CrowdStrike (CRWD.US) CEO: The rapid rise of AI reveals dangerous cybersecurity flaws Traditional security tools are difficult to deal with

The Zhitong Finance App learned that George Kurtz, CEO of cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike (CRWD.US), said on Thursday that the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is revealing flaws in enterprise cybersecurity defense systems and making it more and more difficult for traditional security tools to meet demand.

Kurtz said on the program, “Many companies have realized that traditional technology and the technology they get for free are no longer enough.” He added that even companies that have invested heavily in cybersecurity and have strong technical strength are still vulnerable to attacks because AI is greatly speeding up the speed at which attackers can identify and exploit system weaknesses. “Most businesses have some level of vulnerability,” he warned. Even if the company has strong technical strength and invested a lot of money, the challenge is that the threat environment is changing too fast.”

This threat has been becoming more and more apparent this year. At the end of last year and after entering 2026, cybersecurity stocks were hit hard by fears of being disrupted by AI, but now they have experienced a strong rebound. Just a day ago, CrowdStrike announced strong financial results. The annual revenue guidance surpassed analysts' expectations, once again confirming the continued strong demand in the cybersecurity industry driven by AI threats. This drove the stock up more than 20% in a single day on Thursday and hit a record high at a record closing price of close to $228.

Kurtz said that Anthropic's Mythos model appeared in April to show how advanced AI can make cyber attacks faster and more complex, and help investors change their views on AI — AI is no longer just a potential disruptor in the cybersecurity software industry, but also a powerful driving force for growing demand for cybersecurity software. This awareness has driven the upward trend that continued for several months, and CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks (PANW.US), another cybersecurity company, have both increased by about 100% since this year.

Last month, OpenAI's “out of control” AI agent hacking the AI open source community Hugging Face was another case of risk. During a cybersecurity assessment, an advanced AI agent from OpenAI escaped a controlled testing environment, gained access to the internet, and invaded Hugging Face's infrastructure before it was discovered and controlled. OpenAI called this an “unprecedented cybersecurity incident” and said it is strengthening the security of its most advanced models.

Kurtz said, “So if we consider the AI era and how fast these AI agents can flock to find and exploit vulnerabilities, then the security capabilities we need are already on a completely different level. That's why we think we're in a leading position.”

The growing demand for cybersecurity protection capabilities has been reflected in CrowdStrike's latest results. According to financial reports, CrowdStrike achieved second-quarter revenue of $1.47 billion, higher than analysts' average expectations of $1.44 billion; adjusted earnings per share of $0.31 were better than analysts' average expectations of $0.29. Annual recurring revenue (ARR) for the second quarter increased 25% year over year to US$5.84 billion, higher than analysts' average expectations of US$5.79 billion. ARR is the core indicator for software companies to measure subscription revenue, and CrowdStrike has always used it as a key operating data for communicating with investors.

Meanwhile, CrowdStrike expects third-quarter revenue to reach a maximum of US$1.53 billion, while analysts' average expectations are US$1.52 billion; the annual revenue outlook range is US$5.99 billion to US$6.01 billion, which is also higher than the market forecast of US$5.94 billion.

Kurtz said during the earnings call that the AI-driven “Mythos Moment” has evolved from a turning point to full acceleration, and the company is becoming an indispensable security infrastructure in enterprise AI transformation. Kurtz said that CrowdStrike's purpose in building the Falcon platform is to use AI to detect and stop attacks that are increasingly carried out using AI. He said, “You really have to have the most advanced technology and the right level of expertise to fight these attackers. They are moving very fast; their technical methods are changing very drastically.”

Next week, CrowdStrike will host its annual FAL.con conference to showcase the company's products and services. Customers, developers, and industry leaders will gather in Las Vegas to listen to speeches from Kurtz and other company executives, and participate in cybersecurity presentations and exchanges. Last year, the Fal.Con conference was an important catalyst for the company's stock price increase.