, Harish brings a pragmatic lens to today’s most urgent challenges. They explore how context-aware SASE, secure enterprise browsers, and automation can reduce security complexity while enhancing user experience.
If you're a security leader navigating app sprawl, unmanaged endpoints, or GenAI blind spots—this is your blueprint for staying ahead.
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Threat Research:https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/
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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
Welcome to Threat Vector, the Palo Alto Networks podcast. In this episode, host David Moulton speaks with Joey Smith, Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer at Schnuck Markets. Joey brings experience from leading incident response and forensics at MasterCard to spearheading risk-based security and cloud transformation in retail. Together we explore how today’s CISOs rethink risk, measurement, and leadership in a threat landscape reshaped by AI, compliance expectations, and fast-moving innovation.
We also revisit a key theme from our earlier episode, Human in the Loop for AI Security—how security leaders must take the wheel when it comes to embedding secure design into AI initiatives before they scale too fast, too soon. Joey’s perspective reinforces the need to lead AI adoption with risk clarity, not just curiosity.
Vote for David Moulton as the Media Creator of the Year
Host David Moulton has been nominated for the SANS Difference Maker Award for Media Creator of the Year. These awards recognize people pushing cybersecurity forward and giving back to the community, and it would mean a lot if you gave David your vote. Voting is open through Wednesday, October 8th at 11:59 PM, You can cast your vote here. Thank you for helping David get there.
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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
Join David Moulton, Senior Director of Thought Leadership for Unit 42, as he sits down with Kyle Wilhoit,Technical Director of Threat Research at Unit 42, for an intimate conversation about the evolution of hacker culture and cybersecurity. From picking up 2600: The Hacker Quarterly magazines at Barnes & Noble and building beige boxes to leading threat research at Palo Alto Networks, Kyle shares his personal journey into the security community. This conversation explores how AI and automation are lowering barriers for attackers, the professionalization of cybersecurity, and what's been lost and gained in the industry's maturation. Kyle offers practical advice for newcomers who don't fit the traditional mold, emphasizing the importance of curiosity, soft skills, and intellectual humility.
Kyle Wilhoit is a seasoned cybersecurity researcher, with more than 15 years of experience studying cybercrime and nation-state threats. He's a frequent speaker at global conferences like Black Hat, FIRST, and SecTor, and has authored two industry-respected books: Hacking Exposed Industrial Control Systems and Operationalizing Threat Intelligence.
As a long-standing member of the Black Hat US Review Board and an adjunct instructor, Kyle is deeply involved in shaping both cutting-edge research and the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
Previous appearances on Threat Vector:
Learn more about Unit 42's threat research at https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/.
Related episodes: For more conversations about AI's impact on cybersecurity, career development in security, and insights from Unit 42 researchers, explore past episodes at https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/podcasts/threat-vector.
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About Threat Vector
Threat Vector, Palo Alto Networks podcast, is your premier destination 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
Discover how to secure generative AI beyond the model itself in this episode of Threat Vector. Host David Moulton welcomes Bret Kinsella, SVP of FueliX at TELUS International. Bret brings deep expertise in enterprise AI and synthetic media. He explores the hidden dangers of shadow AI, where employees use consumer AI tools with sensitive data, and explains the risks of data leakage, vectorized document stores, and hallucination. Bret recommends system-level testing, human in the loop governance, guardrails, and scalable frameworks to manage AI safely. Learn why it is not enough to test just the model, and how a holistic approach helps professionals stay resilient in an evolving threat landscape.
Join the conversation on our social media channels:
Threat Research:https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/
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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
In this episode of Threat Vector, host David Moulton, Director of Thought Leadership for Unit 42, speaks with Spencer Thellmann, Principal Product Manager at Palo Alto Networks. Spencer brings a background in AI policy from the University of Cambridge and now leads development of real-time AI runtime security solutions. Together, they explore the dual challenges of securing employee use of generative AI tools and defending internally built AI models and agents.
Topics include prompt injection, model scanning, red teaming, agent posture control, and how AI changes cloud security architecture. Listeners will take away key mental models and practical guidance for building resilient, trustworthy AI systems.
Explore More on AI Security and Strategy
Defending in the AI Era: Learn how to protect your enterprise from the new threat landscape shaped by AI.
Cybersecurity Perspectives Magazine: Stay ahead of the trends reshaping enterprise defense, including AI, cloud, and workforce security.
Unit 42 Threat Frontier: Explore cutting-edge threat intelligence and research from Unit 42.
Want more Threat Vector?
Securing AI in the Enterprise with Tanya Shastri and Navneet Singh explores how to architect AI securely from the start.
Enhancing Ethical Hacking with AI with Ryan Barger dives into offensive applications of AI in red teaming.
Join the conversation on our social media channels:
Threat Research:https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/
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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
AI agents are no longer a distant future concept. They have arrived, and the pace of their deployment is accelerating rapidly. In this episode of Threat Vector, David Moulton speaks with Nicole Nichols, Distinguished Engineer for Machine Learning Security at Palo Alto Networks. Nicole breaks down her new paper, Achieving a Secure AI Agent Ecosystem, where she outlines three foundational pillars for defending emerging agent-based systems: protecting agents from third-party compromise, ensuring user alignment, and guarding against malicious agents. With deep expertise spanning academia and industry, Nicole brings clarity on why structured collaboration, component provenance, and rigorous evaluation are essential for deploying autonomous AI safely.
For listeners looking to dive deeper into securing AI-driven environments, Palo Alto Networks offers a range of valuable resources:
Nicole also shares candid perspectives on what still needs to be built, from containment strategies to community-driven security protocols. If you are serious about securing the next era of autonomous systems, this episode is your primer.
Mentioned by Nicole:
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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
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