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DATA SECURITY DECODED

Agentic AI and Identity Sprawl: The Convergence Redefining Cyber Risk

 

Welcome to Data Security Decoded. In this episode, Caleb Tolin welcomes back Joe Hladik, Head of Rubrik Zero Labs, for a focused look at how identity-driven threats are redefining modern security. Drawing insights from Rubrik Zero Labs’ latest report, Identity Crisis: Understanding and Building Resilience Against Identity-Driven Threats, Joe explains why identity has become the new perimeter in an era where hybrid and multi-cloud environments dominate. He explores how non-human identities, from API keys and service accounts to emerging AI agents, now outnumber humans 82 to 1, creating vast, complex ecosystems that strain traditional defenses. They center on resilience, not just prevention, emphasizing the need to understand dependencies and restore minimal viable operations during recovery. Joe also unpacks why attackers are increasingly targeting backup systems as their primary leverage point and how these attacks expose hidden weaknesses in data protection strategies.


What You'll Learn:

 

  • Why identity has replaced the network as the modern security perimeter

  • How non-human identities outnumber humans 82 to 1, and what that means for control and monitoring

  • Practical steps to build recovery plans around dependency mapping and minimal viable operations

  • Why ransom payments remain high and how better resilience planning can reverse that trend

  • How threat actors exploit backup systems to gain total business leverage

  • What agentic AI really means for cyber defense and how to prepare for its impact
     

The episode offers a clear framework for leaders to transform identity resilience from a reactive measure into a proactive pillar of enterprise security.


   

Episode Highlights:

 

  • The 82:1 Ratio: Why Non-Human Identities Now Define Risk
  • Prioritizing Recovery: Building for Minimal Viable Operations
  • Declining Recovery Confidence and the Rise of Ransom Payments
  • Backups Under Attack: How Threat Actors Seize Business Control
  • Agentic AI and the Shifting Nature of Cyber Threats
  • What Defenders Can Do Now to Build Identity Resilience

 

Episode Highlights:

 

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