Snyk’s action-first cybersecurity approach in detail

Enterprise cybersecurity is a game of constant learning, correction and improvement — there is no final level. Artificial intelligence has added a new layer to the cybersecurity conundrum, as attackers lean on it to advance new tactics at scale.

How is AI changing the game from the developer and security team standpoints?

“I think 95% of developers are using gen AI, whether it Copilot or Gemini or whatever generative AI solution is out there,” said Peter McKay (pictured, left), chief executive officer of Snyk Ltd. “I think developers are using it more than ever. When you think about how our business evolved over the years, it was this incredible productivity by developers. Now they’re even more productive with using generative AI tools. We’re just making sure that the security teams can keep up.”

McKay and Danny Allan (right), chief technology officer of Snyk, spoke with theCUBE Research’s Dave Vellant at the RSA Conference, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, exploring how it’s shaping the future of protecting digital assets. (* Disclosure below.)

Snyk’s Peter McKay and Danny Allan discuss today’s cybersecurity landscape for enterprises.

The evolution of cybersecurity threats and AI’s role

The reality of today’s cyber landscape is that despite significant investments in cybersecurity, cyber adversaries continue to advance. Just as companies are investing in cutting-edge solutions and upskilling their security teams, attackers are sharpening their approaches — both using AI as a formidable tool. To stay competitive, companies must implement security defenses earlier in the software development lifecycle, according to McKay.

“I think the reality is that the only way to truly solve application security is by shifting it left or moving it earlier in that software development life cycle,” he said. “You don’t want developers to slow down, and you don’t expect developers to be security experts. You need to embed security in behind the scenes, allowing developers to continue to develop fast. The risks have never been greater to do that.”

AI and machine learning techniques are now being used to address security challenges in unprecedented ways. With AI, developers can enhance productivity while ensuring security, but the challenge lies in keeping security teams up to speed with the rapid pace of development, Allan added. Snyk’s acquisition of DeepCode plays into that ethos of empowering developers right as they code.

“DeepCode is probably one of the most significant [acquisitions],” said Allan. “DeepCode was interesting because it brought them into the SaaS-static application security testing in a very meaningful way. If you look at the way they do static application security testing, they’re using symbolic regression testing to find the vulnerabilities within the code — and we continue to iterate on that.”

While identifying vulnerabilities is crucial, the real value lies in addressing these issues effectively. Snyk’s focus is on providing actionable insights and automated remediation, ensuring that developers can address security issues without slowing down development, Allan added.

“You’ve identified the issue and you know about the issue, but what do you actually do about it?” he asked. “Our focus at Snyk is we understand the application, we know where all the issues are, but we want to take you back to actually addressing the issue. Because knowledge is great, but even better than that is solving the problem.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage of the RSA Conference: 

(* Disclosure: Snyk Ltd. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Snyk nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE