Informa TechTarget | SearchSecurity Cybersecurity Dive InformationWeek Channel Dive Explore our brands Dark Reading Resource Library Black Hat News Omdia Cybersecurity Advertise NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP Cybersecurity Topics World The Edge DR Technology Events Resources CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS IDENTITY & ACCESS MANAGEMENT SECURITY REMOTE WORKFORCE INTERVIEWS Cybersecurity In-Depth: Feature articles on security strategy, latest trends, and people to know. Why Identity Security Is Your Cyber Career Entry Point As AI reshapes cybersecurity workflows, John Paul Cunningham, CISO at SIlverfort, says the technology is creating opportunities rather than eliminating jobs — and there are more ways than ever to break into the essential field. Kristina Beek,Associate Editor,Dark Reading June 30, 2026 SOURCE: DARK READING At a Glance Despite AI automation of certain tasks like log analysis, cybersecurity still requires human oversight Leadership foundations and physical security expertise from military service naturally complement cybersecurity roles Professionals can leverage their existing strengths and backgrounds to find a path that fits in cybersecurity As organizations grapple with emerging threats and transformative, new technologies, John Paul Cunningham, chief information security officer (CISO) at SIlverfort, says demand for skilled security practitioners shows no signs of slowing — despite concerns that artificial intelligence might diminish career prospects for newcomers. In this latest Heard It From a CISO video series installment, Cunningham brings his perspective to these industry dynamics. With a background spanning military service, financial sector duty, and now his role in protecting Silverfort's corporate infrastructure, Cunningham shares with us the multifaceted nature of modern security leadership. The conversation around AI's impact on cybersecurity jobs has reached a fever pitch, with junior analysts questioning whether automation will render their skills obsolete. Yet industry veterans like Cunningham argue that this technological shift represents evolution rather than elimination. While AI excels at parsing massive log files and identifying patterns, the human element remains irreplaceable in areas requiring strategic thinking, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive problem-solving. Related:Zoom CISO: AI as a Security Enabler, Not Role-Replacer Perhaps most striking is the field's accessibility through multiple entry points. Unlike many professions that demand a singular educational path, cybersecurity welcomes talent from technical backgrounds — audit and compliance roles, project management, law enforcement, and more. This diversity of origins enriches the field, bringing varied perspectives to an industry that must defend against increasingly sophisticated adversaries operating across every attack vector. This is part of Dark Reading's ongoing Heard It From a CISO video series, which features frank, exclusive conversations with cybersecurity leaders in the trenches. Check out the entire series here. Heard It From a CISO With John Paul Cunningham: Full Transcript This transcript has been edited for clarity and length by Informa TechTarget's internal AI assistant. For the full experience, please watch the video. Dark Reading’s Kristina Beek: Hi, I'm Kristina Beek. I'm an associate editor with Dark Reading and I'm here for another episode of Heard It From a CISO. Today I'm joined with John Paul Cunningham, who is CISO at Silver Fort. Thank you so much for joining me today, John. John Paul Cunningham: Absolutely, it's great to be here and discussing this time with you, Kristina. I'm really happy to do it. DR's Kristina Beek: Yeah, awesome. So, a lot of what we talk about is how people can sort of join cybersecurity, how they enter this field, and what it's like to be somebody working in this field, especially someone of your caliber and at your level. So, I'd love if you could just introduce yourself and tell us about your background and the work you do as a CISO. Related:Anthropic's Mythos Has Landed: Here's What Comes Next for Cyber John Paul Cunningham: Well, absolutely. You know, as I said, I'm John Paul Cunningham. I'm the current CISO of Silverfort We're an identity security company. What's nice about the role here at Silverfort is I get to do both the corporate security — how to protect Silverfort from all those cyber threats that are out there — as well as get to get involved in the identity and security strategy and the strategy of our product, and even evangelize within the industry around ideas around identity security and AI and those types of things, so it's really a multifaceted role that really keeps me busy and gives me a lot of opportunity to engage, so yeah, that's kind of what I do, you know, currently. DR's Kristina Beek: Yeah, awesome. How did you first get involved into cybersecurity? John Paul Cunningham: Well, you know, I think like a lot of people, I started in technology, and this was quite a long time ago. I was working at actually JPMorgan Chase, which I think most people know, a very large bank. And one day, they just came to me and they said, "Hey, you know, we need somebody to really look at security and information risk management." You know, privacy laws were becoming a big thing, and they're even bigger now. And I said "Hey, I'd be glad to take the challenge." And so, it really happened almost that way for me. I don't want to say it wasn't intentional, but it was an opportunity that presented itself, and I was able to step into that. And then from there, I just really went all in. I went and got my CISSP professional certification and just began to look for opportunities within the bank to just continue to expand and grow and develop the skills that you need in cybersecurity. And I think a lot of people think that cybersecurity maybe is this, you know, kind of homogeneous, "everybody's the same," but it's really not. There are at least probably five disciplines that exist in the field, and you can get in through any of them. You know, you can get in through the technical background, you can get in through more of a risk management and audit background, but there are several ways to get into cybersecurity, but they all kind of lead to the same place. Related:Helping Romance Scam Victims Requires a Proactive, Empathic Approach DR's Kristina Beek: I also saw that you, I think, have a military background. And I was curious as to if that influences how you approach cybersecurity as a whole, and especially your role as a CISO. Do you feel that way or no? John Paul Cunningham: Well, I think it did. I think it does. You know, when we think about cybersecurity, we often talk about confidentiality, integrity, and availability. But often we also include ideas of physical security and business resilience and how to keep, you know, people working. And a lot of those themes came from the military, you know, because that's always been a kind of a core theme of force protection, and when I was in the military, I wasn't in a technology role, but I was in a law enforcement role, so I think that natural investigator kind of mentality and applying kind of the regulatory and legal kind of aspects to cybersecurity that come in influenced me a lot, as well as just looking at physical security, right? You know, like the security of an office or the security of a data center or how to keep our people safe in time of war. You know, Silverfort has a number of people in Israel. How do we keep them safe from possible physical threats that exist? And so, it had an influence. It definitely had an influence in me. And if nothing else, it gave me kind of the foundations of leadership that I think, you know, I was able to apply in my career. DR's Kristina Beek: What have you what would you say have been the most like rewarding aspects of working in cybersecurity or what have been the best parts of it for you? John Paul Cunningham: Well, I'm smiling because I think one of the things that I think is really cool about the cybersecurity field in general is every day is a new day. There's always a new challenge. There are always new opportunities. And it's really so multifaceted that there are so many things that you can focus on. It doesn't just have to be the technical cyber defense, but there's the risk management side and working with boards and businesses, working with projects on how to be more secure. So, there's a lot of avenues that can really tap the potential of a person and the strengths of a person. Maybe you're not as strong in one area, but you're stronger in the others. There's room for you in cybersecurity because of that. So I think just the extensibility and constant change and evolution is fun because you're in that constant learning [space], and you're constantly, you know, trying to apply this. You [know] the good patterns you learned in the past, these new things that are emerging, and AI is a perfect example, but before AI there was web and there was client-server, and you could go all the way back and there's all these moments in time when technology changes and shifts and security still is applicable to that. So, I think that's what's made it such a rewarding career in general, and I think the other side of it is just knowing that you're making a difference, that you are protecting companies, that you are protecting those assets and the people that work at those companies. And I think that in the end of the day, you've made a difference. DR's Kristina Beek: Yeah, absolutely. So, you've touched on how there are different avenues that people can go into when it comes to working in cybersecurity. And you also touched on your own background of certifications. So, I was just wondering, how would you say is the best way for someone to enter this field today? Because there are a lot of different paths. Some people pursue, you know, a traditional four-year degree. Other people are pivoting fr