Slipstream Cyber new Cyber Engineering Head: “AI is already being adopted with malicious intent”

Chris Pallister warns that AI is already being implemented by the dark side of security.

Slipstream Cyber has appointed Chris Pallister as its new head of cyber engineering and operations. Pallister joins Slipstream Cyber from CyberCX, and brings with him nearly 15 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity roles in Australian and the UK.

The role of cybersecurity is an ever more complex one with the expanded use of AI across all industry sectors.

For Pallister, like many he sees AI as transformational, though he notes that unlike other sectors there’s already a huge downside to the adoption of AI by those who seek to bypass security measures.

“We are already witnessing the impact of AI being adopted with malicious intent. Attackers have always had the advantage; AI is has now greatly enhancing that. What does this mean for us, the defenders?” Pallister told CRN.

AI can give analysts “A chance to respond at the same speed and get ahead of new attacks,” he stated.

“In security operations there's always a significant amount of repetitive and time-consuming tasks such as triaging, gathering context and correlating data. That's where AI can add immediate value, speeding up the process of gathering context and enriching alerts,” Pallister explained.

“Not just a point in time event, but what happened before, and what comes after. It's about less time spent on low-level tasks to more time on investigation and decision making.”

Pallister’s prediction about the changing roles of security analysts will involve them being able to “focus more on adversary behaviour, investigation, decision-making, and on the outcome rather than the process.”

This he sees as a win for overall productivity and security within the IT sector.

“Analysts are heavily burdened by people driven processes. AI enables a technology driven process, allowing analysts to focus on outcomes” he said.

Security for the channel is, per Pallister, “a core expectation”.

“We’re way past the point where it can be viewed as an operational add-on.” he said.

“Imagine a world without the physical security we know today - police, home security, car locks, and so on. Without these resources, what we consider private is exposed and what we consider valuable is at risk.

“The same principle applies to the digital assets and intellectual property of organisations.”

Pallister said that he was drawn to the Slipstream Cyber role because he viewed the company as being “operationally excellent”, noting that he brings to the role a wide array of experience.

“I've had a hand in everything from frontline operations through to strategy and execution, giving me a practical understanding of what actually works at scale, not just the theory of what might,” he said.

“The variety in my prior experience has continued to be something of a north star, always lighting the way.”

Pallister ended, “Success is not just about the technology, it's about bringing people together, aligning teams, process and commercial outcomes to deliver a service that customers trust and put value in."