Cyberattacks Used to Take Months. AI Can Do It in Minutes.

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

November 13, 2026

Duration

46m

Channel

a16z

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

AI isn’t just helping defenders find vulnerabilities. It’s giving attackers the speed and expertise to exploit them faster than many companies can respond. Wiz co-founder and CTO Ami Luttwak joins a16z General Partners Zane Lackey and Sarah Wang to unpack what he calls “Black October,” a wave of vulnerabilities and agentic attacks that he believes marks a turning point for cybersecurity. They break down PHP2Shell, why AI is collapsing the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation, and what happens when open-source models put increasingly sophisticated offensive capabilities in more hands. Ami explains why startups are becoming attractive targets, particularly when they hold valuable AI credentials, and why yesterday’s secure architecture may no longer be secure as models improve. The conversation then turns to defense. Ami argues that companies need to continuously attack their own systems, automate investigation and patching wherever possible, design infrastructure assuming sophisticated attackers will get in, and rethink security stacks built for a slower era. His warning is simple: if attackers can move in minutes, defenders can no longer operate on human timelines. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:04 Welcome to Black October 3:19 How AI Made Every Day a Zero Day 6:51 The PHP Vulnerability: 70% of the Internet 9:19 Why Patching Can't Keep Up 11:32 How Wiz Uses AI to Find Vulnerabilities 16:59 The Cost of Continuous Testing 19:23 Cloud Security in the AI Era 22:18 The Red Agent: Attack Yourself First 26:41 Agent Swarms Attacking Your Own Systems 28:43 What Founders Must Do Before They Ship 32:15 Where Security Budgets Should Go 36:10 Most of What Security Teams Do Isn't Security 39:50 Back to the 90s: The Next Few Years 43:34 Scan for Good and Public Infrastructure Resources: Follow Ami Luttwak on X: https://x.com/amiluttwak Follow Sarah Wang on X: https://x.com/sarahdingwang Follow Zane Lackey on X: https://x.com/zanelackey Learn more about Wiz: https://www.wiz.io/ Read ‘The Rise of Agentic Attacks: What They Look Like, and Where They're Headed’: https://www.wiz.io/blog/the-rise-of-agentic-attacks Read more from Wiz’s blogs: https://www.wiz.io/blog Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Zane Lackey

  host

  Former CISO (notably at Etsy) and cybersecurity operator/investor who co-hosts a16z security discussions.

• Ami Luttwak

  guest

  Co-founder and CTO of Wiz, focused on cloud security and offensive/defensive security automation.

• Sarah Wang

  host

  Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) General Partner focused on enterprise/software investing and a16z podcast hosting.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Zane Lackey and Ami Luttwak, Cyberattacks Used to Take Months. AI Can Do It in Minutes. explores AI shrinks cyberattacks to minutes, forcing continuous self-defense now Ami Luttwak says “Black October” brought an unprecedented spike in both the number and severity of incidents, alongside the rise of AI-powered attackers operating at previously unseen speed and scale.

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