Eight Years To Eight Weeks: Advanced AI Models Are Reshaping Vulnerability Management (Podcast)

In this episode, Stephen Lilley and Veronica Glick sit down with Eric Wenger, Cisco’s Senior Director for Technology Policy, to discuss how frontier AI models are reshaping vulnerability management. Eric shares insights from Cisco's participation in Project Glasswing and Project Daybreak, including how advanced models helped the company review 1.8 billion lines of code in eight weeks rather than an estimated eight years, while keeping false positives to roughly 3%. The conversation covers the tension between granting defenders’ early access to cutting-edge models and getting innovative technology to market quickly, government initiatives like the AI vulnerability clearinghouse, and why fundamentals like multi-factor authentication and least-privilege access remain more important than ever. Eric closes with a grounded take: rather than fearing a science-fiction AI takeover, organizations should focus on accelerating patch cycles and shoring up the basics that have always mattered.

Show Notes:

(00:02) Introduction to AI Security and the Law
(01:53) From Cybercrime Prosecutor to AI Security Leader
(05:25) The AI Inflection Point
(09:20) Cisco's Role in the AI Security Ecosystem
(10:50) Inside Project Glasswing and Project Daybreak
(12:05) What Cisco Learned: Speed, Accuracy, and the Right Model for the Job
(16:55) Rethinking Patch Cadence and Regulatory Expectations
(19:45) Government Initiatives: The AI EO and Project Gold Eagle
(23:00) Model Access, Scarcity, and Tools for Defenders
(29:00) Closing Thoughts: Back to Basics

Visit us at mayerbrown.com

Mayer Brown is a global services provider comprising associated legal practices that are separate entities, including Mayer Brown LLP (Illinois, USA), Mayer Brown International LLP (England & Wales), Mayer Brown (a Hong Kong partnership) and Tauil & Chequer Advogados (a Brazilian law partnership) and non-legal service providers, which provide consultancy services (collectively, the "Mayer Brown Practices"). The Mayer Brown Practices are established in various jurisdictions and may be a legal person or a partnership. PK Wong & Nair LLC ("PKWN") is the constituent Singapore law practice of our licensed joint law venture in Singapore, Mayer Brown PK Wong & Nair Pte. Ltd. Details of the individual Mayer Brown Practices and PKWN can be found in the Legal Notices section of our website. "Mayer Brown" and the Mayer Brown logo are the trademarks of Mayer Brown.

© Copyright 2026. The Mayer Brown Practices. All rights reserved.

This Mayer Brown article provides information and comments on legal issues and developments of interest. The foregoing is not a comprehensive treatment of the subject matter covered and is not intended to provide legal advice. Readers should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to the matters discussed herein.