CyberTech Top Voice: Interview with Dan Anconina, CISO at XM Cyber

Hello, CyberTech community. Welcome to our CyberTech Top Voice interview series with XM Cyber, part #9.

The latest CyberTech Interview with XM Cyber’s Dan Anconina is an interactive Q&A-styled conversation. In the interview, Dan shared his views on the role of AI and Automation in enabling modern enterprise IT and security teams to get ahead of on-prem and cloud environments. We discussed the proficiency of AI-enabled threat exposure management for specific industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and retail. We dive into the company’s latest breakthrough in cybersecurity: the launch of its cutting-edge Vulnerability Risk Management (VRM) solution. As a leader in Continuous Exposure Management, XM Cyber is redefining vulnerability management with this innovative addition to its platform. By cutting through the noise of false positives typically generated by legacy assessment tools, XM Cyber’s new VRM solution equips organizations with the clarity and confidence to adopt a more effective, forward-thinking security approach.

Join us in shaping the future of cybersecurity. Learn more about how intelligent threat management platforms like XM Cyber can help you achieve your goals.

Here’s what Dan had to say to the CISO community.

Hi Dan, welcome to the CyberTechnology Top Voice Interview Series. Please tell us about your journey as CISO. How did you arrive at XM Cyber?

Dan Anconina: Thank you for having me. My journey in cybersecurity began when I started at Check Point Software as a technical support engineer solving customer issues. This hands-on experience gave me the opportunity to deeply understand the real-world challenges businesses face, and I think it’s this foundation that has been instrumental in shaping my approach to cybersecurity.

When I joined XM Cyber, I spent a year working directly with customers, guiding them through demos, POCs, and serving as a security advisor while helping prioritize their needs. After that, I transitioned into the CISO role, and I took on the exciting challenge of building everything from scratch, including cybersecurity, compliance, governance, and IT. I was also deeply involved in management decisions on matters like M&A, IT, security, compliance, product, and more. It’s been a rewarding journey—getting to shape a security program from the ground up and ensuring that it aligns not only with technical requirements but also with strategic business goals.

If the CISO role was a novel/TV/movie character, which one would you pick and why?

Dan: I’d compare the CISO role to Neo from “The Matrix”. In my experience, being a CISO is very much about seeing through the complexity and understanding the different layers of threats, just like Neo navigating the Matrix. Much like Neo, a CISO must be resourceful, quick-thinking, and ready to adapt to evolving threats. Today, being fault-tolerant is crucial—it’s about resilience, flexibility, and being prepared for whatever comes, just as Neo had to master the complex and unpredictable world around him.

What is the biggest challenge for a CISO today? How do you tackle these challenges at XM Cyber?

Dan: From my experience, the biggest challenge for a CISO today is balancing the complexity of digital transformation with maintaining a strong security posture. As organizations adopt AI technologies and embrace digital innovations, the attack surface continues to expand, and the risk landscape becomes more complicated.

At XM Cyber, we tackle this by emphasizing proactive risk management. We leverage Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) to continuously identify, prioritize, and mitigate exposure. Additionally, I think one of the most critical areas right now is focusing on AI security. We ensure that AI—whether it’s generative AI (GenAI), internal LLMs, or customer-facing GenAI features—is used responsibly and securely by establishing comprehensive policies. In my view, these policies are crucial to mitigating AI-specific risks while also enhancing our capabilities.

XM Cyber recently announced a partnership with ServiceNow. How would this partnership benefit the industry?

Dan: The partnership between XM Cyber and ServiceNow brings continuous exposure management insights into ServiceNow’s risk and incident response workflows. I think this is significant because it allows organizations to operationalize exposure management efficiently—closing gaps faster and reducing risk.

With AI becoming an integral part of security operations, it’s also important to make sure that AI-driven features are used responsibly. This partnership ensures that exposure management is done in an effective and policy-driven manner, enhancing both efficiency and security resilience in the industry.

What is the Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) framework? How do you implement it at XM Cyber?

Dan: The CTEM framework is, in my opinion, a game-changer for security operations. It offers a proactive approach to managing risks, going beyond point-in-time assessments to provide continuous insights into potential vulnerabilities. This means that organizations can adapt in real-time as the threat landscape evolves.

At XM Cyber, we use CTEM to help our customers get a clear view of attack paths and to prioritize mitigation actions effectively. It’s not just about finding vulnerabilities—it’s about focusing on those that really matter and ensuring our efforts deliver meaningful security improvements.

Why has CTEM emerged as a top priority for organizations and how does XM Cyber help organizations?

Dan: CTEM has become a priority because traditional, static security approaches simply cannot keep up with the evolving nature of threats. From my experience, organizations need a dynamic, continuous model to understand their risks in real-time and make informed decisions. That’s where CTEM comes in.

At XM Cyber, we help organizations implement CTEM by providing a platform that continuously maps out attack paths and identifies critical exposures. We also focus heavily on AI governance—developing policies to safely use technologies like GenAI and internal LLMs. In my view, these efforts are essential to ensure that technology adoption supports both innovation and security.

AI and Automation have enabled IT and security teams to get ahead of on-prem and cloud environments. Please elaborate on the AI-enabled threat exposure management for specific industries: 1) healthcare, 2) manufacturing, 3) retail.

Dan: Healthcare: In healthcare, the protection of patient data is always the top priority. From my experience, AI is an incredibly powerful tool for identifying abnormal behavior that could indicate an attempted breach. AI-enabled threat exposure management helps secure sensitive patient data while also ensuring compliance with regulations like HIPAA. Developing strong AI policies is crucial here to ensure tools like GenAI are used responsibly, avoiding data leakage risks.

Manufacturing: Manufacturing involves a complex mix of IT and OT environments, and this mix creates unique challenges. I think AI’s greatest strength in manufacturing lies in its ability to monitor and respond to operational technology threats that could disrupt production lines. For manufacturers, adopting AI must go hand in hand with clear policies to govern AI usage, ensuring that the risks introduced by new technology are well managed.

Retail: For retail, customer data is at the core of what we protect at XM Cyber. AI is instrumental in fraud detection—analyzing patterns to identify fraudulent activity in real-time. However, in my view, any retail company using AI for personalized recommendations or customer engagement must have robust security policies in place to prevent unintended misuse or exploitation of customer data.

What risks do unsecured enterprise IT and data assets pose to organizations and individuals?

Dan: Unsecured IT and data assets pose serious risks—financial losses, data breaches, and even reputational damage. From my perspective, the risk extends beyond organizations to individuals as well, resulting in identity theft and privacy breaches. As AI becomes more integrated, these risks could escalate without proper governance. Developing comprehensive AI usage policies is, in my view, critical to ensure that AI doesn’t inadvertently expose sensitive information and to mitigate these growing risks.

What kind of skill development and hiring trends do you foresee for cybersecurity professionals in the next 3 years– your guidance for professional development?

Dan: In the next three years, I think we’re going to see a major shift toward skills in AI, automation, and cloud-native security. Professionals need to be comfortable working with AI-driven tools and, importantly, understanding how to govern and secure these technologies.

From my experience, those who invest time in understanding how to apply AI securely and how to manage incidents involving these new technologies will be the ones leading the industry. I also believe that resilience is going to be a key focus—learning how to design and maintain systems that can bounce back quickly from incidents will be a major advantage for cybersecurity professionals.

What predictions do you have for the cybersecurity market in 2025?

Dan: First, I believe AI will become fully embedded within Security Operations Centers (SOCs), making them more efficient and proactive. As AI becomes commonplace, the challenge will be governing its use properly—ensuring AI is managed in a way that aligns with security best practices.

Second, I think resilience will become a key performance metric in cybersecurity. Instead of striving for an unrealistic level of security perfection, organizations will invest in fault-tolerant systems that can continue functioning under attack. AI usage policies—covering GenAI, LLMs, and other AI tools—will also become critical to ensure that AI-driven initiatives enhance resilience rather than introduce new vulnerabilities.

Thank you so much Dan for participating in our CyberTech Top Voice Interview series. We look forward to having you and XM Cyber leaders again!

Recommended CyberTech Interview: Fintech’s Digital Fortress Under Attack: Cybersecurity Challenges in 2025

To participate in our interviews, please write to our CyberTech Media Room at news@intentamplify.com