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AI Security Brief
Ep 8
AI Security Brief 7.30.26
Ep 8 | 7.30.26

Is AI security actually a physical problem?

Show Notes
Transcript

While AI might seem abstract, something that lives in "the cloud" is concrete. The AI applications we use every day run on GPUs in physical buildings, and Mark Houpt secures them. As Chief Information Security Officer at DataBank, he's watched those data centers go from anonymous warehouses to national security targets almost overnight.

Mark joins hosts Johnny Hand and Dustin Childs to make the case that the AI era is, at its core, a physical security problem, and why the security fundamentals you already know still work, even when applied to threats that didn't exist two years ago.

You'll learn:

  • How GPU scarcity and government export controls turned ordinary data centers into national security targets
  • How the data center threat map has evolved - from employee badge slip-ups to nation-states, “laptop farm” fraud, and foreign-backed activism 
  • Why compartmentalization is back at the center of the cybersecurity playbook, including the individual disk and the cage. 

Why stick around:

Mark hands you a working checklist for securing AI at the physical layer: how it’s being targeted, who's coming for it, and what to do about it.

Episode resources:

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AI Security Brief
Podcast Info
HOST(S):
Dustin Childs
Johnny Hand
Dustin C. Childs is a part of TrendAI™ Zero Day Initiative™ (ZDI), which is the world's largest vendor-agnostic bug bounty program. Dustin began his infosec journey in the late 1990s at the Air Force Information Warfare Center. Following his time working for the government, Mr. Childs worked in the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing group, where he served as a case manager in the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) with a focus on addressing vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system and in Microsoft's developer tools. In his current role, Mr. Childs gathers and analyzes threat intelligence from various TrendAI and open-source resources to understand and communicate risk to enterprises. He also creates, implements, and oversees internal and external communications programs that promote the work of the TrendAI™ ZDI and its researchers. He has spoken at multiple conferences including Black Hat USA, ThotCon, BlueHat, B-Sides, and multiple ISSA events.
Johnny Hand is a seasoned cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of experience translating intricate technical concepts into business-critical operations. He is the global CISO at TrendAI™, where he spearheads the integration of artificial intelligence for enhanced security and operational efficiency. His background in securing critical infrastructure includes leading information security and technology operations for an international academic institution and overseeing communication and defensive cyber operations for specialized units within the U.S. Navy. His focus remains on building resilient security strategies that adapt to the evolving technology landscape.
Schedule: Biweekly
Creator: TrendAI
AI Security Brief