Are you getting ready for the upcoming Black Hat USA 2024 event, an internationally recognized cybersecurity event providing the most technical and relevant information security research, now in its 27th year.  The event is quickly approaching, taking place August 3-8, 2024, returning to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV with a 6-day program. 

Ahead of the show, VMblog received an exclusive interview with Nadir Izrael, CTO and Co-Founder at Armis, the asset intelligence cybersecurity company.  Make sure to add them to your MUST SEE list.

VMblog:  Before we get into it, can you give us a quick overview of the company? What should folks know?

Nadir Izrael:  Armis is the asset intelligence cybersecurity company. Our AI-powered technology enables organizations to see, protect and manage all physical and virtual assets - from the ground to the cloud - ensuring the entire attack surface is both defended and managed in real time.

Armis Centrix^TM is our cyber exposure management platform. It is powered by the Armis AI-driven Asset Intelligence Engine, monitoring billions of assets worldwide in order to identify cyber risk patterns and behaviors. Armis Centrix^TM is a seamless, frictionless, cloud-based platform that proactively identifies and mitigates all cyber asset risks, remediates security findings and vulnerabilities, and protects the entire attack surface.

Armis secures Fortune 500 companies as well as national governments, state and local entities to help keep critical infrastructure, economies and society safe and secure 24/7.

VMblog:  Black Hat is known for its energetic and interactive booths. What unique experiences or demonstrations do you have planned to engage attendees at your booth? What will you be showing off at the show this year?

Izrael:  Black Hat attendees can stop by the Armis booth (#1820) to connect with our experts and learn more about Armis Centrix^TM. We're excited to showcase the latest updates to the platform, including our newest solution, Armis Centrix^TM for Actionable Threat Intelligence, and our enhanced prioritization and remediation capabilities with Armis Centrix^TM for Vulnerability Prioritization and Remediation.

Throughout the week we'll have in-booth presentations and product demos as well as opportunities to unlock the biggest prizes at the event.

In addition to our booth, Armis is once again taking over the Hazel Lounge, in the heart of Mandalay Bay, where you can book a meeting with one of our executive leaders in attendance. On August 7, we'll be hosting a Vulnerability Prioritization Bootcamp, which will be a fun, hands-on session to see how the Armis Centrix^TM platform works during a real-world cybersecurity incident. Additionally, I will be presenting at Black Hat on the topic, Shifting From Reactive to Proactive: Early-warning, Actionable Intelligence for Enhancing Cybersecurity Preparedness. The session will take place on August 8 from 11:25 am - 12:15 pm PT.

This year, Armis will again be scanning for a cause, so every badge scanned will result in a donation to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

More details about what we have planned at Black Hat can be found here.

VMblog:  Is this your first time sponsoring Black Hat? If not, how many times have you sponsored before? And, what keeps you coming back?

Izrael:  Black Hat is one of the industry's premier events, which is why it's an important investment for Armis. Through the years, it's proven to be a valuable place for fostering productive dialogue with our customers, partners and prospects. Black Hat also offers a unique opportunity for face-to-face interactions with other industry vendors and professionals to discuss key trends and developments.

VMblog:  What is your message to Black Hat attendees coming out to the show this year? If they take back one message about your company, what should it be?

Izrael:  We live in a rapidly evolving, perimeter-less world where traditional cybersecurity boundaries no longer exist. Legacy on-premises systems and point solutions are no longer fit for purpose, leaving the attack surfaces of organizations and their most critical assets open and exposed to cyber criminals.

Organizations need a comprehensive platform that can address the entire lifecycle of cybersecurity threats. We have built our AI-powered Armis Centrix^TM platform to encompass all facets of cyber threat exposure management - from asset discovery and management to early warning threat detection and vulnerability discovery, prioritization and remediation.

VMblog:  Black Hat attendees are known for being security professionals at the forefront of the industry. What specific challenges do you anticipate they'll be facing, and how will your solutions help them overcome those challenges?

Izrael:  Security professionals face a number of challenges, which is why Armis' comprehensive platform addresses all facets of cyber threat exposure management - from asset discovery and management through to vulnerability discovery, prioritization and remediation.

We're happy to connect with Black Hat attendees to discuss how Armis can support them in addressing any of these challenges. However, one in particular that I think might be top-of-mind is vulnerability management, given our recent acquisition announcements and how these new technology integrations have supercharged Armis Centrix^TM.

Our research has found that patch rates for critical CVEs are not prioritized, and, irrespective of the weaponization status of a CVE, organizations consistently grapple with patch rates at 62% for non-weaponized and 61% for weaponized vulnerabilities. Through our AI-driven platform approach for vulnerabilities with Armis Centrix^TM for Actionable Threat Intelligence and Armis Centrix^TM for Vulnerability Prioritization and Remediation, we allow security teams to see all vulnerabilities, threats and risks and prioritize them based on vulnerability criticality and business risk, reducing noise so they can focus on what matters most.

Armis has helped reduce 98% of the number of vulnerabilities that businesses need to worry about and also flagged hundreds of threats weeks to months before they were published in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.

This is a game-changer for security teams that have been much in need of these capabilities. We look forward to diving deeper into how we can help organizations address these critical challenges.

VMblog:  What are some of the key takeaways of your solution that Black Hat attendees should be aware of? 

Izrael:  The Armis Centrix^TM platform delivers a true modular approach to cyber exposure management covering the most critical cybersecurity needs for customers across five solutions:

• Asset Management and Security: Continuously discovers all of an organization's assets, including IT, IoT, cloud and virtual, managed or unmanaged.

• OT/IoT Security: Secures manufacturing and critical infrastructure by achieving full visibility across IT, OT and IoT assets. Control, monitor and protect critical OT assets and critical infrastructure using the industry's most advanced cyber exposure platform.

• Medical Device Security: Discovers and secures every clinical asset and tracks inventory utilization. Get complete visibility and maximize security across all managed or unmanaged medical devices, clinical assets and the entire healthcare device ecosystem.

• Vulnerability Prioritization and Remediation: Enables vulnerability managers to see all vulnerabilities and prioritize them based on vulnerability criticality and business risk.

• Actionable Threat Intelligence: An early warning, AI-based system that leverages the dark web, dynamic honeypots and human intelligence to anticipate threats, understand their potential impact and take preemptive action to neutralize them, effectively moving the security posture from defense to offense.
  

Armis Centrix^TM is deployed at scale in verticals and industries including Manufacturing, Health and Medical, Information Technology, Energy and Utilities, Financial Services, Transportation, Telecommunications and Media, Public Sector and much more.

VMblog:  The market is a crowded space. What is it about your company and technology that sets you apart from the competition? What are your differentiators?

Izrael:  Armis eliminates the information and security silos that exist within organizations, providing an authoritative and detailed view of every asset within your environment - whether it's OT, IT, IoT, IoMT, virtual or cloud.

We have the world's largest AI-driven Asset Intelligence Engine that feeds the Armis Centrix^TM platform with unique, actionable cyber intelligence to detect, prioritize and remediate real-time threats across the entire attack surface. The collective AI-powered knowledge base learns from past attack attempts on one company and immediately applies those learnings to all of our global customers across different industries. Armis' AI also has a real-time understanding of risks and threats to critical assets as they change constantly to ensure businesses have the most up-to-date information.

In addition, Armis has a dedicated research practice focused on investigating and revealing new attack vectors endangering connected assets. Equipped with state-of-the-art tools and methodologies that leverage one of the largest data sets in the world, Armis Labs conducts in-depth analyses of evolving threats, both in the pre-emergence stage and "in the wild" stage of an attack. This provides organizations with unparalleled visibility and expertise to protect against the threats that matter most, right now.

VMblog:  What are some of the top priorities security leaders should be considering for 2024?

Izrael:  In 2024, the largest global election year in history, democracy is at risk due to nation-state threat actors. Armis' second annual cyberwarfare report, The Invisible Front Line: AI-Powered Cyber Threats Illuminate the Dark Side, revealed that 66% of U.S. IT leaders doubt the American government can defend its citizens and enterprises against an act of cyberwarfare and 40% believe cyberwar could affect the integrity of an electoral process.

Make no mistake, we are in a cyber arms race. Armis Labs also uncovered that several threat actors from Russia, North Korea, Iran and China are actively using AI to advance their cyber capabilities. Security teams must fight fire with fire, strengthening their capabilities and defenses with AI. They must no longer be reactive in responding to threats and attacks after they occur, caught in an endless game of catch-up, but rather take control of the situation and prioritize protecting the entire attack surface and managing the organization's cyber risk exposure in real time.

VMblog:  Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of cybersecurity, and how do you see your company playing a role in shaping it?

Izrael:  Like many other security professionals, I am excited about AI as the future of cybersecurity. AI is not just a buzzword - the technology offers unprecedented capabilities for threat detection, analysis and response. As cybercriminals continue to leverage AI to evolve their tactics and exploit new vulnerabilities, AI-powered solutions are the only way to combat AI-driven cyber threats.

We're moving beyond traditional defense to a proactive, AI-powered future. Relying on manual processes and legacy solutions is the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gunfight. Through our AI-fueled technology, Armis is helping to arm organizations with the right artillery for combating the threats of today and tomorrow.

VMblog:  Beyond your specific offerings, what valuable cybersecurity knowledge or insights can you share with Black Hat attendees visiting your booth?

Izrael:  It's essential that security teams stay ahead of emerging threats and proactively safeguard their critical assets. They should feel empowered to flip the script on bad actors, stopping attacks before they impact their organization.

VMblog:  Does your company have any speaking slots at Black Hat? If so, can you tell us more about those sessions so people can get them on their schedules?

Izrael:  As mentioned above, I will be presenting the following session, Shifting From Reactive to Proactive: Early-warning, Actionable Intelligence for Enhancing Cybersecurity Preparedness, on Thursday, August 8, 2024, from 11:25 am - 12:15 pm PT at Mandalay Bay J. I will share with attendees how to effectively leverage early warning AI-powered systems to anticipate attacks, preemptively mitigate risk and improve their cybersecurity posture.

VMblog:  Is your company involved in any parties during the event? How can attendees get involved?

Izrael:  Yes! Armis will be participating in events with several of our partners in and around Mandalay Bay.

August 6

• Armis Purple Haze Happy Hour (Hazel Lounge at Mandalay Bay)

• Wiz Happy Hour (Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar at Mandalay Bay)
  

August 7

• Armis Hazel Escape Happy Hour (Hazel Lounge at Mandalay Bay)

• Optiv After Party (DAYLIGHT Beach Club at Mandalay Bay)
  

August 8

• "Lock It Down" Networking Party (1923 Prohibition Bar at Mandalay Bay)

• The HACKasan Party (MGM Grand Hotel & Casino)
  

Check out our website for the most up-to-date information.

VMblog:  As a show sponsor, do you have any tips for attendees to better prepare for the conference?

Izrael:  Major industry shows like Black Hat can be an overwhelming experience, whether it's your first time or your tenth. To make the most of the event, we highly recommend planning out your schedule in advance. That way, you can make sure you have plenty of time to catch key sessions, visit vendor booths and connect with fellow security professionals.

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