Outsmarting Threats: How AI is Changing the Cyber Game

Brett Ewing is the Founder and CEO of AXE.AI, a cutting-edge cybersecurity SaaS start-up, and the Chief Information Security Officer at 3DCloud. He has built a career in offensive cybersecurity, focusing on driving exponential improvement. Brett progressed from a Junior Penetration Tester to Chief Operating Officer at Strong Crypto, a provider of cybersecurity solutions.

He brings over 15 years of experience in information technology, with the past six years focused on penetration testing, incident response, advanced persistent threat simulation, and business development. He holds degrees in secure systems administration and cybersecurity, and is currently completing a Masters in cybersecurity with a focus area in AI/ML security at the SANS Technology Institute. Brett also holds more than a dozen certifications in IT, coding, and security from the SANS Institute, CompTIA, AWS, and other industry vendors.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

  • Brett Ewing shares his career journey in offensive cybersecurity from penetration tester to founding AXE.AI
  • Ways AXE.AI automates tasks for red teamers and penetration testers
  • How AI is transforming penetration testing
  • New AI tactics red teamers are using to bypass modern EDR tools and MDR systems
  • The role of cloud-based AI in detecting and analyzing suspicious cyber activity
  • New cybersecurity risks emerging from LLM vulnerabilities and deepfakes
  • Brett’s personal cybersecurity tip

In this episode…

Penetration testing plays a vital role in cybersecurity, but the traditional manual process is often slow and resource-heavy. Traditional testing cycles can take weeks, creating gaps that leave organizations vulnerable to fast-moving threats. With growing interest in more efficient approaches, organizations are exploring new AI tools to automate tasks like tool configuration, project management, and data analysis. How can cybersecurity teams use AI to test environments faster without increasing risk?

AXE.AI offers an AI-powered platform that supports ethical hackers and red teamers by automating key components of the penetration testing process. The platform reduces overhead by configuring tools, analyzing output, and building task lists during live engagements. This allows teams to complete high-quality tests in days instead of weeks. AXE.AI’s approach supports complex environments, improves data visibility for testers, and scales efficiently across enterprise networks. The company emphasizes a human-centered approach and advocates for workforce education and training as a foundation for secure AI adoption.

In today’s episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi and Justin Daniels speak with Brett Ewing about leveraging AI for offensive cybersecurity. Brett explains how AXE.AI’s platform enhances penetration testing and improves speed and coverage for large-scale networks. He also shares how AI is changing both attack and defense strategies, highlighting the risks posed by large language models (LLMs) and deepfakes, and explains why investing in continuous workforce training remains the most important cyber defense for companies today.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Best Cyber Tips

For Individuals: The best cyber tip for base-level people is to get a password manager, use random, randomized passwords, and enable multi-factor authentication.

For Companies: The best thing companies can do is invest in their people. Continuous training and education on cybersecurity will build a stronger line of defense than relying solely on software or technology.