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Membership Meeting 05/22/2024

May 22 @ 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Chapter Business Meeting Slides: 2024-05-22-Meeting-Presentation

Speaker Slides: Navigating the New Frontier – Penetration Testing in the AI ML Era

Topic: Navigating the New Frontier: Penetration Testing in the AI/ML Era

As we enter a new era of technological innovation, startups are increasingly harnessing artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and Large/Small Language Models (LLMs/SLMs) to accelerate their application development processes. This presentation, “Navigating the New Frontier: Penetration Testing in the AI/ML Era,” focuses on the double-edged sword these technologies present to cybersecurity. While AI/ML can dramatically speed up development and bring sophisticated capabilities to applications, they often do so at the expense of security, embedding potentially severe vulnerabilities into new software.

The talk delves into how startups may neglect rigorous security protocols, thereby increasing the prevalence of insecure coding practices. We will explore specific cases where the push for innovation has led to significant security oversights, resulting in a heightened risk of zero-day vulnerabilities. The presentation will highlight the crucial role that penetration testing must play in this evolving landscape, adapting to not only identify but also mitigate the unique vulnerabilities introduced by AI-driven development.

Additionally, we will discuss the strategic importance of incorporating security at the foundational level of application design and argue for a paradigm shift in startup cultures—from a focus on speed to an equal emphasis on secure innovation. Attendees will gain insights into the complexities of securing AI/ML-driven applications and learn about the latest methodologies in penetration testing that are essential for protecting against the next generation of cyber threats.

Speaker: Herman Cowart, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Paradoxical Security LLC

Herman Cowart is an accomplished cybersecurity professional with over 15 years of experience in offensive security. As the Founder and owner of Paradoxical Security and Penetration Testing Program Manager as a government contractor, he specializes in leading comprehensive Red Teaming and penetration testing programs for network, web applications, and many other forms of offensive security. His expertise extends to developing custom security tools in Python, C, C++, C#, and Assembly, as well as mentoring a robust team to effectively identify and mitigate zero day vulnerabilities.

With a distinguished military background in the U.S. Army’s Information Technology sector, Herman brings a strategic and tactical approach to cybersecurity. He holds many GIAC certifications such as the Mobile Device Security Analyst , Certified Penetration Tester, and Web Application Penetration Tester and has been recognized with awards such as the Presidential Service Badge in support of the White House Communications Agency. Herman is passionate about technology and is committed to fostering knowledge through his work at Paradoxical Security, and his various community-engaged tech projects.

Details

Date:
May 22
Time:
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Event Category:

Venue

Leidos
6841 Benjamin Franklin Dr.
Columbia, MD 21046 United States
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