Agentic AI in Cybersecurity: MDR Providers Use AI to Fight Threats

The rapid rise in cyberattacks has placed unprecedented pressure on enterprises and security providers. This forces faster detection and response to increasingly sophisticated threats. Managed detection and response (MDR) providers are now turning to agentic AI as a critical tool to close the gap between attack and remediation. 

Unlike generative AI, which responds to prompts, agentic AI autonomously breaks down and executes complex tasks. This makes it well-suited for security operations centers (SOCs), where speed and accuracy are vital. Gartner predicts that by 2028, one-third of all AI use cases will rely on agentic AI, underscoring its disruptive potential across the cybersecurity landscape. 

MDR platforms equipped with agentic AI can automate tasks traditionally handled by human analysts — from pre-investigation to triage — while reducing errors and alleviating the cybersecurity skills shortage. For example, eSentire’s Atlas AI conducts pre-investigations within minutes, compressing work that could take human analysts hours, before passing results to experts for final validation. This “human-in-the-loop” model ensures oversight while accelerating threat response. 

Key benefits highlighted by practitioners include: 

• Faster incident response – AI agents cut investigation time from hours to minutes. 

• Enhanced resilience – Platforms adapt in real time to evolving threats. 

• Audit readiness – AI-driven investigations generate data trails aligned with compliance frameworks such as SOC 2 and GDPR. 

• Human-AI synergy – AI augments, rather than replaces, security analysts. 

However, industry experts warn that excessive reliance on automation risks false positives and overlooked threats. Transparency, governance, and collaboration between providers and clients remain essential. 

As MDR vendors rush to integrate agentic AI, the technology is emerging as a powerful enabler of cyber resilience. Done right, it promises to accelerate detection, sharpen investigations, and ensure faster containment — while keeping human expertise central to critical decision-making. 

 

Source: 

https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/07/could_agentic_ai_save/?td=keepreading