Cybersecurity Insights from TiEcon 2025: Speaker Perspectives on AI, Trust, and Global Threats
At TiEcon 2025, the Cybersecurity Panel was an important session, bringing together industry Speakers to discuss the evolving cybersecurity landscape. In an era where technology is growing fast, global conflicts are rising, and cyber risks are becoming more advanced, this panel helped attendees understand the real-world challenges and practical solutions in today’s digital environment.
The panel included four sessions focusing on AI, agent-based systems, global cyber threats, and application-level protection. Speakers were:
- May Wang, CTO, Internet of Things Security at Palo Alto Networks
- Karan Chhina, Director of Product Management at Okta
- Eyal Manor, Entrepreneur in Residence at Norwest Venture Partners
- Anand Kannappan, Co-Founder & CEO of Patronus AI
- Valmiki Mukherjee, Chairman & Founder, Cyber Future Foundation
- Katherine Kuehn (KT), VP, Global Cyber Advocacy at World Wide Technology
- Kavitha Mariappan, Chief Transformation Officer at Rubrik
- Chenxi Wang, Managing General Partner at Rain Capital
AI and Cybersecurity: May Wang
May Wang explained how AI brings both benefits and risks in cybersecurity. She highlighted that many organizations depend on AI but often ignore key security gaps. Using an example from the oil industry, she noted the heavy financial impact of system failures.
She also explained how AI in cybersecurity has evolved through four stages: rule-based systems, machine learning, deep learning, and large language models (LLMs). While LLMs help reduce training time, they also introduce risks like hallucinations and data leaks. Her focus was on three key challenges: Speed, Scale, and Sophistication, and how to address them through:
- Discovery
- Supply chain security
- Runtime protection
Watch the full session here
AI Agents and Trust: Chhina, Manor, and Kannappan
This session covered how to use AI agents securely. Karan Chhina discussed the importance of trust and introduced Okta’s tool for safe data access.
Eyal Manor suggested treating AI agents like software code, validating before and after their actions using guardrails and logs.
Anand Kannappan highlighted how AI is growing faster than security systems can handle, with hundreds of possible failures that need scalable, automated protection.
Watch the full session here
The Poly Crisis: Mukherjee, Kuehn, and Mariappan
Valmiki Mukherjee introduced the idea of a “poly crisis,” where AI, geopolitics, and cyber warfare all mix to create new challenges.
Katherine Kuehn (KT) discussed changing threat sources and shared her model of Malicious, Mistake, and Malfunction to better categorize cyber risks.
Kavitha Mariappan reported a 360% rise in phishing attacks using AI and stressed the need for building security with a risk-first approach.
Watch the full session here
Software Security and AI: Chenxi Wang
Chenxi Wang explored how AI is changing the way software is built and secured. She encouraged using tools that catch issues while code is being written, not after. Her advice focused on creating safe defaults and using AI to assist developers in building secure applications from the start.
Watch the full session here
Conclusion
Each speaker shared valuable insights on how organizations can prepare for evolving cyber risks.
Key takeaways:
- Secure AI systems throughout their lifecycle
- Build trust and verification into every process
- Think beyond tech, Speakers must understand business and global risks
These discussions offer a helpful guide for navigating today’s complex cybersecurity world.