AI Reasoning Changes the Cyber Defense Model
Alan Shimel speaks with Eli Rozen, co-founder and CTO of Vega, during Techstrong TV’s Black Hat coverage. Their conversation focuses on large language models and frontier AI reasoning. These tools are changing the balance between attackers and defenders. As adversaries adopt AI, security teams need a faster response. Vega is working to make AI reasoning for cyber defense more useful for those teams.

Rozen says Vega was created to address a growing gap in modern cybersecurity. Attackers can now use AI to speed up research, automation and campaign development. Defenders often still depend on legacy systems. Many of those tools were not built for today’s volume of security data. They also struggle with the speed and variety of modern signals. That gap adds pressure to teams that already have limited time and resources.
Security Data Must Be Accessible Where It Lives
A major theme is the future of the SIEM and SOC. Rozen says legacy SIEM platforms can limit visibility. They often depend on selected data being ingested into one central system. Vega takes a different path. Its approach uses federation to reach security data where it already lives. That can include cloud telemetry, EDR logs and other enterprise sources.

This model gives AI systems the context they need. Without that context, even advanced AI tools may miss important signals. Broader access can improve investigations and support better judgment. It can also help teams connect activity across more parts of the enterprise. In that model, AI reasoning for cyber defense becomes more practical and more complete.
The SOC Moves Toward Agentic Workflows
Rozen also discusses the idea of an agentic SOC. In that model, AI agents help scale the judgment of security professionals. They can review large amounts of data and help teams understand what is happening. The goal is not just to automate isolated tasks. It is to give defenders better context during detection, investigation and response.

For security leaders, this shift could change how teams use AI in daily operations. Vega’s approach points toward a SOC where human expertise and AI reasoning work together. Black Hat shows that AI is becoming a larger part of cybersecurity. This conversation explains why data access, context and trust will shape the next phase of cyber defense.