AI, Adversaries, and Adaptation: Microsoft’s Justin Turner on the Future of AI in Cybersecurity

In a recent episode of Bourbon & Bytes, Cape Endeavors CEO Terry McGraw sat down with Justin Turner, Principal Group Manager for Microsoft Security, to explore the evolving role of AI, the persistence of old attack vectors, and how security teams can prepare for what’s next.

From the Battlefield to the SOC

Turner’s journey to Microsoft began in the U.S. Army as a signal officer before moving through MITRE and SecureWorks, where he spent a decade shaping managed security services. Those early experiences, he said, were humbling. “I made all the mistakes that created this industry,” Turner admitted. “We were making passwords easy to remember, using them everywhere, everything you’re not supposed to do.”

That hands-on experience gave him empathy for defenders facing real-world challenges, something that still shapes his perspective at Microsoft today.

Microsoft’s Security Transformation

For years, Microsoft was criticized for being the world’s biggest attack surface. Turner doesn’t shy away from that history.“The company had to fundamentally change how it thought about security,” he explained. Under CEO Satya Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft made security one of its core corporate pillars. “Everyone, from engineers to executives, is now measured on security performance. That’s a massive cultural shift.”

A big part of that evolution, Turner said, has been breaking down internal silos and merging scattered threat intelligence units under one coordinated structure and investing deeply in AI-driven defense.

AI in Cybersecurity

Turner believes the true power of AI in cybersecurity lies not in replacing analysts, but in improving their quality of life. “Analysts spend most of their time digging through tools just to make sense of the data,” he explained. “We’re applying AI in cybersecurity operations to remove that friction and free analysts to focus on higher-value work.”

At the same time, Microsoft is studying how adversaries are already weaponizing AI in cybersecurity. “We’re looking at agent-to-agent interactions, how AI models might be abused to make decisions they shouldn’t,” Turner said. “We’re literally developing ‘AI babysitters’ to monitor and control other models.”

He describes this approach as building role-based AI systems that are small, tightly scoped agents designed to perform specific security functions under strict guardrails.

The Persistence of Simple Attacks

Despite technological leaps, Turner and McGraw agreed that the most common cyberattacks haven’t changed much in decades. “The top three initial access vectors are still the same: phishing, unpatched systems, and compromised credentials,” McGraw said. Turner echoed the point: “The simple things still work, and that’s what’s scary.”

Both noted how social engineering now extends beyond business to personal lives, from fake tech support calls to convincing text scams. “In 2025, I didn’t think I’d still be warning my parents about fake Microsoft calls,” Turner laughed. “But here we are.”

Nation-State Activity and the Quantum Horizon

As the conversation turned to nation-state threats, Turner highlighted that 85% of Microsoft’s incident activity still comes from cybercrime, not espionage. Yet, he warned, the nation-state threat is evolving — and sometimes dangerously personal.“Some Microsoft threat researchers have had to enter protective situations because of retaliation threats from nation-state actors,” he revealed.

The discussion soon moved to AI weaponization and the coming quantum era, when quantum-enabled computing could render today’s encryption obsolete. Turner was candid: “I know enough about quantum to know that I don’t know enough. But it’s going to change everything, maybe faster than people think.”

Back to the Basics

In one of the podcast’s most interesting twists, Turner explained that Microsoft is revisiting older security concepts — like physical network segmentation and thin-client models. “We’re literally back to the mainframe,” he said. “With data and identity everywhere, you have to think differently about separation and control.”

A Final Word: Curiosity Over Credentials

As the episode closed, Turner shared advice for anyone entering cybersecurity:

“This is a team sport. Nobody knows everything, and being vulnerable enough to ask questions is a superpower. The best people in this field are endlessly curious. They don’t always have the answer — they just keep digging until they find it.”

Key Takeaway

AI is rewriting the playbook for defenders and adversaries alike. But as both McGraw and Turner emphasized, technology alone isn’t enough. The future of cybersecurity depends on curiosity, collaboration, and a community that learns faster than the threat it faces.