Former ethical hacker Danny Jenkins shares how ThreatLocker’s Zero Trust model is helping businesses stay ahead of today’s fast-evolving cyber threats.

As threats evolve faster than most companies can react, Danny Jenkins, CEO and co-founder of ThreatLocker, is offering something radically different: clarity through Zero Trust. In an exclusive conversation with TECHx Media, the former ethical hacker emphasizes a simple yet powerful message: Stop chasing threats. Block what’s unnecessary. Trust nothing by default.

From early beginnings as a teenage techie to leading one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity companies in the world, Jenkins has made it his mission to flip the cybersecurity narrative, with Zero Trust at the core.

From humble beginnings to Cybersecurity Leader

“I started IT when I left school at 15 years old,” Jenkins recalls.
That bold start quickly evolved into launching email security companies and working as an ethical hacker.

“This started off as me trying to get into companies. One of the things I challenged was, ‘Hey, can I get into your company? If I can, then you’ll pay me to help you secure your company.’”

While that job began with friendly infiltration, it evolved into ransomware recovery.

“Lots of companies were calling me saying, ‘Hey, we’ve been hit by ransomware. I don’t know what to do.’ The current IT company doesn’t know what they’re doing. So I’d go in and help them do the recovery.”

The Turning Point: Prevention Over Detection

At the end of every recovery, Jenkins heard the same question: “What should I have done to stop this?”

His answer was consistent, and surprisingly simple.

“Stop trying to chase threats. They’re always trying to get better threat detection, change their AV, change their EDR. It was very simple: just block what isn’t needed, allow what is, limit the programs, and really take this Zero Trust approach to security.”

But back then, the tools to implement Zero Trust were limited and complex. So,   Jenkins and his team built one.

Enter ThreatLocker: Zero Trust Made Practical

“The security tools in the endpoint protection space were very limited when it came to Zero Trust and very, very difficult to implement,” Jenkins explains.
“So we created our own product, our own toolset, our own service and whole solution around Zero Trust.”

With ThreatLocker, organizations can:

• Deploy an agent that learns their environment
• Identify what’s essential
• Block everything else — effortlessly

“A client could deploy an agent, learn what their environment needed to look like, block what wasn’t needed, and without putting lots of effort.” The result? Rapid growth.
“Today, we have over 54,000 companies worldwide that use us,” Jenkins shares. “In the last three years, we’ve multiplied our business by 20 times.”

New Age Threats: AI Joins the Fight

The cybersecurity battleground is evolving, and AI is now on the front lines.

“Phishing emails two years ago were often badly worded, poor English, very easy to spot. They were generated once and used a million times over, which made them very easy to detect. Now… they’re unique, they’re very, very hard to detect, and they’re written in perfect English.”

He adds: “Now, to create malware, you can literally just get onto a keyboard and ask ChatGPT to write you a reverse shell or write you malware… We’re seeing this increase. And as a result, we’re seeing more and more ransomware.” Even ransomware strategies have changed.

“Attackers aren’t changing files, they’re uploading them to the internet. The biggest threat people need to think about right now is their data being copied and stolen. Even if you pay the ransom, you never know if they’re actually going to delete your data or use it again in the future.”

The Middle East: A Market on Fire

ThreatLocker’s Middle Eastern expansion has been nothing short of explosive, its fastest growing region globally.  “When we entered the Middle Eastern market, we had to understand what everyone is looking for here, why ThreatLocker delivers more value and security than everybody else,” Jenkins explains.

The key? Presence and partnerships.

“We had to have people on the ground, and we had to have offices here.”

Starting with an office in Abu Dhabi, ThreatLocker is now expanding to a larger office in Dubai to serve the region more effectively including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain.

“Our staff are traveling to customer sites. They’re meeting with resellers and partners constantly, and they’re covering the entire region.”

Trust, Growth, and Recognition

With a growing list of clients, ThreatLocker has also racked up awards including Best Ransomware Solution, Best Zero Trust, and Best EPP Solution, both globally and in the Middle East.

“We’re very excited that ThreatLocker is really changing the game against ransomware, so companies can now win rather than just being sitting ducks.”

The Final Word: Let Businesses Win Again

ThreatLocker’s Zero Trust model is gaining traction because it offers clarity in an industry crowded with noise.

“Zero Trust is a really good strategy for stopping threats. Rather than trying to look for every threat that exists, we just focus on what is needed in your environment and how it needs to behave. If it’s not on the list, it can’t run.”

Watch full video interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bVwzKBQ_nY&feature=youtu.be

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