In this Spotlight episode of the Security Ledger podcast, I interview Jim Broome, the President and CTO of the managed security service provider DirectDefense. Jim and I talk about the findings of DirectDefense’s latest Security Operations Threat Report and dig into the intriguing ways artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping both cyberattack and defense automation strategies. [Video Podcast] | [MP3] | [Transcript] One of the things I’ve noticed is that the growth and evolution of the cybersecurity industry has been so rapid – encompassing a bit more than two decades – that you can sit down for an interview with someone who is simultaneously in the prime of their career and an “OG” who has personally witnessed the birth, awkward adolescence and rapid maturity of the information security space. Jim Broome is the President and CTO at DirectDefense. That was my experience sitting down with Jim Broome, the President and Chief Technology Officer at DirectDefense, a managed security service provider. Jim’s journey to cyber started back in the 80s as the son of a Radio Shack franchise owner in the southern U.S. By high school, Jim had thrown himself into the nascent Internet: launching one of the biggest BBS-es (bulletin board systems) in Georgia – a community that was ultimately acquired by CompuServe, an early consumer-focused Internet service provider. After graduating from Georgia Tech, Jim started his career as so many others did – working as an IT administrator supporting customers and rolling out networks for banks and other early adopters of networked technologies. He went on to work for an early CheckPoint reseller at a time when “network firewall” was term that would get you cocked heads and strange looks from business owners. Jim eventually found his way to the seminal cybersecurity firm Internet Security Systems (ISS) in the late 1990s working alongside the likes of Caleb Sima where he was among the first wave of hands-on cyber practitioners helping companies to assess their cyber risk. DirectDefense’s 2024 Security Operations Threat Report All that history gives Jim a unique perspective on the current state of cyber security, which we talk about in this Security Ledger Spotlight Podcast. In it, Jim looks back on the early challenges of cybersecurity, the diversification of threats over the decades, and the factors that are driving our current epidemic of cyber attacks, including the rapid embrace of artificial intelligence (AI) by both attackers and defenders. Jim and I also dig into the highlights from the latest DirectDefense Security Operations Threat Report and get Jim’s views on the current landscape of cybersecurity, including the growing problem of attacks on multi-factor authentication and the importance of adaptive defense mechanisms. We also touch on the critical role of MSSPs in covering a cybersecurity skills and coverage gap.