#606: Is Cybersecurity Still Worth Learning in 2026?

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Is cybersecurity still worth learning in 2026? AI agents are changing vulnerability research, but where does that leave you?

At Black Hat, I’m joined by Arizona State University professor Yan Shoshitaishvili to discuss what AI can actually do, where it falls short, and why he would still choose a career in cybersecurity today.

Yan shares how his lab used AI agents and human-designed workflows to find what he describes as over 1,000 Linux kernel vulnerabilities triggerable by an unprivileged local user. Running 128 agents was only part of the story. Understanding which vulnerabilities to look for and improving the research process proved critical.

We discuss:

• How AI agents test potential vulnerabilities instead of simply reporting suspected bugs

• How agentic AI compares with fuzzing and static analysis

• Why finding new bugs does not automatically prove one tool is better

• Why human expertise still matters in security research

• How to use AI as a learning assistant without skipping the learning

• Free, hands-on cybersecurity training through pwn.college

• Yan’s advice for anyone considering cybersecurity in 2026

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