The Future of AI-Powered Cybersecurity: An Interview with Thought Leader Zechariah Oluleke Akinpelu

Artificial intelligence is transforming cybersecurity. As attackers use more sophisticated techniques powered by AI, defenders need intelligent solutions to stay ahead of emerging threats.

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To understand the future of AI in cybersecurity, Tobias Heldt sat down with renowned thought leader Zechariah Oluleke Akinpelu, an experienced cybersecurity executive who is driving innovation in the field.

In this interview, Zechariah provides unique insights on leveraging AI to bolster defenses, what tools and processes really work, and how security leaders can position their teams as revenue generators versus cost centers.

Let's dive in to learn from this bright mind in cybersecurity.

From Developer to Defender: Zechariah's Journey into Cybersecurity

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Zechariah has a fascinating background. He started his career as a developer, building software and payment solutions for 4 years.

But an incident got him passionate about security:

“One of the applications I developed got defaced. That made me take cybersecurity seriously. I started looking for ways to make applications more secure.”

This began Zechariah’s journey into cyber defense.

“My curiosity for learning took me through some courses on ethical hacking and application security. I transitioned from software developer to application security engineer.”

For the past 15 years, Zechariah has focused exclusively on cybersecurity. He boasts experience across startups, fintechs, and banks.

“I’ve had opportunities to work with various organizations, from startups to fintechs to banks. I’ve formed for different startups and served as Chief Information Security Officer.”

With his broad experience across coder, engineer, and executive roles, Zechariah offers invaluable perspective.

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Securing the Software Supply Chain

Given his background in application security, I asked Zechariah his thoughts on one of the biggest threats today: software supply chain attacks.

Supply chain attacks increased by 700% in 2022. And nation-state groups actively inject vulnerabilities into open-source projects.

How can security teams cope?

Zechariah stressed integrating security into the full software development lifecycle:

“Don’t treat security as an afterthought. Take it into consideration starting from the initiation stage, whether building internally or bringing in third party code.”

Specifically, he recommends tools like Software Composition Analysis (SCA) and Static Application Security Testing (SAST):

“Use an SCA solution to address vulnerabilities in third party libraries. Also employ SAST tools that have SCA capabilities.”

“It’s better to identify issues early on. Integrate these solutions into your development pipelines, so they scan code as it's built.”

This allows teams to find and remediate risks before applications are deployed

.The Challenges of False Positives at Scale

While powerful, SCA and SAST tools suffer from high false positive rates. Zechariah acknowledges this pain point:

“There will definitely be false positives. Don't just rely on tools.”

He stresses the need for human review:

“Have dedicated engineers who understand code review the findings, to validate and eliminate false positives.”

But when managing thousands of vulnerabilities across large, complex environments, manual review isn’t scalable.

I shared how Cyberfame uses AI to validate the flood of security tool alerts. Our AI-based Graph reviews findings and eliminates false positives so engineers can focus on higher-value tasks.

Zechariah responded positively:

“If this solution has AI to address false positives, that would be fantastic.”

He noted AI still requires some human oversight:

“You’d need someone who understands how the AI works, especially in the initial learning stage.”

But overall he believes AI promises major benefits:

“Keep false positives to a minimum. AI can significantly reduce the manual reviewing needed.”

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The Promise of AI-Powered Cybersecurity

Given his validation of AI for security use cases, I was curious about Zechariah's overall perspective on artificial intelligence.

Both attackers and defenders now leverage AI. Who does he think will win this technology race?

Zechariah stressed that victory depends on commitment, knowledge, and preparedness:

“It depends on the level of commitment and knowledge from the defender. You need to defend better than attackers can attack.”

“Continuous training is critical. You should stay at least one step ahead of attackers.”

For defense teams, he advises focusing on capability over bureaucracy:

“You need to know how to leverage AI to defend networks. Attackers are very motivated with no distractions.”

“Make sure you have dedicated teams who understand artificial intelligence and can use it to your advantage.”

When it comes to his own AI security plans, Zechariah is proactively upgrading his stack:

“I’m reviewing tools without AI and looking to add capabilities. I aim to implement solutions with machine learning and analytics.”

“New tools must address the modern attack surface. Attackers leverage automation and data analytics, so defenses need to advance as well.”

Zechariah's approach shows the agility and forward-thinking needed to win in cybersecurity today.

Evolving Past Cost-Centers to Enable Business

Our conversation concluded with a look at how security teams can evolve past being viewed as cost-centers.

Zechariah shared how he evangelizes the value of security investments to executives:

“I've been able to convince management that cybersecurity enables savings. Refusing the right spending exposes the organization.”

He explained security’s positive impact on reputation, customers and revenue:

“If attackers leverage AI to compromise systems, that damages trust and shareholder value.”

“As a team that ‘saves’ versus ‘costs’, cybersecurity should be seen as an investment.”

At CyberFame.io , we fully align with this perspective. Our AI quantifies the gains from our AI-powered Graph. Our rating can show you your security progress:

“Last quarter, our solution took your security score from 4.9 to 8.6. That allows your CEO to pursue more business opportunities without fear of cyber attacks.”

Measuring and communicating cyber risk in a business context is key to security’s continued evolution

.Key Takeaways from a Cybersecurity Leader

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Tobias discussion with Zechariah Oluleke Akinpelu provided deep insights from his 15+ years defending organizations. Here are key takeaways:

• Integrate security into development early and often - Use SCA, SAST, and pipelines to catch issues before deployment.
• Leverage AI to suppress false positives - Let machines validate tool alerts to free up human capital.
• Stay a step ahead of attacker innovation - Adopt AI and analytics rapidly to counter emerging threats.
• Turn cybersecurity into a business enabler - Quantify risk reduction and empower confident expansion.

Thought leaders like Zechariah Oluleke Akinpelu pave the way for the next generation of cybersecurity.

At Cyberfame, our AI-integrated Graph makes it easy to implement Zechariah’s recommendations. Check our Prototype today to experience how Cyberfame enables organizations to secure their software supply chain automatically and measures security progress.

The future looks bright for cyber defenders who embrace AI and align with business goals. How will you leverage these strategies to make your organization more secure?

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