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Loris Degioanni

CTO and Founder at Sysdig

Loris Degioanni is a prominent figure in the tech industry, serving as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Founder of Sysdig, a company recognized for its expertise in cloud-native security and monitoring. He has played a crucial role in developing innovative solutions for cloud security, particularly through open-source projects.

Professional Background

  • Sysdig: Degioanni founded Sysdig in July 2013, initially taking on the role of CEO until April 2018, when he transitioned to CTO. Under his leadership, Sysdig has become a leader in the cloud security market, raising over $50 million in venture capital and expanding its workforce significantly.13
  • CACE Technologies: Before Sysdig, he co-founded CACE Technologies, where he served as CTO. The company was known for creating popular open-source tools like Wireshark and WinPcap, which have been widely adopted in network analysis.15
  • Riverbed Technology: Degioanni held senior technology positions at Riverbed Technology after its acquisition of CACE Technologies. His roles included Senior Director of Technology and Senior Director of Engineering, where he contributed to significant technological advancements within the company.13

Educational Background

Loris Degioanni holds both a Master of Science (M.Sc.) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, Italy. His academic background has been instrumental in shaping his career and contributions to technology.13

Contributions to Open Source

Degioanni is notably the creator of the open-source troubleshooting tool sysdig and the container security tool Falco, which is recognized under the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. His work has significantly influenced how organizations approach cloud deployment security.125

Current Focus

As CTO of Sysdig, Degioanni focuses on the technical vision and product roadmap, emphasizing open-source development and community engagement. He is actively involved in discussions around cloud security trends and strategies for protecting cloud environments against emerging threats.246

Loris Degioanni's extensive experience and contributions to open-source technology position him as a leading figure in the ongoing evolution of cloud security solutions.

Highlights

Aug 30 · linkedin

We didn’t build Sysdig to adapt to the cloud — we built Sysdig for the cloud.

Where am I going with this?

Cloud-native is the biggest shift in computing we’ve seen since the internet, so naturally everyone is retrofitting their legacy security products with cloud security capabilities.

But it doesn’t work.

To secure the cloud, your tooling must also be cloud-native itself!

I will say that again: Cloud-native must be part of a security platform’s software design from the beginning. It can’t be an extension.

Why?

CNAPP is so named because its foundation is "Cloud-Native." It’s not a feature — it’s the core, and the centerpiece of cloud-native is Kubernetes and containers.

Kubernetes is the operating system of the cloud, and I expect that nearly 100% of industries will follow the same path and default to Kubernetes in the near future. Bleeding edge AI companies are all already being built entirely on Kubernetes.

Containers, on the other hand, are an evolution not just in where we run our applications but in how we write, structure, test, deploy, and, most importantly, secure them.

If you select a cloud security tool that was built for endpoints or firewalls and has been retrofitted to add cloud security use cases, you’ll never get the necessary degree of visibility, correlation between services, or ability to move at the speed of cloud attacks.

I know that there are many pressures on security teams, but I personally wouldn’t try to solve today’s problems with tools optimized for yesterday’s challenges. Cloud-native isn’t a checkbox. It’s a philosophy, a culture, and the future of secure computing.

Aug 19 · linkedin

I grew up in a town of 500 people. I wrote BASIC code on paper because, although I didn’t have a computer yet, I did have books on coding.

Fast forward ⏩ my partners and I created Wireshark, and 6 years after I finished college, we sold its parent company.

The point I’m trying to make is that sometimes you can solve modern problems with outdated solutions — but most times you can’t.

Cloud security is on its way to becoming a $100B market because the cloud fundamentally changed the computational paradigm. The cloud is leagues faster than its on-prem predecessor and has empowered organizations across the globe to build bigger, better tech.

But this modern problem – comprehensively securing cloud-based applications – isn’t one you can solve with antiquated, legacy solutions. And that’s before we even address the giant AI-shaped elephant in the room…

Cloud and AI have converged to create a level of automation not seen before, empowering and equipping threat actors to push boundaries we didn’t even know were possible a few years ago. The playing field has completely changed in terms of sophistication, speed, and the sheer volume of attacks. We’ve moved well beyond what traditional tools like EDR can handle.

Case in point: LLMjacking, AI resource theft first discovered by Sysdig Threat Research and since reported on by the likes of Wiz, Lacework, and others. Cloud credentials are stolen in the blink of an eye and access to them is sold at a rate that costs victims up to $46,000/day. 💸

But threat actors aren't just exploiting access, they're also exploiting AI models to divulge secrets and sensitive data. Without guardrails, everything you type or feed into an LLM is potentially susceptible to attack.

Cloudy AI problems require cloud-native solutions. They need to be fast enough, deep enough, and have a clear picture of cloud and LLM behaviors. You can try to port legacy security solutions over to the cloud, but they’ll fall short in the end.

If you take one thing away from this post (aside from the fact that I was much cuter as a kid) let it be this: In the cloud, speed is the name of the game and attackers are resetting the pace with AI and automation. It requires a new type of platform built in the cloud, for the cloud.

Related Questions

What inspired Loris Degioanni to create Sysdig?
How did Loris Degioanni's work at Riverbed Technology influence his career?
What are some of the key achievements of Loris Degioanni at Sysdig?
How did Loris Degioanni's experience with Wireshark shape his approach to Sysdig?
What is the significance of Falco in Sysdig's product lineup?
Loris Degioanni
Loris Degioanni, photo 1
Loris Degioanni, photo 2
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Location

San Francisco Bay Area