In this episode, Francis Gorman speaks with Michael Freeman, Head of Threat Intelligence at Armis, about his career path from working in U.S. intelligence and cryptography to co-founding the cybersecurity company CTCI. The discussion explores how Michaels approach to threat intelligence led to the early identification of significant vulnerabilities such as Log4j, sometimes months before they were publicly known.
The episode covers:
- Michaels background in crypto analysis and offensive security
- His perspective on post-quantum cryptography and emerging risks
- The founding and approach behind CTCI, including identifying active vulnerabilities before others in the industry
- The challenge of false positives in commercial threat feeds
- The importance of asset visibility and contextual vulnerability management
- The role of AI in both enhancing cybersecurity operations and in aiding attackers
- Michaels thoughts on modern election security, influence operations, and the broader geopolitical implications of technology
- Risks of over-reliance on AI for critical thinking and decision-making
The conversation emphasizes practical insights into how organizations can better understand and secure their environments in the face of rapidly evolving threats.