This book provides a deep exploration of the AI-driven cyber threat landscape, covering inherent risks across Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative AI applications, agentic systems, and the underlying AI infrastructure. It expands beyond traditional analysis by examining how prompt engineering, autonomous agents, and multi-model orchestration introduce new attack surfaces, including prompt injection, tool abuse, data leakage, and agent manipulation. Drawing on real-world case studies, the book presents hands-on, technical methodologies for identifying vulnerabilities across AI pipelines from model behavior to system-level integrations. In addition, the book delivers a comprehensive treatment of defensive strategies and secure design patterns for modern AI systems, including LLMs, GenAI applications, and agentic architectures. It introduces a structured framework that begins with foundational AI and system concepts such as prompt injection and autonomous agents, progresses through practical assessment techniques grounded in adversarial thinking, and culminates in robust security controls and mitigation strategies. By bridging AI and cybersecurity, the book equips IT professionals, security practitioners, and business leaders with the knowledge required to understand, evaluate, and defend against evolving AI-powered cyber threats in increasingly autonomous and interconnected environments.
About the Author :
Aditya K. Sood, Ph.D., is a cybersecurity practitioner, researcher, and thought leader specializing in advanced cyber threats, AI security, and secure system design. With more than 18 years of experience in information security, he has worked at the intersection of research, product security, and enterprise defense, helping organizations transform security into a strategic business capability. His work spans cloud security, malware analysis and automation, application security, and threat modeling, with a strong focus on defending complex digital ecosystems.
His research and technical contributions have been published in leading venues including IEEE, CACM, Elsevier, CrossTalk, ACIG, ISACA Journal, Virus Bulletin, and USENIX. His work has been cited by major media outlets, including Dark Reading, SecurityWeek, HelpNet Security, Computer Weekly, CSO, Forbes, Associated Press, Fox News, The Register, The Guardian, Business Insider, and CBC. Dr. Sood is also a frequent speaker at global cybersecurity conferences, presenting at events such as Black Hat, DEF CON, Hack In The Box, RSA Conference, Virus Bulletin, and OWASP. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Michigan State University and authored several books, including Targeted Cyber Attacks, Empirical Cloud Security, and Combating Cyberattacks Targeting the AI Ecosystem.
He held positions such as Senior Director of Threat Research and Security Strategy, Head (Director) of Cloud Security, Chief Architect of Cloud Threat Labs, Lead Architect and Researcher, Senior Consultant, and others while working for companies such as F5 Networks, Symantec, Blue Coat, Elastica, IOActive, Coseinc, and KPMG. At present, he is Vice President of Security Engineering and AI Strategy at Aryaka.
