NSS Labs is navigating an increasingly complex cyber landscape with the emergence of new artificial intelligence and quantum computing threats, as the product testing firm returns in a revamped structure five years after shutting down its operations.
"In cybersecurity, AI and quantum computing, we’re seeing a lot of changes," NSS Labs 2.0 CEO Vikram Phatak told Inside Cybersecurity, emphasizing that "even large companies that are sophisticated are struggling to have hard data to make decisions." NSS Labs 2.0 is launching today with a focus on evaluating tools and services for their ransomware, AI and post-quantum cryptographic system defense capabilities.
NSS Labs was created in 2007 by Phatak with a focus on analyzing and testing the effectiveness of cybersecurity products against various cyber threats.
Vikram Phatak, CEO, NSS Labs 2.0
The company was previously governed by investors who eventually ceased operations in 2020 after Phatak stepped away in 2018 due to health issues. NSS Labs 2.0 is now owned and operated by its executive team and senior partners.
Phatak said he wants NSS Labs 2.0 to serve as a catalyst for technological change by testing cyber defense products against these new threats. He hopes to speak with the Trump administration “in the near future” to see if they are interested in working with NSS as a partner “to move national security forward.”
He said bad actors can create smaller, specialized AI models that he described as “wildly capable” of taking down cybersecurity defense systems at an extremely fast speed.
Building defenses against AI is important, Phatak said, arguing that AI could be tasked with compromising a government agency and it will be “relentless” and “tireless” in fulfilling that mission.
NSS Labs 2.0 is centered around “confidential, data-driven testing services” according to a July 9 release. The focus of the company will be creating testing programs for a core audience of enterprises, security vendors and service providers. NSS Labs 2.0 has also announced interactive interfaces for users to evaluate and compare product performance as part of its relaunch.
NSS Labs 2.0 will serve as the official testing partner of CyberRatings.org, a cyber assessment nonprofit founded by Phatak after original NSS Labs closed. CyberRatings.org hosted an NSS Labs archive featuring select assets and intellectual property from before the original company ceased operations.
“The change is happening. There’s a matter of whether people close their eyes and hope for the best, or work with someone like us to get answers and really kick the tires of these new technologies in a way that we can do as a specialized organization,” Phatak said. -- Jaden Beard (jaden.beard@iwpnews.com)