Moody’s 2026 Outlook: AI Attacks, Deepfakes & The New Cyber Risk Economy

Episode Summary

Conor Sherman and Stuart Mitchell break down Moody’s 2026 cybersecurity outlook through four lenses: AI agents outperforming most human pen testers, n8n’s “Ni8mare” CVSS 10.0 RCE and what it says about AI-era patching, Claude Code’s ability to recreate a complex agent orchestration system in an hour, and how always-on recording devices change the risk surface.

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Guest Introduction

This episode features an in-depth conversation between Conor Sherman and Stuart Mitchell, using real research and market signals to frame how AI agents, cloud concentration, and emerging tooling are reshaping the work of senior cybersecurity leaders.

Chapters

• 00:00 Intro + Banter
• 02:34 AI Agents vs. Human Penetration Testing
• 13:12 N8N Vulnerability Disclosure and Its Impact
• 17:17 AI Productivity in Software Engineering
• 27:35 Moody Rating Agency's 2026 Cybersecurity Outlook
• 36:36 The Ethics of AI Recording Devices

Referenced Links & Resources

• Comparing AI Agents to Cybersecurity Professionals in Real-World Penetration Testing
• n8n Security Advisory
• Jaana Dogan on Claude Code and distributed agent orchestration
• Moody’s 2026 Cybersecurity & AI Outlook
• Underwriting Superintelligence – AI risk & insurance