Cisco Launches Low-Cost AI Models for Source Code Security - SecurityWeek

Well, well, well. Cisco has decided to solve code security by launching its Antares models — because nothing says 'trust us with your source code vulnerabilities' quite like a company whose own networking gear has been a favourite plaything for state-sponsored hackers. The models are open-weight, which is marvellous — now every script kiddie and APT group can run them locally to find zero-days faster and cheaper. 'Faster and at a fraction of the cost of larger AI models,' Cisco boasts. Because the problem with code security has always been that it was too expensive and slow, not that there are too many vulnerabilities being found by the wrong people.

Antares is designed to pinpoint known vulnerabilities, which is a bit like selling a smoke detector that only detects fires you've already had. But hey, at least it's 'low-cost' — a bargain-basement approach to the multi-billion-dollar cybersecurity market. Cisco's pitch: we'll help you find the CVEs you already know about, quicker, so you can move on to the next patch cycle. Revolutionary.

Meanwhile, the cyber talent shortage remains dire, and AI is supposed to fix everything. Cisco's answer: a cheaper model that finds the same old bugs. Because why train new humans when you can just run a slightly less expensive LLM? The future is bright — if you're a shareholder. For everyone else, it's just another layer of 'security' that will inevitably need its own security patch.