AI Firewalls Combat Emerging API Attacks in Real Time

Thales' David Holmes on Blocking API Attacks and Ditching Legacy Firewalls Thales e-Security • October 17, 2025

David Holmes, CTO, application security, Thales

They say "APIs are the new battlefield." They are critical but vulnerable. Traditional security is failing and artificial intelligence-powered firewalls are the essential upgrade to detect and block novel API attacks in real time.

David Holmes, CTO for application security at Thales, said, "Attackers are using AI to understand and exploit APIs almost instantly, while defenders are still saying, 'I don't even know what I have.'"

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Holmes also discussed:

How legacy web application firewalls and rule-based systems are blind to new, sophisticated API attacks that don't have a known signature;
Why organizations need real-time protection;
Key features or capabilities of AI solutions to address the challenges.

Holmes has more than 25 years of experience in cybersecurity and product engineering. He drives innovation in protecting applications and APIs, drawing on a distinguished background as an industry analyst and technologist.