Detection at Scale

What does it actually take to automate security operations when you're processing 7 trillion log lines daily and a single missed threat could compromise billions of users? Michael Sinno, Director of Detection & Response at Google, explains how his team handles this with less than 1% requiring human intervention through strategic AI implementation. He explores Google's methodical approach to AI autonomy, including fine-tuned models trained on golden datasets, validation through overseer agents, and the critical distinction between traditional automation and agentic AI that exercises judgment. Michael also discusses groundbreaking work with Sec-Gemini and Timesketch that enables forensic analysis to surface attack patterns humans would never detect manually. Michael shares concrete metrics like reducing executive incident notifications from 30 minutes to 90 seconds, achieving 95% precision in ticket deduplication, and automating vulnerability coordination from hours to minutes. Topics discussed:Processing 7 trillion log lines daily with less than 1% of a million annual tickets requiring human intervention at GoogleStrategic evolution from AI-assisted to AI-led to autonomous security operations using fine-tuned models and golden datasetsBuilding modular detection agents as pluggable components that can be combined like Legos for specific security use casesImplementing quality assurance through overseer agents that review other agents' work to ensure precision in security decisionsReducing executive incident notifications from 30 minutes to 90 seconds using AI-powered summarization and context gatheringAchieving 95% precision in ticket deduplication while managing the trade-off between precision and 38% recall ratesIntegrating Sec-Gemini with Timesketch to surface attack patterns in forensic investigations that humans would never find manuallyShifting from traditional detection and response to infer-and-interrupt models that contain threats immediately before escalationAutomating vulnerability coordination workflows from hours to minutes through AI-powered data collection and impact analysisDistinguishing between traditional automation and agentic AI that exercises judgment rather than following if-then logicSetting a stretch goal of 70% automation in operations work while focusing humans on novel and complex security challengesMeasuring success through time-to-mitigation metrics and evaluating AI performance against human baseline capabilitiesListen to more episodes: Apple Spotify YouTubeWebsite

What if the real risk isn't adopting AI agents, but refusing to? James Nettesheim, CISO & Head of Enterprise Technology at Block, argues that principled risk-taking beats playing it safe. James shares Block's journey co-designing the Model Context Protocol with Anthropic and building Goose, their open-source general-purpose agent that enables anyone in the company to write security detections using natural language.James also explores Block's Binary Intelligent Triage system achieving 99.9% accuracy, their data safety levels framework, and practical strategies for balancing autonomous AI capabilities with human oversight. James offers candid insights about implementing AI security principles, the evolution from tool experts to domain experts, and why open source remains fundamental to Block's mission of economic empowerment and technological innovation. Topics discussed:Co-designing of MCP with Anthropic and developing of Goose as an open-source general-purpose AI agentImplementing prompt injection defenses and adversarial AI concepts to harden Goose against malicious instructions and attacksRolling out AI responsibly through data safety levels modeled after CDC bio-contamination protocols for sensitive data handlingDemocratizing detection engineering by enabling anyone at Block to write detections using natural languageAchieving 40% of new detections created with AI assistance through recipes, playbooks, and automated tuning capabilitiesBuilding Binary Intelligent Triage system that analyzes historical alerts and investigations to achieve 99.9% automated triage accuracyBalancing autonomous AI capabilities with human oversight, requiring PR reviews and maintaining accountability for agent-generated codeTransitioning from tool expertise to domain expertise as the future skill set needed for detection and response professionalsBlock's commitment to open source development driven by economic empowerment mission and desire to build accessible financial tools Listen to more episodes: Apple Spotify YouTubeWebsite

Ryan Glynn, Staff Security Engineer at Compass, has a practical AI implementation strategy for security operations. His team built machine learning models that removed 95% of on-call burden from phishing triage by combining traditional ML techniques with LLM-powered semantic understanding. He also explores where AI agents excel versus where deterministic approaches still win, why tuning detection rules beats prompt-engineering agents, and how to build company-specific models that solve your actual security problems rather than chasing vendor promises about autonomous SOCs.Topics discussed:Language models excel at documentation and semantic understanding of log data for security analysis purposesUsing LLMs to create binary feature flags for machine learning models enables more flexible detection engineeringAgentic SOC platforms sometimes claim to analyze data they aren't actually querying accurately in practiceTuning detection rules directly proves more reliable than trying to prompt-engineer agent analysis behaviorIntent classification in email workflows helps automate triage of forwarded and reported phishing attempts effectivelyCustom ML models addressing company-specific burdens can achieve 95% reduction in analyst workload for targeted problemsAlert tagging systems with simple binary classifications enable better feedback loops for AI-assisted detection tuningContext gathering costs in security make efficiency critical when deploying AI agents across diverse data sourcesQuery language complexity across SIEM platforms creates challenges for general-purpose LLM code generation capabilitiesExplainable machine learning models remain essential for security decisions requiring human oversight and accountabilityListen to more episodes: Apple Spotify YouTubeWebsite

Mike Vetri, Sr. Director of Security Operations at Veeva Systems, reflects on transforming SOC investigations through AI-powered data aggregation and building threat operations teams with the analytical mindset required for proactive defense. Mike introduces the C3 Matrix framework for prioritizing security efforts across centers of gravity, crown jewels, and capability enablers, and explains the seven Ds of cyber defense from discovery through deception operations.  Drawing from 10+ years of Air Force cyber intelligence experience, Mike details why threat operations requires fundamentally different system-two thinking than detection engineering, and how this discipline shift moves organizations from reactive firefighting to proactive threat anticipation. He covers practical examples of AI cutting investigation time by aggregating data from multiple tools, the importance of defense in personnel for operational resilience, and strategies for preventing analyst burnout while maintaining effective security operations.  Topics discussed: How AI transforms insider threat investigations by aggregating workstation logs, browsing history, and DLP alerts into single queries The C3 Matrix framework prioritizes security controls across centers of gravity, crown jewels, and capability enablers based on organizational impact and recoverability Why threat operations requires system-two analytical thinking fundamentally different from the engineering mindset The seven Ds of cyber defense: discover, detect, deny, disrupt, degrade, destroy, and deception operations for comprehensive threat mitigation How deception operations provide the most accurate intelligence by studying adversary behavior in controlled environments The distinction between threat intelligence and threat operations, and why mature SOCs need teams focused on proactive defense strategies Defense in personnel ensures multiple team members can handle each security capability, preventing single points of failure Time-sensitive investigation scenarios where AI delivers maximum ROI by eliminating the need to manually query dozens of security tools The evolution of cyber threats from technical attacks to psychological warfare using AI to challenge human judgment and decision-making Why security culture must extend beyond traditional boundaries as AI-powered threats increasingly target HR processes, financial operations, and business functions Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website

Gary Hunter, Head of Security Operations at Trustpilot, built a security team from scratch at a company synonymous with trust. Gary shares how his ten-person team leverages AI agents across alert triage, multimodal brand protection, and incident response.  He explores why he and his team treat AI agents like interns with codified guardrails, why competitive prompt testing reveals the best approaches, and how restricting AI to specific documentation sets prevents confusion. Gary also offers his tips on building weatherproof team members who adapt to any technology shift and reflects on why constraints breed creativity in resource-limited environments. Topics discussed: Building security operations from scratch by identifying pain points, understanding technology gaps, and systematically increasing detection coverage and visibility Leveraging AI agents for alert triage and workflows to enable teams to run as fast as attackers while maintaining appropriate human oversight Implementing competitive prompt testing by running multiple AI models to identify the most effective approach before deployment Creating cultural buy-in for AI adoption by empowering team members to contribute prompts and democratizing learning across skill levels Using AI for multimodal brand protection, analyzing screenshots and HTML content to score potential infringements and automate response workflows appropriately Treating AI agents like interns, codifying processes, and limiting tool access based on what you'd delegate to junior team members Building detection strategies that focus on behaviors and crown jewels while using AI to triage noisy but potentially valuable alerts Documenting institutional knowledge concisely rather than overwhelming AI models with extensive documentation that creates conflicting or irrelevant responses Shifting team focus from alert triaging to high-impact prevention work, vendor management, and building relationships across the business  Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website