AI Security, Cyber Risk, and Cloud Strategy on ClearTech Loop
Season 2 of ClearTech Loop is built around three questions:
How is AI changing the way organizations think about risk?
What does stronger cybersecurity leadership look like right now?
How should leaders rethink cloud strategy as business and technology keep shifting?
Hosted by Jo Peterson, Chief Analyst at ClearTech Research, ClearTech Loop is a fast, focused podcast covering AI, cybersecurity, and cloud risk through a business leadership lens.
Each 10-15 minute episode explores the issues shaping modern technology strategy and the decisions leaders cannot afford to ignore.
From governance and resilience to infrastructure change and emerging risk, ClearTech Loop helps leaders make sense of what is shifting, what matters most, and what comes next.
AI Security, Cyber Risk, and Cloud Strategy on ClearTech Loop
Fake AI Won’t Innovate — It’ll Infect You
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ClearTech Loop Ep. 8 with Rob Bair, CISO-in-Residence at Zscaler
Episode Summary
Cybercriminals are running fake AI startups — and users are downloading ransomware straight from what looks like “innovation.” In this episode, Rob Bair (Zscaler) breaks down how ransomware has gone corporate: polished websites, SEO poisoning, even English-speaking help desks guiding victims through payments.
This isn’t a hoodie-in-the-basement threat anymore. It’s a professionalized extortion business — and it’s moving at machine speed. Rob explains why defenders can’t win at human speed, why AI must be in the loop, and what CISOs should expect in the next 12–18 months.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How ransomware crews are turning fake AI startups into bait
- Why ransomware is now a professionalized industry with customer support
- Why manual patching is dead — and what CISOs must do about it
- The 12–18 month horizon for AI-driven cyber threats
About the Guest
Rob Bair is CISO-in-Residence at Zscaler, advising on emerging threats and resilience strategies. He also serves as an investor and advisor at Autonomous Cyber, a board member at Rebel Space Technologies, and advisory board member at ISARA Corporation and BOSS Controls.
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