Validin's Kenneth Kinion on What Separates Useful Threat Intel From Noise

Security Conversations: Kenneth Kinion, founder and CEO of Validin, joins Ryan Naraine on the show to unpack what "internet intelligence" really means for the analysts and responders chasing malicious infrastructure.

We trace his path from Georgia Tech through Microsoft and Amazon to the frustrations that led to the creation of Validin, the competition from big AI, the value of AI-powered tools to speed up infrastructure hunting, and why defenders keep falling further behind fast-moving attackers.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro: What does Validin do?
0:51 – Who uses Validin: CTI teams, SOCs, incident responders
2:19 – Atlanta and Georgia Tech's cybersecurity pipeline
5:31 – Lessons from Microsoft and Amazon: waterfall vs. agile
8:29 – Filling gaps in passive DNS data
9:57 – Misunderstood things about threat intelligence
14:17 – The value of "cyber paleontology"
16:00 – What makes one data set better than another?
19:39 – How Validin works: from one suspicious domain to a full pivot
21:27 – AI as existential threat or force multiplier for Validin
26:55 – Dual-use AI: are defenders losing ground to attackers?
31:11 – Closing: the next hard problem Validin wants to solve

• Transcript
• Kenneth Kinion | LinkedIn
• Validin (Threat Hunting, DNS Enrichment)
• Advanced Search & YARA Improvements | Validin
• Contagious Interview: DPRK Threat Actors Reveal Plans
• LABScon 2026