Amid rising AI security threats, Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN.US) has appointed cybersecurity veteran Kevin Mandia to its board.

On Wednesday, Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN.US) announced that Kevin Mandia, founder and former CEO of cybersecurity company Mandiant, will join its board of directors. Amazon.com, Inc. stated in a blog post that Mandia is a "well-recognized cybersecurity expert" with extensive experience in "addressing cyber threats" in both the public and private sectors. This appointment comes as businesses are grappling with new cybersecurity threats related to artificial intelligence. OpenAI disclosed in July that its autonomous agent successfully infiltrated the AI platform Hugging Face; Anthropic took measures in April to restrict the rollout of its Mythos AI model over concerns that hackers might exploit it to launch cyberattacks. The appointment fills a critical vacancy on Amazon.com, Inc.'s board security committee. In April of this year, former Director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and commander of U.S. Cyber Command, Keith Alexander, stepped down from Amazon.com, Inc.'s board, where he previously served as chair of the security committee. With Mandia's addition, he will also join the board's audit committee and security committee, which is responsible for overseeing Amazon.com, Inc.'s cybersecurity policies, data protection compliance, and response to significant cyber incidents. Mandia founded Mandiant in 2004 and sold the company to Alphabet Inc. Class C for $5.4 billion in 2022. He left Alphabet Inc. Class C in 2024 and founded Armadin last year, utilizing AI to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Mandia is also a general partner at Ballistic Ventures, a venture capital firm he co-founded. Amazon.com, Inc. wrote: "Mandia is a global leader in the cybersecurity field. His experience in building and leading companies that provide defenses for some of the worlds most complex organizations, as well as investing in the next generation of security entrepreneurs through Ballistic Ventures, will help the board understand these opportunities and challenges." In a securities filing on Wednesday, Amazon.com, Inc. indicated that Mandias relative, Kristin Mandia, is an employee of the company. According to her LinkedIn profile, she serves as a senior online community manager for corporate AI service Amazon Quick. The filing showed that as part of the appointment arrangement, Mandia has been granted 4,086 shares of common stock, which will vest in equal installments over three years beginning November 15, 2027. Based on Wednesday's closing price, these shares are valued at approximately $1 million.