Pentesting anno 2026
mnemonic security podcast
01/26/26
•32m
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Pentesting anno 2026
Erica Burgess, an experienced penetration tester and security consultant, joins us for this episode of the mnemonic security podcast to deliver a state of the union on penetration testing in 2026. Drawing on her Black Hat Europe AI Security Summit keynote, “Never Break the Chain: Attack Chaining for 0-Days,” Erica breaks down how seemingly low-severity or “informational” findings can be chained together into full system compromises.
Erica details her practical approach to using customized AI agents for subtasking, from validating dynamic scanner results to finding obscure commands that bypass blacklists. Tasks that once required three days of manual research can now be completed in minutes, dramatically increasing the volume and sophistication of findings during time-constrained engagements.
They also explore the broader implications of AI-assisted hacking: the risk of new blind spots when everyone leans on similar models, and the uncomfortable questions this raises about creativity, labor, and the future of junior talent in cybersecurity. Erica emphasizes the importance of maintaining human intuition and critical thinking, warning that over-reliance on AI can literally reduce brain activity, while acknowledging that pen testers who don't adapt to these tools risk being left behind.
Previous Episode
LLMalware
January 5
•51m
We’re kicking off the new year by taking a closer look at some of the threats that will shape 2026, and how they impact defenders.
In this episode of the mnemonic security podcast, Robby welcomes Candid Wüest, Principal Security Advocate at xorlab, drawing on more than 25 years of experience in the field. After seeing Candid's talk “The Rise of AI-Driven Malware: Threats, Myths, and Defenses” at BlackHat Europe, Robby invited him to share his research and perspectives on the current state of AI-driven malware.
They talk about the most common misunderstandings around AI-powered, AI-generated and AI-supported threats, as well as which types of LLM-related attacks Candid expects to make the news, and actually be effective, in 2026.
Candid also shares his thoughts on how defenders’ roles are evolving, where he has seen organisations successfully implement AI in defense, and why going back to basics still matters. They also explore some of the biggest topics from Black Hat Europe in December, including AI-enabled SOCs.
Next Episode
Cloud Detection and Response
February 9
•32m
"We are not really seeing as many attacks in the cloud where people hack in. It's more likely that they simply log in."
In this episode of the mnemonic security podcast, we're exploring Cloud Detection & Response (CDR) together with Brian Contos; returning guest, fellow podcast host, author, and serial security entrepreneur. In his conversation with Robby, he shares from his new role as Field CISO for the Cloud Detection & Response platform Mitiga.
They discuss the Salesforce supply chain attack and the challenges of protecting interconnected cloud ecosystems, the evolution of Cloud Detection & Response so far, and what we should expect in the near future.
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