Palo Alto Networks Introduces Critical Infrastructure Defense Program

Palo Alto Networks announced in a press release the Frontier AI Critical Defense Program, a collaboration focused on protecting critical infrastructure from exploits found with AI. The program coordinates with technology providers in operational technology, healthcare, commercial software, and open source communities.

The company said it recently used Frontier AI models to identify more than 14,000 previously unknown vulnerabilities in open source software. The program uses Frontier Virtual Patching to apply protection at the network layer before software fixes are deployed.

Existing collaborators include IBM, Red Hat, Microsoft, Siemens, and Idaho National Laboratory. Palo Alto Networks said the program is expanding to include Anthropic, OpenAI, Mitsubishi, Axis Communications, the Analysis and Resilience Center for Systemic Risk, EPRI, and Akrites from the Linux Foundation.