RSAC 2026: The "Securing AI" Pivot Is Here (Agentic AI, MCP, Shadow AI)

RSAC 2026 is shaping up to be the year cybersecurity stops talking about "using AI" and starts obsessing over securing it. In this video, we break down the top conference trends emerging from early session themes and Innovation Sandbox signals: the Securing AI pivot (agent governance, inference-time protection, prompt injection, supply-chain integrity, and data leakage), Identity as the new perimeter (machine identities/NHIs eclipsing human users, phishing-resistant authentication, PKI at IoT scale), and the rise of Shadow AI as a board-level risk (discovering, inventorying, and controlling unauthorized AI apps and agents).

We'll also unpack why "vibe coding" accelerates delivery while amplifying software supply chain exposure—and what actionable security inside CI/CD actually looks like in 2026, from SBOM programs and license compliance to automated dependency updates and build integrity.

Finally, we connect the dots to operational resilience: when breach times can be measured in seconds, microsegmentation, lateral-movement controls, and real-time quarantine matter as much as prevention.

If you're planning your RSAC agenda—or your 2026 roadmap—this is your fast, practical briefing, plus a shortlist of Innovation Sandbox finalists to watch. Subscribe for weekly security strategy takeaways, and drop a comment with the tool or trend you want us to analyze next in depth.

Jo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jopeterson1/

Jo's email: Jo@clarify360.com

Dave's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlinthicum/

Dave's email: david@linthicumresearch.com

Top 10 Innovation Sandbox Finalists (RSAC 2026) to Watch:

• @Charm Security: Agentic AI Workforce to prevent scams.
• @Clearly AI: AI-powered code reviews.
• @Crash Override: CI/CD build security.
• @Fig Security: SecOps resilience.
• @Geordie AI: Security and governance for AI agents.
• @Glide Identity: Next-gen authentication.
• @Humanix: Stopping social engineering via behavioral AI.
• @Realm Labs: Monitoring AI agent behavior.
• @Token Security: Managing non-human identity (NHI).