Social Engineering at Machine Speed
You hear a lot about how AI accelerates existing attacks and about the new surface created inside the systems that use it. But in the race to secure the machines, we may be missing something far more dangerous. AI brings the attack surface into everyday human life, and we have never seen that with any of the major technological shifts that reshaped the world. It reaches into our cognition and into the decisions that drive real outcomes. AI is not just speeding up threats. It is reshaping how the human mind processes trust, risk, and reality.
Social engineering used to be a human skill. It required a bad actor who had to think, improvise, persuade, and eventually make mistakes. That person needed to sleep and eat and could only target a handful of people at a time. Today it operates at machine speed. AI can interact with us the same way a human would. It can engage cognitive bias, emotional instinct, and the traits that make us human. This is a powerful tool, but also a weapon. It is social engineering at scale, without fatigue, and without ever needing physical access.
This thought-provoking keynote breaks down the major cognitive challenges in the modern attack surface. Our job in cybersecurity just got harder, but it is also more important than ever.
Because protecting systems will not be enough in the age of AI. We have to protect humans.
If AI can influence what we believe, how we decide, and who we trust, we need a new approach to defense. The challenge is clear. How do we protect human judgment when AI can engineer human behavior at scale?
After this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify how AI shifts the attack surface from systems to human decision-making, and why this changes the role of security leaders
- Recognize AI-driven social engineering tactics that manipulate trust, urgency, and authority at scale
- Assess where their organizations are most vulnerable to human-centric AI attacks, beyond traditional phishing and controls
- Reframe security strategy to include protection of human judgment, not just infrastructure and data
- Apply leadership-level principles for reducing human risk in an AI-mediated threat environment”
Speaker
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Benn, EvaPrincipal Security Program ManagerEva Benn is a Principal Security Program Manager for the Microsoft Security and Response center. Eva has spent more of her security in red teaming and penetration testing, both as a people leader and hands-on practitioner. Before joining Microsoft, she worked in Big 4 cybersecurity consulting, leading global penetration testing and cybersecurity initiatives across various industries. She is a globally recognized security leader, holding an extensive list of industry certifications, including CISSP, CEH, CCSP, Security+, GSEC, GCIH, GSTRT, GPEN, GWAPT, GRTP, etc. As an international keynote speaker, Eva is known for her disruptive thinking, unconventional storytelling, and high-energy stage presence. She has a unique ability to break down complex security challenges into captivating, actionable insights that inspire audiences worldwide. She frequently speaks on topics such as red teaming, cyber threat simulation, adversarial tactics, and the future of cyber defense. Eva’s presentations challenge conventional wisdom, offering fresh approaches on how to outpace attackers and rethink security in an AI-driven world. Beyond her work at Microsoft, Eva is deeply involved in the security community, having served/serving on the leadership boards of the OWASP for LLM Project, OWASP Seattle Chapter, WiCyS Western Washington, ISACA Puget Sound Chapter, the EC Council CEH Advisory Board, and the GIAC Advisory Board. She was also a founding Co-Chair of the Microsoft Women in Security and Co-Founder of Women in Tech Global. Her contributions to the industry have earned her global recognition as Top 20 Cybersecurity Women of the World 2024 & 2025, Top 20 Most Inspiring Women in Cybersecurity 2025 and a finalist for the Cybersecurity Woman of the Year 2024 in the People’s Choice category. Outside of cybersecurity, Eva is a passionate mountaineer, frequently summiting Washington State’s highest peaks, including Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount Baker, and taking on challenges in the Swiss Alps. Her love for mountaineering reflects her resilience, strategic mindset, and ability to push limits, qualities that define her both on the mountain and in the world of cybersecurity. Eva is more than a cybersecurity leader, she’s a storyteller and catalyst for change, inspiring audiences worldwide to navigate the future of AI, cybersecurity and psychology