Shauli Zacks
Updated on: August 27, 2025
Chip Witt, Principal Security Evangelist at Radware, shares insights from over two decades in cybersecurity. In this interview with SafetyDetectives, he discusses the evolving threat landscape, the future of AI and agentic workflows and how Radware is helping organizations stay resilient in hybrid and cloud-first environments. Witt emphasizes the importance of visibility, automation, and adaptive security strategies that enable performance without compromise.
To start, could you share a bit about your background in cybersecurity and what led you to join Radware?
Cybersecurity has been my professional home for over two decades. I’ve worked across threat intelligence, product strategy, and customer advocacy, but what has always kept me engaged is the human element. Helping people make sense of complex threats and guiding them toward smarter, more resilient defenses has been a constant theme in my career. When I connected with the team at Radware, I saw a company that was not just responding to the threat landscape but actively innovating to stay ahead of it. Their focus on real-time protection, behavioral analytics, and customer-centric solutions aligned perfectly with my mission as a security evangelist. It was an easy decision to join and help amplify that story.
For readers who may not be familiar, what does Radware focus on, and what makes its approach to application and network security unique?
Radware protects the digital backbone of modern business. We specialize in DDoS mitigation, application security, and bot management, but what makes our approach unique is how we combine behavioral analytics with real-time automation. Instead of chasing yesterday’s threats, we focus on detecting anomalies as they emerge and responding instantly. Our solutions are designed to adapt, not just react, which is critical in a world where attackers are constantly evolving their tactics. Whether it is a volumetric DDoS attack or a stealthy bot infiltration, Radware’s technology is built to see it, understand it, and stop it quickly.
From your vantage point, what are the most pressing cyber threats organizations face right now, and how are you seeing these evolve?
The threat landscape is shifting from opportunistic to strategic. Attackers are coordinating multi-vector campaigns that blend DDoS, ransomware, and bot-driven exploits, often using automation and AI to scale their efforts. One of the most concerning trends is the rise of low and slow attacks. These are subtle, persistent threats that mimic legitimate traffic and evade traditional defenses. These are not just technical challenges, they are visibility challenges. Organizations need tools that can detect nuanced behavioral shifts and respond with precision. The days of relying solely on static rules or signatures are behind us.
Radware is known for its work in DDoS protection and application security. How do you see these areas changing as attacks become more sophisticated?
DDoS attacks have evolved from blunt instruments to precision tools. Attackers are targeting specific application layers, exploiting encrypted traffic, and using advanced evasion techniques to bypass legacy defenses. Application security is also undergoing a transformation. With the perimeter dissolving and workloads distributed across hybrid environments, visibility and control need to be embedded at every layer. Radware is pushing the envelope with AI-driven detection, encrypted traffic inspection, and cloud-native architectures that scale dynamically. It is not just about stopping attacks, it is about doing it without disrupting performance or user experience.
What advice would you give security teams trying to balance performance, scalability, and security in today’s hybrid and cloud-first environments?
Start with visibility. You cannot secure what you cannot see. From there, prioritize automation and integration. Security tools should be able to talk to each other, adapt in real time, and scale with your infrastructure. Adopting a zero-trust mindset is also key, especially as users and data move beyond traditional boundaries. And do not treat performance and security as opposing forces. With the right architecture, you can have both. Security should be an enabler, not a bottleneck. The goal is to protect the business while keeping it agile and responsive.
Looking ahead, what cybersecurity trends or emerging technologies do you think will have the biggest impact over the next few years?
AI is going to redefine both offense and defense. We are already seeing attackers use it to automate reconnaissance, generate polymorphic malware, and adapt their tactics mid-attack. On the defensive side, AI will drive faster, more autonomous threat detection and response. But with that comes complexity. Agentic workflows, where AI systems operate with a degree of autonomy across multiple tasks, introduce new challenges around control, accountability, and unintended consequences. These systems can be powerful, but they also require rigorous oversight, clear boundaries, and robust fail-safes to ensure they do not introduce new risks or blind spots.
Quantum computing is another space to watch. It is still early, but it has the potential to upend encryption standards and force a rethink of how we secure data at rest and in transit. I am also excited about the growing role of deception technologies and threat intelligence sharing. These are force multipliers that can help organizations stay ahead of adversaries. At Radware, we are focused on building solutions that do not just react to threats but anticipate them. That is where the future of cybersecurity is headed, toward intelligent, adaptive systems that can protect at machine speed without compromising trust or transparency.
