Risk in the Age of AI: Core Findings from the 2026 State of Pentesting Report

The gap between AI adoption and AI security is widening, leaving even the most mature security programs vulnerable to novel exploit chains. While most organizations are rushing to integrate LLMs, few have recalibrated their offensive testing strategies to account for how these tools change the attack surface. Join Deepak Dalvi, VP, Product at Cobalt, and Wade Baker, founding partner, Cyentia, as they dissect the latest research into how the world’s leading security teams are—and aren't—adapting their pentesting cycles for the era of machine-speed threats.

  • How AI is fundamentally changing the game in offensive security and what that means for your current defense-in-depth strategy.
  • What leading security programs are doing to proactively reduce their window of exposure as the attack surface evolves.
  • The specific research findings that present the biggest risks to organizations navigating the intersection of traditional infrastructure and AI.
SPEAKERS
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Wade Baker
Co-Founder, Cyentia Institute
Dr. Wade Baker is a Co-Founder of the Cyentia Institute, which focuses on improving cybersecurity knowledge and practice through data-driven research and risk analysis. He’s also a professor in Virginia Tech’s College of Business, working to prepare the next generation of industry leaders. Prior to this, Wade was the CTO of Security Solutions at Verizon, where he led Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) team for 8 years.
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Deepak Dalvi
Vice President of Product, Cobalt
Deepak Dalvi brings extensive experience leading product strategy and innovation across cloud, endpoint, and data security. Prior to joining Cobalt, he held senior leadership roles at Trellix, Aqua Security, and Lacework, where he helped grow and modernize security portfolios, delivered and scaled value with automation, AI and SaaS for global enterprises. At Cobalt, Dalvi focuses on accelerating platform innovation, expanding enterprise capabilities, advancing continuous pentesting and accelerating AI capabilities as a core component of modern security programs.
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