Latest news with #PhantomLabs
Channel Post MEA
2 days ago
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
BeyondTrust Unveils Phantom Labs To Boost Identity Security Research
BeyondTrust has announced the formal launch of its dedicated cybersecurity research team, BeyondTrust Phantom Labs. The launch of Phantom Labs represents a strategic milestone in BeyondTrust's ongoing mission to advance identity security innovation, uncover emerging threats, foster industry collaboration, and help shape industry standards that empower defenders with actionable insights worldwide. Building on years of real-world threat analysis, vulnerability disclosures, and identity-focused security innovation, Phantom Labs is tasked with 'thinking like an attacker' to expose the ways threat actors escalate access and maintain control. With the addition of new research leadership and specialised hires, Phantom Labs is accelerating the company's ability to help defenders proactively understand, detect, and disrupt identity exploitation in increasingly complex hybrid and cloud environments. BeyondTrust's expanding research mission is focused on delivering key contributions to the global cybersecurity community: Original threat research and vulnerability discovery Guidance for defenders, including mitigation playbooks and hardening recommendations Collaboration with product teams to drive innovation across the BeyondTrust portfolio Phantom Labs formalises the work of BeyondTrust's existing security researchers, whose investigations have uncovered critical vulnerabilities and provided threat intelligence used in real-world incident response, including key intelligence that helped Okta investigate and contain a high-profile breach. Recent contributions include: Discovery of stealth privilege escalation risks in Microsoft Entra guest accounts Development of data science–driven detection models to identify session hijacking Release of the paths to privilege research framework, now integrated into BeyondTrust's platform Ongoing collaboration with the Adventures of Alice & Bob podcast to help educate the market about unknown risks and contribute to the global cybersecurity community. To further accelerate BeyondTrust's identity security innovation and research momentum, BeyondTrust has made strategic new hires and elevated key internal experts into critical roles: Kinnaird McQuade , an industry leading expert in cloud identity security, has joined BeyondTrust as Chief Security Architect. McQuade's security research has produced popular open-source tools including Cloudsplaining, which has been downloaded more than 40 million times. This work has helped shape how modern security teams identify and contain attacks like data exfiltration, lateral movement and privilege escalation, particularly in hybrid and cloud environments where identity is the new perimeter. , an industry leading expert in cloud identity security, has joined BeyondTrust as Chief Security Architect. McQuade's security research has produced popular open-source tools including Cloudsplaining, which has been downloaded more than 40 million times. This work has helped shape how modern security teams identify and contain attacks like data exfiltration, lateral movement and privilege escalation, particularly in hybrid and cloud environments where identity is the new perimeter. Fletcher Davis, a leading offensive security researcher and red team specialist, will lead Phantom Labs. Davis brings extensive experience in simulating advanced threat actor behavior, uncovering cross-domain identity risks, and exposing hidden paths to privilege in complex enterprise environments. BeyondTrust's research momentum sits under the overall direction of Marc Maiffret, Chief Technology Officer at BeyondTrust and pioneering force in vulnerability research and cybersecurity innovation. With decades of experience in offensive and defensive security, including discovering some of the first major Microsoft vulnerabilities and co-founding one of the earliest vulnerability management platforms, Maiffret provides a uniquely attacker-informed perspective to the company's mission. ''Think like a hacker.' That mindset shaped my first security startup over 25 years ago, where we helped define Vulnerability Management and built one of the first commercial security research teams,' says Marc Maiffret, CTO, BeyondTrust. 'Great security products require more than customer insight. They need research teams anticipating threats before they emerge. Traditional PAM solutions lag in addressing complex, cross-domain attack paths. And Identity Security isn't a feature you bolt on. It demands a purpose-built platform, led by research. BeyondTrust delivers that with Pathfinder and Phantom Labs—a platform purpose-built to secure identities and access, powered by a team uncovering tomorrow's threats today.'
TECHx
3 days ago
- Business
- TECHx
Phantom Labs Boosts BeyondTrust's Cyber Research
Home » Emerging technologies » Cyber Security » Phantom Labs Boosts BeyondTrust's Cyber Research BeyondTrust, has announced the official launch of its dedicated cybersecurity research team, BeyondTrust Phantom Labs™. This move marks a significant milestone in BeyondTrust's mission to enhance identity security and advance threat analysis. Phantom Labs aims to uncover emerging cyber threats, support industry collaboration, and shape global security standards. The team builds on years of experience in real-world threat analysis, vulnerability disclosures, and identity-focused innovation. According to BeyondTrust, Phantom Labs will adopt an attacker mindset to reveal how threat actors escalate access and maintain control. The company also revealed that new research leadership and strategic hires will accelerate this effort. The research team is expected to help defenders proactively detect and disrupt identity exploitation across hybrid and cloud environments. BeyondTrust's research goals include:• Original threat research and vulnerability discovery• Defender guidance such as mitigation playbooks • Driving innovation across the BeyondTrust product portfolio The company reported that Phantom Labs formalizes the work of existing researchers who have helped uncover critical vulnerabilities and contributed to real-world incident response. One such case involved key intelligence provided to Okta during a high-profile security breach. Recent research contributions include:• Discovery of stealth privilege escalation risks in Microsoft Entra guest accounts• Development of detection models to identify session hijacking • Integration of the Paths to Privilege research framework into the BeyondTrust platform BeyondTrust also continues to collaborate with the Adventures of Alice & Bob podcast to raise awareness about cybersecurity risks. To strengthen Phantom Labs, the company announced several strategic appointments. Kinnaird McQuade has joined as Chief Security Architect. He is known for developing Cloudsplaining, a popular open-source tool that supports detection of data exfiltration and privilege escalation in hybrid and cloud environments. Fletcher Davis has been appointed to lead Phantom Labs. He is a red team expert with deep experience in simulating threat actor behavior and exposing hidden identity risks. The company's research strategy is overseen by Marc Maiffret, BeyondTrust's Chief Technology Officer. Maiffret is a veteran in cybersecurity and vulnerability research. He helped pioneer the first commercial security research teams more than 25 years ago. Maiffret stated that traditional PAM solutions often fall short when dealing with complex, cross-domain attack paths. He emphasized that identity security requires a dedicated platform backed by research. BeyondTrust says it is meeting that challenge with its Pathfinder platform and Phantom Labs, combining purpose-built tools with deep threat analysis to secure identities and access across modern enterprise environments.
Techday NZ
4 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
BeyondTrust launches Phantom Labs to boost identity security research
BeyondTrust has established a dedicated cybersecurity research team, called Phantom Labs, as part of its focus on identity security and threat intelligence. Phantom Labs will draw upon years of security research and will aim to identify new threats related to identity exploitation, particularly in increasingly complex hybrid and cloud computing environments. The newly formed research team is tasked with investigating the techniques used by threat actors to escalate privileges and maintain unauthorised access, a process described by BeyondTrust as "thinking like an attacker". The intention is to help security professionals gain a deeper understanding of potential vulnerabilities so they can proactively address risks and prevent attacks that target identity systems. Research focus The expanded research function is intended to deliver several benefits to the global cybersecurity community. These include carrying out original threat research and vulnerability discovery, producing guidance for defenders in the form of mitigation playbooks and hardening recommendations, and collaborating with BeyondTrust's product teams to support the development of new security features. BeyondTrust stated that Phantom Labs formalises the work previously undertaken by its security researchers, who have already contributed intelligence and support to high-profile security incidents. Such investigations have included the discovery of critical vulnerabilities and the provision of threat intelligence that aided the response to major security breaches, including one suffered by Okta. Recent contributions The company highlighted recent contributions from its research team, which include identifying privilege escalation risks in Microsoft Entra guest accounts, developing detection models for session hijacking using data science, and releasing the Paths to Privilege research framework. The framework is now part of the BeyondTrust platform. Additionally, the team continues to work with initiatives such as the Adventures of Alice & Bob podcast to improve understanding of cybersecurity challenges across the industry. New leadership roles Alongside the launch of Phantom Labs, BeyondTrust has announced a series of new appointments to strengthen its research and development efforts. Kinnaird McQuade has joined BeyondTrust as Chief Security Architect. McQuade is known for his contributions to cloud identity security, notably through the creation of Cloudsplaining, an open-source tool with more than 40 million downloads. This tool has been used widely by security professionals to identify and mitigate risks such as data exfiltration, lateral movement, and privilege escalation, especially in hybrid and cloud environments. Fletcher Davis, an offensive security researcher and red team specialist, has been appointed to lead Phantom Labs. Davis brings experience in simulating threat actor behaviour, exposing cross-domain identity risks, and revealing complex attack paths in enterprise settings. The research activities at Phantom Labs will operate under the direction of Marc Maiffret, Chief Technology Officer at BeyondTrust. Maiffret is recognised for decades of work in identifying major software vulnerabilities and co-founding one of the early vulnerability management platforms. 'Think like a hacker.' That mindset shaped my first security startup over 25 years ago, where we helped define Vulnerability Management and built one of the first commercial security research teams," says Marc Maiffret, CTO, BeyondTrust. "Great security products require more than customer insight. They need research teams anticipating threats before they emerge. Traditional PAM solutions lag behind in addressing complex, cross-domain attack paths. And Identity Security isn't a feature you bolt on. It demands a purpose-built platform, led by research. BeyondTrust delivers that with Pathfinder and Phantom Labs - a platform purpose built to secure identities and access, powered by a team uncovering tomorrow's threats today. BeyondTrust's statement emphasised that these recent investments and changes are intended to support its mission to empower defenders with actionable insights and to foster industry collaboration on identity security standards. The company's expansion of its research function and leadership reflects what it describes as a strategic milestone as organisations continue to grapple with the challenges posed by hybrid IT and cloud environments, where identity now plays a central role in overall cybersecurity.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
BeyondTrust Accelerates Identity Security Innovation and Research Momentum with Launch of Phantom Labs
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BeyondTrust, the global leader in identity security protecting Paths to Privilege™, today announced the formal launch of its dedicated cybersecurity research team, BeyondTrust Phantom Labs™. The launch of Phantom Labs represents a strategic milestone in BeyondTrust's ongoing mission to advance identity security innovation, uncover emerging threats, foster industry collaboration, and help shape industry standards that empower defenders with actionable insights worldwide. Building on years of real-world threat analysis, vulnerability disclosures, and identity-focused security innovation, Phantom Labs is tasked with 'thinking like an attacker' to expose the ways threat actors escalate access and maintain control. With the addition of new research leadership and specialized hires, Phantom Labs is accelerating the company's ability to help defenders proactively understand, detect, and disrupt identity exploitation in increasingly complex hybrid and cloud environments. BeyondTrust's expanding research mission is focused on delivering key contributions to the global cybersecurity community: Original threat research and vulnerability discovery Guidance for defenders, including mitigation playbooks and hardening recommendations Collaboration with product teams to drive innovation across the BeyondTrust portfolio Phantom Labs formalizes the work of BeyondTrust's existing security researchers, whose investigations have uncovered critical vulnerabilities and provided threat intelligence used in real-world incident response, including key intelligence that helped Okta investigate and contain a high-profile breach. Recent contributions include: Discovery of stealth privilege escalation risks in Microsoft Entra guest accounts Development of data science–driven detection models to identify session hijacking Release of the paths to privilege research framework, now integrated into BeyondTrust's platform Ongoing collaboration with the Adventures of Alice & Bob podcast to help educate the market about unknown risks and contribute to the global cybersecurity community. To further accelerate BeyondTrust's identity security innovation and research momentum, BeyondTrust has made strategic new hires and elevated key internal experts into critical roles: Kinnaird McQuade, an industry leading expert in cloud identity security, has joined BeyondTrust as Chief Security Architect. McQuade's security research has produced popular open-source tools including Cloudsplaining, which has been downloaded more than 40 million times. This work has helped shape how modern security teams identify and contain attacks like data exfiltration, lateral movement and privilege escalation, particularly in hybrid and cloud environments where identity is the new perimeter. Fletcher Davis, a leading offensive security researcher and red team specialist, will lead Phantom Labs. Davis brings extensive experience in simulating advanced threat actor behavior, uncovering cross-domain identity risks, and exposing hidden paths to privilege in complex enterprise environments. BeyondTrust's research momentum sits under the overall direction of Marc Maiffret, Chief Technology Officer at BeyondTrust and pioneering force in vulnerability research and cybersecurity innovation. With decades of experience in offensive and defensive security, including discovering some of the first major Microsoft vulnerabilities and co-founding one of the earliest vulnerability management platforms, Maiffret provides a uniquely attacker-informed perspective to the company's mission. ''Think like a hacker.' That mindset shaped my first security startup over 25 years ago, where we helped define Vulnerability Management and built one of the first commercial security research teams,' says Marc Maiffret, CTO, BeyondTrust. 'Great security products require more than customer insight. They need research teams anticipating threats before they emerge. Traditional PAM solutions lag behind in addressing complex, cross-domain attack paths. Identity Security isn't a feature you bolt on; it demands a purpose-built platform, led by research. BeyondTrust delivers that with Pathfinder and Phantom Labs—a platform purpose built to secure identities and access, powered by a team uncovering tomorrow's threats today.' To learn more about BeyondTrust's research mission, visit: About BeyondTrust BeyondTrust is the global identity security leader protecting Paths to Privilege™. Our identity-centric approach goes beyond securing privileges and access, empowering organizations with the most effective solution to manage the entire identity attack surface and neutralize threats, whether from external attacks or insiders. BeyondTrust is leading the charge in transforming identity security to prevent breaches and limit the blast radius of attacks, while creating a superior customer experience and operational efficiencies. We are trusted by 20,000 customers, including 75 of the Fortune 100, and our global ecosystem of partners. Learn more at Follow BeyondTrust:X: Blog: LinkedIn: For BeyondTrust: Mike BradshawConnect Marketing for BeyondTrustP: (801) 373-7888E: mikeb@ in to access your portfolio
