Palo Alto Networks - Experts & Thought Leaders

Coalition, the world's first Active Insurance provider designed to prevent digital risk before it strikes, published its Cyber Threat Index 2025, detailing insights on cybersecurity trends from 2024 and emerging threats businesses should be aware of in 2025. According to the report, most ransomware claims in 2024 started with threat actors compromising perimeter security appliances (58%), like virtual private networks (VPNs) or firewalls. Remote desktop products were second-most (18%) exploited for ransomware attacks. Ransomware cyber attack “While ransomware is a serious concern for all businesses, these insights demonstrate that threat actors’ ransomware playbook hasn’t evolved all that much—they’re still going after the same tried and true technologies with many of the same methods,” commented Alok Ojha, Coalition’s Head of Products, Security. “This means that businesses can have a reliable playbook, too, and should focus on mitigating the riskiest security issues first to reduce the likelihood of ransomware or another cyber attack. Continuous attack surface monitoring to detect these technologies and mitigate possible vulnerabilities could mean the difference between a threat and an incident.” Other key findings from the report The total number of published software vulnerabilities will increase to over 45,000 in 2025, a rate of nearly 4,000 per month and a 15% jump over the first 10 months of 2024. Across all ransomware claims, the most common initial access vectors (IAVs) were stolen credentials (47%) and software exploits (29%). Vendors such as Fortinet®, Cisco®, SonicWall®, Palo Alto Networks®, and Microsoft® build the most commonly compromised products. Exposed logins are an underappreciated driver of ransomware risk. Coalition detected over 5 million internet-exposed remote management solutions and tens of thousands of exposed login panels across the internet. When applying for cyber insurance, most businesses (65%+) had at least one internet-exposed web login panel. Crucial security risks Policyholders received critical alerts for just 0.15% of vulnerabilities published in the first ten months “This year’s report focuses on the most crucial security risks that under-resourced organisations should understand to better calibrate their defensive investments to bolster resilience,” said Daniel Woods, Senior Security Researcher at Coalition. “Calibration involves balancing security investment across vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and threat intelligence while also responding to emerging threats, such as zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in the wild. That’s why Coalition issues Zero-Day Alerts to help businesses, especially SMBs with limited security resources, stay ahead of these vulnerabilities and reduce alert fatigue by prioritising those posing the greatest risk.” Risk prioritisation for policyholders  Coalition employs artificial intelligence, honeypots, and human judgement to prioritise high-risk vulnerabilities based on their likelihood of exploitation. This risk prioritisation reduces alert fatigue for policyholders and helps them focus on the most critical risks. Policyholders received critical alerts for just 0.15% of vulnerabilities published in the first ten months of 2024, and 90% never received an alert at all. These timely notifications enabled Coalition customers to remediate over 32,000 vulnerabilities last year.

OneLayer, the premier provider of private LTE/5G operational management and security solutions, announced a new integration with Palo Alto Networks, the cybersecurity pioneer, designed to address the challenges of deploying large-scale cellular devices efficiently.  This collaboration integrates Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) with comprehensive security management, streamlining the onboarding process and enhancing network security. Advanced 5G NGFW technology Enterprises often face obstacles when deploying SIM-based devices at scale. This new integration combines OneLayer's expertise in SIM provisioning, activation, and device management, including onboarding validation, device authentication, and authorisation, with Palo Alto Networks advanced 5G enabled next generation firewall (NGFW) technology. Configuration updates and connects OneLayer first provisions and activates the NGFW's SIM profile, then it fingerprints the device With the automated Zero Touch edge onboarding provided by OneLayer, enterprises gain a smooth deployment experience. OneLayer first provisions and activates the NGFW's SIM profile, then it fingerprints the device.  Only then, after assuring it's a valid device, does it register the Palo Alto Networks 5G enabled NGFW with Panorama, its central management platform, and connect it to the Palo Alto Networks Zero Touch Provisioning service, where the device automatically receives configuration updates and connects securely, ensuring a fully protected branch setup. Integrating AI-powered Zero Trust security approach "Together with OneLayer, a Private 5G ecosystem partner, Palo Alto Networks is revolutionising private cellular network adoption by integrating an AI-powered Zero Trust security approach with device provisioning, enabling critical industries to achieve digital transformation," said Leonid Burakovsky, VP, 5G Security Product Management at Palo Alto Networks. The ZTP integration offers streamlined and secure onboarding by reducing manual processes, allowing enterprises to achieve faster rollouts with minimal errors, realise quicker ROI from their cellular network deployments, and efficiently scale their networks. Additionally, it reduces rollout costs for devices. Private cellular networks The ZTP integration offers streamlined and secure onboarding by reducing manual processes "Through our integration, we're ensuring enterprises can manage their private cellular networks with the same strictness and efficiency as their IT networks," said Avishag Daniely, OneLayer VP Product. "This solution bridges the security gap, providing operational excellence and streamlined management." Zero Trust device and network management Palo Alto Networks NGFWs deliver prevention-focused architecture that simplifies security management, while OneLayer Bridge™ offers an easy integration experience across network components, enabling Zero Trust device and network management. The new integration will be showcased at MWC 2025. Visit the Palo Alto Networks and OneLayer booths to experience firsthand the advanced capabilities of this collaboration.

Aryaka®, the pioneer in Unified SASE as a Service announced new personnel and programme investments in its commitment to delivering performance, agility, simplicity, and security across customers' global networks. The company has promoted Vidyaranya Maddi to Chief Customer Officer and hired Scott Fanning, formerly of Palo Alto Networks, as VP of Security Product Management. Aryaka also announced the launch of the Aryaka Cyber Threat Research Lab (CTRL), a proactive research centre committed to the identification, analysis, and mitigation of emergent network security risks and threats.  Maddi to head customer success teams A Gartner Peer Insights rating of 4.7 out of 5, exemplifying Aryaka’s reputation as an industry pioneer Vidyaranya Maddi, a pioneer at Aryaka for over 12 years, has been named Chief Customer Officer. Over the past decade, Maddi has spearheaded Aryaka’s global delivery and support functions, transforming customers’ networks and network security. His efforts have contributed to an average customer tenure of over eight years and a Gartner Peer Insights rating of 4.7 out of 5, exemplifying Aryaka’s reputation as an industry pioneer. In his expanded role, Maddi will oversee the entire customer success function, team, and experience, ensuring seamless interactions and value delivery across all touchpoints. Customer Success Management (CSM) function “Delivering outstanding service to our customers has always been at the heart of Aryaka’s mission,” said Maddi. “Over the years, I’ve seen our customer-first culture and innovative solution offerings create meaningful impact for our customers. My focus now is to further enhance our Customer Success Management (CSM) function, ensuring we anticipate and meet customer needs throughout their entire secure networking journey.” Customer-centric culture "Today marks a significant step forward in Aryaka's journey to deliver secure, dependable, and performant applications,” said Shailesh Shukla, CEO, of  Aryaka. “Maddi's promotion to Chief Customer Officer underscores Aryaka’s dedication to fostering a customer-centric culture and delivering superior value to our global customers.” Fanning to drive product advancement Scott Fanning will join the team to accelerate the advancement of Aryaka’s Unified SASE as a Service A seasoned cybersecurity pioneer with over 25 years of experience, Scott Fanning will join the team to accelerate the advancement of Aryaka’s Unified SASE as a Service, leveraging Aryaka's OnePass architecture to offer unique and differentiated ways to address ever-expanding threats and new attack surfaces introduced with the AI adoption. Fanning brings first-hand experience in pioneering innovative approaches to solving new security problems. Fanning joins Aryaka from Palo Alto Networks, where he led the team for Cloud-Delivered Security Services. Scott's work experience Before that, he was the first Head of Product for cloud security at CrowdStrike, where he delivered their pioneering Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP). His career also includes managing cybersecurity products and services for Citrix and McAfee, and more than a decade at Cisco in various security engineering and product management roles. SASE as a Service Platform “The security landscape is evolving rapidly, with adversaries leveraging AI to exploit gaps in enterprise defences,” said Fanning. “Aryaka’s Unified SASE as a Service Platform delivers unparalleled observability, consolidating siloed tools to close these gaps and protect customers from advanced threats. I am thrilled to join this talented team to help our customers worldwide stay ahead of adversaries by empowering them with innovative, pioneering-edge security solutions.” Aryaka CTRL ensures the advancement of Unified SASE CTRL will ensure Aryaka’s solutions continue to deliver state-of-the-art defences against advanced threats Under the leadership of Aditya Sood, VP of Security Engineering and AI Strategy and author of the newly released Combating Cyberattacks Targeting the AI Ecosystem, the Aryaka CTRL team will conduct proactive research to analyse data and stay ahead of the latest threats. By prioritising real-world threat evaluations and collaborating with industry threat research groups, CTRL will ensure Aryaka’s solutions continue to deliver state-of-the-art defences against advanced threats.  Built-in network layer controls “The launch of Aryaka CTRL underscores Aryaka’s commitment to providing effective and actionable defences to our customers, already delivered through built-in network layer controls embedded in our OnePASS architecture,” said Renuka Nadkarni, Chief Product Officer, Aryaka. “Proactive research and threat intelligence by CTRL and adding Scott's deep expertise to the team will continue to fuel Unified SASE as a Service innovation to deliver unparalleled protection against evolving cyberattacks, including ones targeting GenAI implementations.” Leveraging AI “This announcement underscores our investment and dedication to ensuring our solutions remain at the forefront of secure networking in the emerging AI era,” Shukla added. “These strategic moves reinforce Aryaka's position as the pioneer in Unified SASE as a Service and empower us to deliver the most secure, agile, and customer-centric solutions on the market.”