Exein Unveils Next-Generation Runtime Security to Protect the AI-Native World

Photon blocks cyberattacks before execution across physical AI and IoT, autonomous AI agents and cloud and edge infrastructure Kernel-level prevention sets a new standard beyond traditional user-space detection Builds on Exein’s position as the world’s largest runtime security provider, protecting over two billion devices

Exein, the global leader in runtime cybersecurity, today unveiled Photon, a preemptive breakthrough solution that blocks cyberattacks at the point of execution. Designed for the AI-native world - where digital and physical systems are now inseparable - Photon marks a fundamental shift in how critical infrastructure protects itself.

Unlike traditional cybersecurity solutions that detect threats after compromise - typically operating in user space and relying on a cloud network - Exein’s Photon operates directly inside the kernel, preventing malicious execution paths before they can run. By blocking attacks before the point of execution, the technology dramatically reduces latency and eliminates entire classes of threats before damage occurs. If malicious instructions cannot execute, the attack itself cannot take place.

This advancement establishes a new category of runtime security designed for systems that cannot be disconnected: physical AI and IoT environments, autonomous AI agents, and local hybrid cloud and edge infrastructure. In these environments, from industrial robotics and critical infrastructure to AI-driven platforms, downtime is not an option, and protection must be more precise and granular, blocking malicious threats without shutting down the entire process.

The announcement at the RSA Conference (RSAC) comes as cyber threats increasingly target physical systems. Last month, the Munich Security Report 2026 warned that cyber operations are now engineered to cause real-world disruption, accelerating regulatory intervention after voluntary measures failed to address systemic vulnerabilities. At the same time, the speed of attacks is accelerating dramatically: recent threat intelligence shows average attacker ‘breakout times’ fell to just 29 minutes in 2025, 65% faster than the previous year, driven in part by AI-assisted automation.

Protecting the digital and physical in the AI era

Artificial intelligence is already capable of identifying vulnerabilities in software and infrastructure. In the near future, these models will not only detect weaknesses but exploit them autonomously to launch attacks at machine speed. As the scale and sophistication of these attacks grow, traditional runtime security systems that rely on detection alone will no longer be sufficient.

Photon introduces a new model of preemptive runtime security designed for this AI-driven environment. Rather than detecting attacks after they begin, it prevents malicious execution paths from running in the first place, blocking threats in real time before they can impact the system.

Unlike conventional security tools that operate in user space alongside the applications they protect, Photon operates directly within the kernel, the core of the operating system. By enforcing protection at this foundational layer, rather than merely detecting and stopping attacks, it prevents them from executing in the first place - all in real time.

This marks a major milestone as physical and digital systems converge, positioning Photon as a new reference architecture for securing physical AI, agent AI and cloud and hybrid infrastructure.

Gianni Cuozzo, Founder and CEO of Exein, said: “In a future where the world is infinitely connected with humanoid robots walking among us, local LLMs powering intelligent edges, autonomous drones reshaping mobility, and billions of new autonomous systems bridging the digital and physical realms, preemptive runtime security represents the new generation of protection, built into the very DNA of every device from the ground up.

"Exein was born to make this vision a reality: transforming every connected device into a fortress of security, forging the largest decentralised immune system for digital life - cross-vendor, cross-platform, and cross-system. We stand as the first line of defence between the boundless digital world and the physical one we live in, empowering manufacturers to build inherently safe innovations and already safeguarding over 2 billion devices worldwide.”

About Exein

Exein is a leading runtime cybersecurity company headquartered in Rome, Italy, with operations in Germany, Taiwan and the United States. The company provides AI-powered runtime protection directly inside device software, securing more than two billion connected devices globally across critical sectors including industrial automation, automotive, energy, healthcare, semiconductors, aerospace and robotics. Exein is committed to defining the global standard for embedded cybersecurity and building the digital immune system for connected life. www.exein.io

Notes to editors

Exein will unveil the new Photon technology during RSAC 2026.

The Munich Security Report 2026 highlights cybersecurity as a core component of national resilience and identifies regulation as a response to systemic cyber risk rather than voluntary compliance failures.

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