Machine learning meets malware, with Caleb Fenton

Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)

Patrick McKenzie (patio11) discusses software reversing and AI's transformative impact on cybersecurity with Caleb Fenton, co-founder of Delphos Labs. They explore how LLMs are revolutionizing the traditionally tedious work of analyzing compiled binaries, the nation-state cyber warfare landscape, and how AI is shifting security from reactive to proactive defense. They cover the technical details of malware analysis, the economics of vulnerability detection, and the broader implications as both defenders and attackers gain access to increasingly powerful AI tools.
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Full transcript available here: https://www.complexsystemspodcast.com/machine-learning-meets-malware-with-caleb-fenton/

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Sponsor: Mercury

This episode is brought to you by Mercury, the fintech trusted by 200K+ companies — from first milestones to running complex systems. Mercury offers banking that truly understands startups and scales with them. Start today at Mercury.com

Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.
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Links:

• Delphos Labs: https://delphoslabs.com/
• Virus Total: https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/upload
• “Thel fraud supply chain”, Bits about Money https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/the-fraud-supply-chain/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:20) Understanding software reversing

(03:52) The role of AI in software security

(06:12) Nation-state cyber warfare

(09:33) The future of digital warfare

(16:45) Sponsor: Mercury

(17:49) Reverse engineering techniques

(30:15) AI's impact on reverse engineering

(41:45) The importance of urgency in security alerts

(42:35) Dealing with alert fatigue

(42:47) The future of reverse engineering

(43:21) Challenges in security product development

(44:46) AI in vulnerability detection

(46:09) The evolution of AI models

(48:06) Reasoning models and their impact

(49:06) AI in software security

(49:49) The role of linters in security

(57:38) AI's impact on various fields

(01:02:42) AI in education and skill acquisition

(01:08:51) The future of AI in security and beyond

(01:12:43) The adversarial nature of AI in security

(01:19:46) Wrap