Black Hat USA 2025: Does successful cybersecurity today increase cyber-risk tomorrow?

A reflective recap of Black Hat USA 2025 keynotes highlights Jeff Moss’s observations on the politicization of technology and the cultural trade-offs in deploying AI for customer service, alongside Mikko Hypponen’s challenge to blaming users for phishing and his paradox that cybersecurity “success” means nothing visible happens. The piece questions whether visible success drives cuts in security investment that ultimately raise future risk, and notes Hypponen’s announcement that he is leaving the cybersecurity industry to join a defense contractor.