Time to Embrace Offensive Security for True Resilience

"Cybercriminals are using artificial intelligence to quickly discover network vulnerabilities, create polymorphic malware, and improve advanced persistent threats. While defensive tools like firewalls, data classification tools, and extended detection and response ( XDR) solutions are critical components of a security architecture, they are less sufficient against the sophistication of AI-fueled cyber threats because they primarily guard against known threats. Offensive security closes the gap between theoretical defense and actual attacker techniques, providing measurable advantages in risk mitigation, compliance, business continuity, and competitive advantage."

"Offensive security rigorously challenges an organization's own systems through proactive strategies such as penetration testing and red teaming, revealing the organization's blind spots before attackers do, turning potential liabilities into actionable insights. Signature-based defenses can block only known threats and often fall short against novel or sophisticated attacks that bypass static defenses. They struggle against rapidly mutating malware, while misconfigurations and overly permissive access rights often slip through static scans."

Artificial intelligence enables cybercriminals to rapidly discover network vulnerabilities, create polymorphic malware, and enhance advanced persistent threats. Defensive tools such as firewalls, data classification, and extended detection and response ( XDR) protect primarily against known threats and struggle with novel, rapidly mutating attacks. Offensive security uses penetration testing and red teaming to replicate attacker techniques, pivoting, and data exfiltration, revealing blind spots and measurable organizational risk. Demonstrations of realistic attack paths improve risk mitigation, compliance, business continuity, and competitive advantage. Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations report shows known-vulnerability entry attacks rose 34% and now account for 20% of breaches.

Read at Securitymagazine