Josh Ray is the founder and CEO of Blackwire Labs, bringing over 24 years of expertise in combating superior cyber threats throughout business, non-public, public, and army sectors. As a U.S. Navy veteran and cybersecurity government, Ray has persistently constructed and led high-performing groups to guard essential networks and organizations. His profession contains key roles at Accenture Safety, Verisign, Raytheon, and the Workplace of Naval Intelligence, the place he drove innovation and constructed capabilities to defend among the world’s largest organizations in opposition to a myriad of superior cyber adversaries.
Josh’s mix of technical experience and enterprise acumen has been instrumental in driving progress and innovation within the cybersecurity {industry}. As CEO of Blackwire Labs, Ray leads the corporate’s mission to construct trusted and knowledgeable AI cybersecurity options, leveraging his intensive expertise to navigate the complicated intersection of know-how, safety, and enterprise.
Are you able to share what impressed you to start out Blackwire Labs? What particular challenges in cybersecurity had been you hoping to handle with this enterprise?
The three of us – myself, Chris Clark CTO, and Andrew Maloney CCO – got here collectively as a result of we noticed organizations battling the identical problem: they want AI to execute in opposition to enterprise targets and defend in opposition to refined threats. Nonetheless, the catch is they cannot belief or implement current options successfully. Collectively we’ve constructed safety merchandise and capabilities for among the world’s largest enterprises, we noticed firsthand how smaller organizations face the identical superior threats however lack entry to the experience they want. We saved serious about all of the organizations that could not afford massive safety groups however nonetheless wanted safety. We actually wish to assist organizations of all sizes however we actually wish to construct one thing significant that makes trusted expert-level cybersecurity capabilities accessible, not simply the elite few.
Your profession spans the army, public, and personal sectors in cybersecurity. How did every of those experiences affect your imaginative and prescient for Blackwire?
Now we have a accountability to serve and shield these organizations that type the spine of our society. Every sector actually has taught me one thing very important about what we actually have to construct belief and improve cyber resilience. On the Workplace of Naval Intelligence and supporting JTF-GNO, I discovered firsthand the criticality of getting the proper set of experience on the proper time, particularly whenever you’re defending networks that shield our warfighters and nationwide safety.
At Raytheon and later at iDefense, I noticed how the non-public sector was grappling with more and more refined threats, most of the similar varieties that I noticed throughout my time within the DoD. What grew to become clear was that having siloed deep experience wasn’t sufficient – you wanted to have the ability to scale that information successfully throughout a company. This actually hit house after I was main Accenture’s International Cyber Protection Follow, the place we had been defending among the world’s most focused networks and the explosion of third occasion danger and provide chain assaults.
However here is what bothers me: Whereas the most important organizations might afford to construct sturdy safety operations, numerous others had been left susceptible and the humorous factor is that they sit within the provide chain of these massive organizations. I noticed small companies, healthcare suppliers, and state businesses battling the identical superior threats however with out entry to the experience they wanted. That is actually what drove us to start out Blackwire Labs. We wished to take every thing we might discovered about constructing capabilities and defending organizations on the highest ranges and make it accessible to organizations that want it most. By combining trusted AI with human experience, we may help bridge that hole. It isn’t nearly constructing one other safety software – it is about delivering at scale the type of expert-level cybersecurity capabilities that I’ve seen make the distinction between a resilient safety posture and a devastating breach.
Blackwire Labs combines expert-vetted AI insights with blockchain integrity by TrustWire. Might you stroll us by how this fusion enhances the reliability of your cybersecurity insights?
We took a practical and progressive method. We have constructed a sequence of belief that begins with our Cybersecurity Group of Excellence (CCOE) – seasoned professionals who collaborate with us to validate and improve our information base. We use a rigorous three-tier supply analysis framework grounded in intelligence analytical tradecraft. However based mostly on Chris’s expertise within the crypto house we’re capable of take it to the subsequent stage. That is the place TrustWire is available in – our blockchain-based system that creates an immutable, cryptographically verifiable report of all our sources and AI outputs. Utilizing zero-knowledge proofs, we are able to show the integrity of our insights whereas defending delicate information. Consider it as combining the most effective of human experience with cryptographic certainty. One other essential part of this method is our Safety Registry, which captures point-in-time snapshots of all cybersecurity analyses, together with insights, sources, the person needs to save lots of. Consider it like a system of report that gives a everlasting, shareable report of your safety decision-making course of – one thing important for explaining to your boss why you probably did one thing in the case of audits, compliance evaluations, and the incident response course of.
Lexi, Blackwire’s AI, provides predictive prompting and customised steering. How does this function set assist safety groups anticipate threats extra successfully?
Like most issues in life, understanding “what” the proper query is and “how” to ask it’s key. Our predictive prompting is not nearly suggesting subsequent steps – it is about enhancing human experience. The system understands your function, your group’s context, and your safety targets to information you towards simpler evaluation throughout a strategic, operational or tactical “select your personal journey”, as Andrew calls it, set of prompts. It lets you get extra detailed insights sooner by with the ability to account for a number of factors of view that may differ relying on the organizational function (Suppose CISO/CTO- Strategic, incident responder/danger supervisor Operational, safety engineer/SOC analyst- Tactical). It’s like having a seasoned safety knowledgeable that may put on a number of hats, trying over your shoulder, anticipating what you should think about subsequent. However with out the black field selections or sources that may change or result in lifeless hyperlinks.
Blackwire is described as being “safe by design.” Are you able to elaborate on the particular measures that make your platform enterprise-grade?
Every little thing from our structure to our AI method is designed with enterprise-grade safety and belief in thoughts. Our CTO Chris has been doing this his complete profession and is adamant about this. Let me break this down virtually. At its core, our structure ensures full information isolation between organizations, with strict tenant separation and configurable retention insurance policies. We’re adamant about information privateness – we by no means practice on buyer information or queries, and every thing operates on a private-by-default foundation. Consider it like operating your personal safe enclave inside our platform.
For entry management, we have applied enterprise-grade authentication with granular RBAC and MFA help. Every API key may be scoped exactly to particular permissions, giving organizations full management over how their groups work together with the platform. We have paired this with complete audit logging and safety monitoring, creating immutable data for compliance and safety evaluations.
What makes our method distinctive is how we have constrained our AI fashions particularly to cybersecurity domains whereas sustaining full transparency. If you ask Blackwire Labs about baking a cake it’s going to say, “I can not construct a cake however constructing a SOC requires a layered method, would you want to speak about that?” It’s because we have applied very purposeful constraints. Each response should reference validated sources by our three-tier framework, and our Safety Registry creates everlasting, verifiable data of all analyses and selections. This is not nearly “checking a field” safety features – it is about constructing a platform that safety practitioners can belief.
Blackwire Labs locations a robust emphasis on being user-configurable. What particular customizations can shoppers leverage to suit their distinctive safety wants?
Along with what I spoke about earlier with predictive prompting and contextcraft, we’re creating capabilities for organizations to securely leverage their proprietary information alongside our trusted cybersecurity insights. The place customers can incorporate their particular enterprise context – whether or not that is inside insurance policies, structure documentation, or industry-specific necessities whereas sustaining information privateness and belief. This ensures their delicate information by no means leaves their setting whereas nonetheless offering complete, tailor-made solutions. Take into consideration a healthcare supplier needing to align safety practices with HIPAA necessities, or a protection contractor working inside CMMC frameworks. They will combine their compliance documentation and inside insurance policies whereas leveraging our broader cybersecurity experience. The secret’s that every one of this stays cryptographically verifiable by TrustWire, sustaining our dedication to transparency and belief.
How does Blackwire Labs’ “Service First” philosophy, rooted in your army background, form your method to buyer relationships and cybersecurity options?
Our “Service First” philosophy runs deeper than simply buyer relationships – it is rooted in our faith-based ethos of servant management. This implies each resolution we make begins with how we are able to finest serve our group and shield organizations that want our assist.
We’ve all grown up on this mission house, we perceive the challenges safety groups face as a result of we have lived them. We have walked in our customers’ footwear. We’re constructing options we’d have wished ourselves. The safety group is small – everybody’s about one diploma separated from one another and fame issues lots. That is why we took a practitioner-to-practitioner method, bringing in design companions, advisors and beta customers (which finally changed into the CCOE) early to check our assumptions. We wished a lot of of us within the boat with us early and infrequently. “This product is constructed for you, assist us make it actually helpful.”
We additionally understand how safety professionals are skeptical of distributors and in lots of instances rightfully so. That is why we deal with fixing actual issues moderately than advertising and marketing hype. When our customers inform us one thing wants to vary, we hear and act. This tight suggestions loop with our group, mixed with our dedication to service, helps us keep grounded and centered on what actually issues.
Cybersecurity is a fast-evolving subject. What methods does Blackwire Labs use to remain on the forefront of {industry} traits and threats?
Our method attracts from confirmed methodologies, notably ones our CTO Chris Clark applied at Palo Alto Networks in establishing their world menace R&D functionality. Fairly than attempting to gather huge quantities of doubtless unreliable information, we have developed a scalable, environment friendly system for information administration and menace intelligence.
We have applied a complicated triage system the place queries that do not meet our standards for being absolutely answered or sourced undergo each automated and guide overview processes. This creates a robust community impact the place gaps are addressed and information turns into accessible to all customers. If our system cannot present a passable reply, it mechanically triggers an inside overview.
What makes this method distinctive is our deal with high quality over amount. Our CCOE members, who symbolize varied industries and roles from CISOs to vulnerability researchers, assist validate our information base and fill experience gaps. By masking normal areas comprehensively, we are able to deal with edge instances and rising challenges that actually require specialised information.
The secret’s transparency – as I discussed earlier than our system is designed to confess when it would not have a solution, which then prompts our workforce to fill that information hole. Typically, it is merely a matter of rephrasing the query (or utilizing the Lexi good prompting to mechanically create a extra nuanced immediate that the person won’t have the power to create), which we are able to shortly tackle. This method permits us to scale whereas sustaining excessive requirements for accuracy and reliability.
With the rise of Web3, quantum, and house applied sciences, how is Blackwire positioning itself to handle cybersecurity in these rising domains?
We discuss to and get recommendation from a whole lot of of us smarter than us. We’re blessed to have advisors who’re luminaries within the know-how and safety house like Matt Devost and Bob Gourley from OODA. They’ve shared insights and evaluation with us on these subjects and lots of others. We’re additionally lucky to collaborate intently with of us like Rick Howard and his Cyber Cannon mission – these are of us that many locally look to with a purpose to perceive what’s subsequent. These are of us who’re members of our CCOE but in addition mentors to me. The truth that we have all been doing this for a very long time and nonetheless have a really robust skilled community, many who I think about shut pals, are safety executives that assist us tackle each the right here and now issues and what’s subsequent. What makes this method highly effective is the way it informs our platform’s evolution. Whereas Web3, quantum, and house applied sciences are thrilling frontiers, we’re centered on constructing a basis of belief that may adapt to those rising domains. Our TrustWire know-how, as an example, already leverages blockchain and zero-knowledge proofs – core Web3 applied sciences – to make sure information integrity and privateness.
However extra importantly, we have constructed our platform to be adaptable. We repeatedly combine new insights and experience as these applied sciences evolve. It isn’t about chasing each new pattern – it is about having the proper experience and trusted framework to guage and reply to rising threats throughout any area after which assist our shoppers operationalize the proper resolution.
What are your long-term objectives for Blackwire Labs, and the way do you envision its function in the way forward for AI-driven cybersecurity?
Our long-term imaginative and prescient goes past simply constructing a profitable firm – we wish to basically change how organizations method cybersecurity within the AI period. We wish to do good and champion reality. We’re working to democratize entry to expert-level cybersecurity capabilities whereas making certain that AI adoption would not compromise safety or belief. We consider the way forward for cybersecurity lies in combining human experience with reliable AI, and we’re positioning Blackwire Labs to guide that transformation. However we’ll do it thoughtfully, staying true to our ideas of transparency, humility, belief, and repair to our prospects.
Thanks for the nice interview, readers who want to be taught extra ought to go to Blackwire Labs.
