Every Cyber Threat Is Now an AI-Driven Threat: How AI Is Reshaping Cybersecurity in Higher Ed

In this episode of the Campus Technology Insider Podcast, Campus Technology Editor-in-Chief Rhea Kelly hosts Ed Skoudis, president of the SANS Technology Institute, to discuss how AI is reshaping cybersecurity and what it means for higher education. Skoudis says AI is now driving all five top emerging attack trends highlighted in SANS's RSAC keynote: increased zero-day exploits, expanded supply-chain risk, growing complexity in operational technology attacks, risks of irresponsible AI use in digital forensics and incident response, and the need to use AI defensively to keep pace with attackers' speed. He explains why higher ed is harder to defend due to diverse, open, cutting-edge environments and constrained budgets, and he recommends accelerated patching, AI-assisted incident response, rapid decision-making teams, frequent tabletop exercises, threat intelligence monitoring, and flexible AI workflows that can swap models as tools change. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:29 Ed Skoudis Background 01:00 Steampunk Office Tour 02:24 Antiques Meet IoT 03:25 AI Drives Attack Trends 05:01 Higher Ed Under Fire 05:49 Five AI Shaped Attacks 09:51 Lessons from Finance 12:05 Speeding Up Response 15:32 Training for AI Defense 18:00 AI Toolkit and Model Flexibility 22:01 Budget Priorities Patching First 25:39 Crystal Ball Rough Years Ahead 29:53 Zero Vulnerabilities Vision 31:22 Prepare with AI Strategy 34:16 Closing and Where to Listen Resource links: SANS Technology Institute SANS Institute's Top 5 Most Dangerous New Attack Techniques SANS free cybersecurity resources Internet Storm Center Music: Mixkit Duration: 35 minutes Transcript