Sr. Manager, CR and Environment

Read about the company’s commitment to the communities we live in.

Senior Manager

Community

Scams have become one of the most complex challenges of the digital age. They move across texts, emails, phone calls, social media and financial accounts—often within minutes. Beyond compromising personal information, they can have lasting financial consequences for individuals and families. Helping people live safer digital lives also means helping protect their financial well-being. Protecting people from scams requires a different approach. One built on stronger partnerships, shared intelligence and a collective commitment to stay ahead of evolving threats.&nbsp;That’s why Gen has joined the <a href="https://www.staysafeonline.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Cybersecurity Alliance</a> as well as the <a href="https://scamprevention.aspeninstitute.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leadership Group on Scam Prevention</a>, a new effort from the<a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/financial-security-program/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Aspen Institute Financial Security Program</a>. We’re working alongside organizations including Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft and JPMorganChase to advance practical solutions that help people stay safer online and strengthen their financial security by responding to evolving threats. The goal is straightforward: help more people stay protected from scams.&nbsp;Stronger together&nbsp;Scams don't distinguish between banks, technology companies, telecommunication providers or retailers. Our response can’t either.&nbsp;Through the Leadership Group, Gen will contribute threat intelligence, consumer research and cybersecurity expertise while working alongside industry leaders to strengthen scam prevention, improve information sharing and identify practical ways to protect consumers. Together, we will explore how better data, stronger partnerships and more coordinated action can help stay ahead of rapidly changing scam tactics.&nbsp;&nbsp;Iskander Sanchez-Rola, our Senior Director of AI &amp; Innovation, recently joined the board of the <a href="https://www.staysafeonline.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA)</a>. The organization hosts annual public campaigns like Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Data Privacy Week, as well as regular working groups that convene cybersecurity leaders across industries to tackle the most pressing issues facing digital life today. These efforts enable Gen to forge partnerships and work cooperatively on solutions that help people stay safer and more confident in an increasingly connected world. &nbsp;&nbsp;Digital and financial life are closely linked. By joining together with our peers in FinTech and cybersecurity, we’re working to make digital and financial safety accessible, practical and empowering for everyone. &nbsp;Building on existing partnerships&nbsp;Joining NCA and the Aspen Leadership Group builds on work already happening across Gen to strengthen consumer protection through collaboration. &nbsp;Earlier this year, Gen sponsored the Aspen Institute’s <a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/2026-leadership-forum-on-inclusive-finance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leadership Forum on Inclusive Finance</a> where business leaders, nonprofit organizations and policymakers explored emerging challenges shaping financial security—from AI to prediction markets and affordability—and the partnerships needed to address them. &nbsp;One message came clear throughout: scams and fraud are no longer separate from financial health. Protecting people’s identities, finances and confidence online is essential to helping them build long-term financial resilience.&nbsp;We also continue our work as a Foundation Member of the<a href="https://gasa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Global Anti-Scam Alliance</a>, collaborating with governments, consumer protection organizations, financial institutions, technology companies and cybersecurity peers to share insights, advance policy discussions and strengthen global responses to online scams.&nbsp;These partnerships complement the work happening across Gen's products, research and public policy efforts, helping bring practical insights to the people and organizations working to protect consumers' personal data, identities and financial information.&nbsp;Looking ahead&nbsp;Cybercriminals continue to adapt. So will we.&nbsp;The future of Cyber Safety and scam prevention won’t be built by any one company, industry or technology alone. It will be built through collaboration – with organizations working together, sharing knowledge and acting quickly as new threats emerge.&nbsp;Through partnerships like NCA and the Aspen Institute’s Leadership Group on Scam Prevention, Gen is helping strengthen that collective response—so more people can navigate digital and financial life with greater security and confidence.&nbsp;Learn more about Gen’s <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/public-policy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">public policy</a> work.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Collaboration is the Future of Digital Freedom

Gen joins the Aspen Institute’s new Leadership Group on Scam Prevention and the National Cybersecurity Alliance

Today, we released our <a href="https://investor.gendigital.com/files/doc_downloads/2026/06/26/2026-Gen-Social-Impact-Report_FINAL.pdf">FY26 Social Impact Report</a>, and the takeaway is clear: Digital Freedom isn’t a future ambition. We’re actively building it now.The numbers tell a clear story.In a year where technology moved faster than ever, our digital safety and financial wellness programs helped more than 11 million people build the skills, confidence and protection they need to thrive online.Nearly 8,700 nonprofits accessed cybersecurity tools through our product donation programs.And 69% of Gen employees participated in volunteering and giving initiatives—the highest participation rate in our history. We also continued to invest in the technology and research that nearly 500 million users trust to protect their digital and financial lives.Here's a look at some of the work behind those numbers.<h4>Helping more people build digital and financial skills</h4>Technology keeps changing. The skills people need to navigate it safely are changing too.Over the past year, we expanded our digital safety and financial wellness programs through partnerships with educators, nonprofits and community organizations around the world. We updated educational content to address AI, created a new partnership with the Jump$tart Coalition, and worked with Discovery Education, the National Consumers League, and more to help people build practical skills for digital life. My Digital Life, co-created with Discovery Ed, has reached more than 600,000 students globally with lessons focused on misinformation, privacy, AI and more since 2023.<h4>Supporting the communities that support others</h4>Our cybersecurity tools help organizations protect the people who depend on them. Product donations remain an important part of how we extend protection beyond our direct customers.In FY26, Gen donated more than $4.8 million in cybersecurity tools to nonprofits through our partnerships with TechSoup and Charity Digital. These organizations support communities around the world, and stronger digital protection helps them continue that work.<h4>Investing in the people behind the protection</h4>Many of Gen's most impactful initiatives start with our employees.This year, employees logged over 9,400 volunteer hours, our highest on record. We also launched Passion to Purpose, a new initiative that gives employees funding and support to lead community projects connected to causes they care about.We continued investing in learning and development as well. Seventy-five percent of employees participated in learning programs, and 70% completed AI or technology-focused courses aligned with our innovation strategy.<h4>Managing our environmental footprint</h4>We work to support a healthy planet. In FY26, we reduced Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 43%. This was driven by facility and data center consolidation and operational efficiency improvements. We also increased renewable energy use, with 35% of our energy sourced from renewables.<h4>Building for what's next</h4>As technology evolves, so do the opportunities and challenges facing people online.Throughout the year, we continued strengthening our approach to responsible innovation, integrating governance, risk management and ethical oversight into AI development and deployment. We also invested in research and threat intelligence that helps consumers, communities and organizations understand and respond to emerging digital risks.<h4>Looking ahead</h4>The stories in this year's report reflect a simple idea: Digital Freedom is about more than technology. It's about helping people build the knowledge, confidence and protection they need to participate fully in the digital world.Read the full 2026 <a href="https://investor.gendigital.com/files/doc_downloads/2026/06/26/2026-Gen-Social-Impact-Report_FINAL.pdf">Social Impact Report.&nbsp;</a> &nbsp;

Gen releases its 2026 Social Impact Report 

Empowering people. Strengthening communities. Building for the future.

Pride Month doesn't look the same everywhere. And that’s exactly the point. The experiences of LGBTQ+ communities vary across countries, cultures and communities. So do the ways people show their support.&nbsp;This year, Gen employees around the world took part in Pride Month activities—from creating resources for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs online to developing messages of encouragement and belonging for queer communities in India. Different activities. Shared goal: creating an environment where people feel respected, supported and able to be fully themselves.&nbsp;<h2>Showing up in local communities&nbsp;</h2>In Tempe, we hosted a live event with guests from <a href="https://www.theseenlife.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The SEEN</a>, a local nonprofit that empowers and advocates for the BIPOC LGBTQ+ community, with people sharing personal stories and celebrating with a game of Jeopardy.&nbsp;

In Pune, team members created affirmative posters featuring messages of support, encouragement and inclusion with LGBTQ+ individuals.&nbsp;"Pride isn't just a month; it's a mindset. Our Pune team picked up brushes and painted what inclusion looks like. Every poster, a promise. Every color, a commitment. ” Pallavi Sharma Patil, Pune&nbsp;

Team members from all around the world volunteered virtually to develop financial aid resources for LGBTQ+ youth entrepreneurs. The goal: increase visibility for queer-owned businesses and connect aspiring entrepreneurs with tools for growth.&nbsp;&nbsp;While each initiative reflected different needs and perspectives, they shared a common belief: everyone deserves the opportunity to live, contribute and participate in their communities authentically. &nbsp;<h2>Building belonging all year long&nbsp;</h2>The work doesn't stop when Pride Month ends.&nbsp;Throughout the year, Communities@Gen, our employee resource groups, help employees connect around shared experiences, build networks and foster a culture of belonging. PROUD, Gen's LGBTQ+ employee community, plays an important role in that effort - creating opportunities and allies to learn from one another, build alongside each other and share ideas around inclusion across the company.&nbsp;Because when people can show up as they are, stronger communities follow.&nbsp;To learn more, visit our <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/social-impact/inclusion-and-belonging/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Inclusion and Belonging website</a>. &nbsp;

Gen teams support LGBTQ+ communities around the world 

Showing Up for Pride

We work with education partners all over the world to help students build strong, lasting digital safety habits. And we equip teachers with tools and resources that make those digital skills part of everyday learning in their school curriculums, not a one-off lesson.&nbsp;&nbsp;Since 2021, more than 42,300 students across 200 schools have taken part in Cyber Safety training through a collaboration between Norton, part of the Gen family of brands, and Bal Raksha Bharat (Save the Children – India).&nbsp;&nbsp;The focus is practical: helping young people recognize online risks and build habits that keep them safer—from spotting scams to protecting their personal information. And by bringing teachers and families into the learning process, the program ensures those behaviors don’t stop at the classroom door.&nbsp;

<h2>How it works&nbsp;</h2>We start early and keep it relevant. Students ages 10-16 learn practical Cyber Safety skills through age-based lessons covering topics like scams, phishing and online privacy. Many schools also run Cyber Safety Clubs to keep those habits going beyond the classroom.&nbsp;&nbsp;Teachers are trained alongside students with tools they can use every day — not just once.&nbsp;And the learning doesn’t stop at school. Workshops bring in parents, caregivers, School Management Committees and even local law enforcement, so the same messages show up at school, at home and in the community.&nbsp;Between April 2025 and March 2026 alone, these sessions reached more than 9,400 people, including nearly 7,800 students and more than 1,700 caregivers.&nbsp;<h2>The results are in. The impact is clear. &nbsp;</h2><ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e50336e8fde80f2a8f28a0d021f201cb1">99.5% of students surveyed showed improved digital safety knowledge&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e728025570a6c3d168ca5e928feab5a43">Students scoring 70% or higher on the Cyber Safety assessment increased from 5% before the session to 91% afterwards&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e3ea6261ccdf7b675e38313b9e0410513">96% of parents said the training helped them guide their children&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e4bc2abde24be47a263d698de4f102fee">91% of teachers saw positive changes in digital behavior, like stronger passwords and scam awareness&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>These results come from a sample of schools in Pune, Maharashtra and Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu that have been running the program for at least a year. &nbsp;

<h2>Why this approach matters&nbsp;</h2>This work in India is part of something bigger.&nbsp;Across the globe, Gen is helping expand access to digital education that is locally relevant, scalable and built to last—so more people can navigate the digital world with confidence.&nbsp;We’re building on this through partnerships with Discovery Education on <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/impact/community/discovery-education-ai-curriculum" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AI literacy</a> and our <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/impact/community/financial-literacy-month-2026" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">financial wellness efforts</a> with the Jump$tart Coalition and the National Consumers League.&nbsp;&nbsp;

How our partnership with Save the Children India builds safer digital habits

Expanding Digital Education for Students in India

Corporate Manager

Phishing scams are more convincing. AI is making fake messages harder to spot. And once attackers get into one account, they often don’t stop there. They move laterally – email, banking, shopping, even identity data — turning a single mistake into something much bigger.That’s how account takeovers become&nbsp;identity theft.And the signals people used to rely on? They’re fading fast.As James E. Lee, President of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), explains: “Remember when we used to tell people bad spelling and poor grammar were the best way to tell if someone was trying to scam you or steal your identity? AI-assisted attacks now make it easy to convince people a scam is real, compromising or bypassing passwords along the way. That’s why we all need to change our habits to include a multi-layer approach to protecting our personal information, starting with passkeys where available, and long, unique passwords created by a password manager + MFA when passkeys are not available.”The good news: protecting yourself doesn’t require expert-level skills. It requires a smarter, layered approach to how you log in; one that makes life harder for attackers, not for you. The new reality: passwords alone aren’t enoughPasswords are still everywhere. But on their own, they’re no longer strong enough to stand up to modern threats like phishing, credential stuffing, and data breaches.Today, the most effective defense is layered:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="ebe7fef585caa31819c6accdda95c3775">Strong, unique passphrases&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e29bc7f2b2042241054279627351da17d">A password manager&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e92657b16dd661843074c9f463fa52be1">Multi-factor authentication (MFA)&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e6ef7fd2c3211fd022bd5c30000356466">Authenticator apps&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e99b977e01d337356e97b88ed370094ea">Passkeys&nbsp;</li></ul>Each layer adds friction for attackers and resilience for you.<h2>Start with stronger passwords or passphrases</h2>Short, complex passwords are fading out. Long, unique&nbsp;passphrases are in.A passphrase (something like a string of unrelated words) is:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e286a4823c6a31ced6d37539a0ef92c7a">harder to crack&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e51ada4f98556fc6e4edfd506d5b0811e">easier to remember&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e10a8c3ae3ceb601bfe4d90320037d1d7">more resistant to brute-force attacks&nbsp;</li></ul>Aim for at least&nbsp;12–15 characters and never reuse credentials across accounts.Why? Because password reuse is one of the fastest paths to identity theft. One breached account can unlock many more—especially email, which acts as a gateway to everything else.

<h2>A password manager makes strong security a reality</h2>Here’s the truth: no one can securely manage dozens of unique passwords on their own.That’s where a password manager comes in. A tool like&nbsp;<a href="https://my.norton.com/extspa/passwordmanager" target="_blank">Norton Password Manager</a> helps you:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e93d3e2f5a1f3d684b90b6064c19fbb2a">generate strong, unique passwords&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e280b796fe7b27859a3108336caf07c71">store them securely&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e695229e2672c6f45484d8ff402915c28">autofill them across devices&nbsp;</li></ul>👉 Instead of reusing passwords or writing them down, you create a system that scales safely.And that matters because better password habits are one of the most effective ways to prevent account takeovers before they start.<h2>MFA: the simplest upgrade with the biggest impact</h2>Even strong passwords can be stolen through phishing, malware or breaches.That’s why&nbsp;multi-factor authentication (MFA) is critical.MFA requires a second form of verification:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e70545fda0a315f0787bd5c2d97b9297e">something you know (password)&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e9c798773de7ff0641db0b83bf87b026b">something you have (device or app)&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e5b11b8077468b93b11b9eea30a434e3e">something you are (biometrics)&nbsp;</li></ul>So even if an attacker gets your password, they still hit a wall.Think of it this way: A password locks the door. MFA adds a deadbolt.<h2>Authenticator apps &gt; SMS (and here’s why)</h2>Many people rely on text message codes for MFA. It’s better than nothing—but it’s not the strongest option.Authenticator apps are more secure because:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e1becac39799082e5fee0a8f2c7adba0b">codes are generated on your device&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="eea63cb614fe3a9dfbb519f6a3e81937a">they aren’t transmitted over networks&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="ee5f9827b24141bed1f6ec8e7c1acc7c4">they’re less vulnerable to SIM-swap attacks&nbsp;</li></ul>They also strike the right balance: strong security, minimal friction.<h2>Passkeys: a simpler, phishing-resistant future</h2>Passkeys are gaining traction for a reason. They remove the password entirely.Instead of typing anything, you log in using:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e9dcf2622584197e5cb16fda3f11ef6ac">fingerprint&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="ea7d11d74d81497a4acd16e7c6c29d6cd">face scan&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e0426ea4a37edded97d0c20340c5f78d6">device PIN&nbsp;</li></ul>Behind the scenes, passkeys use&nbsp;public key cryptography, which means:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e58dcc6362b3c8cd82d1651546d8ed350">no shared secrets to steal&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e192dbdc4720550b21d96ceefc468888e">no passwords to phish&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e6ac56d7e9a1e70491553d822f360e9dd">no risk of entering credentials into fake sites&nbsp;</li></ul>They’re designed to be&nbsp;phishing-resistant by default.Passkeys aren’t universal yet, but where they’re available, they’re one of the strongest upgrades you can make.<h2>How account takeovers turn into identity theft</h2>This is where it gets real.When attackers access an account, they don’t just stop there. They:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e64049057c95e55d1542faa1c6cae8b82">reset passwords&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e102a5f8ec88ebe93219c8c025126d42f">scrape personal data&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e91eff0019645f2083dfcbf411937ac9d">impersonate you&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="efb44ea2fdf24f5e2381c8e5acae6b8e3">pivot into financial or identity systems&nbsp;</li></ul>That’s how a compromised login becomes&nbsp;identity theft.According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.idtheftcenter.org/" target="_blank">Identity Theft Resource Center</a> (ITRC), stolen credentials are one of the most common starting points for identity-related crimes. The <a href="https://identitytheft.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Federal Trade Commission</a> also notes that identity theft often begins with exposed login information.In other words, protecting your accounts is one of the most effective ways to protect your identity.<h2>Security doesn’t stop at login</h2>Getting into your accounts safely is step one. What happens after matters too.<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="eeca421063d947af9513ba3520e0d9e44">Use secure apps with end-to-end encryption&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e57922da03ac9c2b8ad3b098c22ed9eac">Be cautious about what you share and store&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="ed0891d3c1de4af26b749c0b569485d3c">Keep devices updated&nbsp;</li></ul>Good digital habits don’t end at login; they extend across everything you do online.<h2>What to do now (start here)</h2>Focus on your most important accounts:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e0d7d0c8f79bf63ec1dc9855b30165df3">email&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e308b155522a2f37f61aa2deaabfb01b3">banking&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e26ce5f8a4c9ff8a30dfc73dd89eea960">shopping&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e2324f3fed7f0dcdafb1af0c2ee15ca9b">social media&nbsp;</li></ul>Then:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e6f69f3a8b0b344d52b8219fb40b2ab09">Create long, unique passphrases&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e881ebfa1d05420bf605313135ecec426">Use a password manager &nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="eb63b60ac4032b3eca7f992e0b74e95b5">Turn on MFA everywhere you can&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="ef4b8b21f6dccdba45a0f751e50edceec">Choose an authenticator app over SMS&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="ea21ef6c61d702b4f3f3b14874b1109d2">Adopt passkeys when available&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>Build a layered defense that works</h2>There’s no single fix for cybersecurity. The strongest protection comes from combining tools that reinforce each other:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e9103f9164c0015d124a746b512b58630">Passphrases protect against guessing and reuse&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e09e76fdc1cf114a79d3205044d2b4894">Password managers make strong habits sustainable&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e11204eee1d8516ebf6a7218416e4b33d">MFA blocks unauthorized access&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e549576d6a19185416cc2e423b8e08fcf">Authenticator apps strengthen that layer&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e3bf65eec480f11a943d6de5153de9028">Passkeys reduce reliance on passwords entirely&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>Build better sign-in habits, one step at a time</h2>Together, they create a system that’s much harder to break—and much easier to live with. Attackers don’t need much, just one weak password, one reused login, one missed step. That’s why small upgrades matter. A stronger passphrase. Turning on MFA. Using a password manager. Choosing passkeys when you can.You don’t have to do everything at once. But each step you take makes it harder for someone else to take control.

Cybercriminals aren’t just guessing passwords anymore, they’re logging in

Why Passkeys, MFA and Strong Passphrases Matter More Than Ever

Read about Gen's commitment to sustainability.

Environment

For more than 50 years, Earth Month (April) has been a global reminder that real change starts with everyday action.&nbsp;&nbsp;At Gen, that idea shows up through our people — how we think, how we build and how we show up in our communities. Because creating a safer digital world goes hand in hand with supporting a healthier, more resilient planet. Earth Month is an opportunity to bring that idea to life.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 2026, teams across Gen took action in ways that were local, collective and accessible. From employee-led volunteer efforts like beach and river cleanups, planting pollinator-friendly flowers and donating to environmentally focused nonprofits, we made a meaningful impact in the communities where we live and work. Employees around the world also participated virtually, engaging with global sustainability leaders and “taking an hour” for the planet through a digital campaign. &nbsp;Here are a few highlights from this year’s activities.&nbsp;Learning from leaders driving environmental change&nbsp;In 2017, Flossie Donnelly began organizing beach cleanups in her local community in Ireland at just 10 years old. Today, she is co-founder of <a href="https://flossieandthebeachcleaners.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Flossie and the Beach Cleaners</a>, a leading nonprofit and a nationwide movement focused on reducing plastic pollution and protecting marine ecosystems.&nbsp;Flossie joined Gen team members on Earth Day as part of our global webinar, From Inspiration to Impact, held in collaboration with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). She was joined by WAGGGS member Terry Aketch, co-founder of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/rafiki-peps-enterprise/posts/?feedView=all" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rafiki Peps</a>, a waste-focused social enterprise in Kenya. The conversation spotlighted something we believe in deeply: a new generation of changemakers is driving innovation and impact through community action.&nbsp;Taking action at home&nbsp;Impact also starts at home — and we believe in making that accessible.&nbsp;That’s the idea behind our Sustainable Home Improvement Program (SHIP), which marked its fourth anniversary this Earth Month. The program is a unique initiative that provides employees with grants of up to $500 per year for eligible home projects that benefit the environment.&nbsp;In fiscal 2026, we supported 3,249 employee-led projects worldwide, with more than half of employees participating. From installing home solar panels and upgrading to energy-efficient appliances to creating and renovating home gardens, SHIP helps make sustainability practical, personal and accessible.&nbsp;&nbsp;Throughout the month, employees also took part in activities designed to make participation easy from anywhere. These included an Action Blitz where team members shared sustainable habits, an Earth Month quiz and learning sessions focused on climate and environmental impact. These simple activations helped make action easy, growing our participation and in turn, our collective impact.&nbsp;Connecting innovation and environmental impact&nbsp;At Gen, innovation isn’t just about advancing technology — it's about applying our expertise and creativity in ways that create positive change.&nbsp;&nbsp;This year, we partnered with Goodera to explore the intersection of innovation and impact through a workshop using generative AI to design posters promoting eco-friendly habits. The session contributed to a growing library of educational resources supporting Materials for the Arts and broader environmental awareness efforts — demonstrating how technology can help scale positive impact. To help offset the event’s footprint, we planted trees with One Tree Planted.&nbsp;Beyond earth month &nbsp;While Earth Month is one important moment, empowering employees to take action for the planet is a longstanding pillar of our Global Impact program. This commitment continues throughout the year. Through partnerships, community initiatives and innovative technology, we are focused on creating an impact that lasts — both online and offline.&nbsp;&nbsp;To learn more about how Gen supports the environment, view our latest <a href="https://s201.q4cdn.com/771113172/files/doc_downloads/2025/06/Gen-Social-Impact-Report-2025.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Impact Report</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gen team members take action for the planet through global Earth Month activations 

Turning Earth Month into Action at Gen

Our purpose, Powering Digital Freedom, includes a commitment to protect our world which means supporting a healthy planet. Throughout the year, we work internally and with our partners to manage our environmental impacts, minimizing our greenhouse gas emissions, engaging our employees in environmental stewardship and identifying new strategies to reduce our footprint, especially in our product line.&nbsp;&nbsp;We are a digital-first company and are proud that 98% of our products are delivered digitally. Although physical products account for only 2% of our annual revenue, we believe we have a responsibility to deliver those products in a way that supports healthy forests. That’s why we’re proud to report that in fiscal 2025, ~55% of our physical products were made using paper or cardboard that was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), our highest use rate on record. &nbsp;We also plan to increase our use of FSC-certified cardboard in products made in Europe and Asia later this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;FSC is a trusted nonprofit organization that works to protect healthy, resilient forests. FSC certification ensures that our paper and cardboard come from responsibly managed forests. The organization sets criteria for forestry operations and chain of custody standards globally, prioritizing water quality, biodiversity, the prohibition of hazardous chemicals, the protection of local communities and workers, and more.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Working with partners to reduce waste and plastic&nbsp;The Gen Global Supply Chain team leads multiple initiatives to reduce the impact of our physical products. These include managing assembly materials, such as inks, plastic and cardboard, and partnering with suppliers who embrace sustainability in their own operations.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our two primary suppliers, who produce more than 98% of our global physical product by spend, maintain environmental management systems that are ISO 14001-certified. We also collaborate closely with Tier 1 physical product suppliers on optimizing packaging, exploring renewable energy sources and reducing plastic use. As a result, our physical products now contain less than 0.5% plastic. &nbsp;Additionally, in fiscal 2026, our Supply Chain team is working with our suppliers to find possibilities to replace the plastic used in transport packaging with paper. For example, we are in the process of changing the bands used to hold products together from plastic to paper in our Americas and Asia Pacific regions, and in EMEA, we are in the process of changing packaging filler from plastic to paper.&nbsp;On the other end of the product lifecycle, we are members of several take-back initiatives in Europe that fund recycling programs for our consumer products. Gen also has an employee-focused computer buy-back program that resold 400 devices globally over the past financial year. &nbsp;Supporting a healthy planet&nbsp;These efforts are part of our broader commitment to promote sustainability across our business and communities. Recent activities include our <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/impact/environment/world-water-day-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AquaTower build</a> with Planet Water Foundation to mark World Water Day, our series of volunteering events throughout <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/impact/environment/earth-month-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth Month</a> and our continued support for our team members’ green home projects through our Sustainable Home Improvement Program.&nbsp;&nbsp;In light of these initiatives, we’re honored to be recognized by Newsweek as one of the <a href="https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-greenest-companies-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World’s Greenest Companies 2025</a>. The annual ranking celebrates companies that are reducing their environmental impact in key areas like greenhouse gas emissions, water management and waste reduction. Learn more about our environmental strategy in our latest <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/social-impact/social-impact-report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Social Impact Report</a>. &nbsp;

55% of our physical products are now made from FSC-certified materials

Helping protect healthy forests

Celebrating Earth Month is an important spring tradition for us at Gen. That’s why we were honored to be named one of <a href="https://rankings.newsweek.com/worlds-greenest-companies-2025">Newsweek’s World’s Greenest Companies 2025</a>—a recognition of our continued commitment to sustainability and environmental action. Every April, our team members come together to lend a hand in their local communities, learn new ways to integrate sustainability into their lives and celebrate each other’s passion for making a positive impact on the environment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This year is no different. Gen team members across Europe, India and the United States spent Earth Month beautifying local parks and ecosystems, educating themselves through webinars and virtual quizzes, and taking advantage of Gen initiatives like the Sustainable Home Improvement Program (SHIP). SHIP is an award-winning benefit that reimburses employees for eligible home projects that help protect the planet.&nbsp;&nbsp;TERRA, our sustainability-focused employee community open to all employees, organized many of these events and serves as a year-round resource for employees looking to learn more about environmental topics.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Volunteering in Our Communities&nbsp;</h2>Team members at around the world cleaned up beaches, parks and other local ecosystems in April, collaborating with partner organizations to remove trash, plant trees, volunteer at nature preserves and more.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Saving Energy (and Money!) at Home&nbsp;</h2>The 2025 Earth Month theme was, “Our Power, Our Planet,” emphasizing the role that clean energy can play in building a sustainable future. Energy efficiency — and the cost savings that go along with it—are a common theme for Gen team members who participate in SHIP.&nbsp;&nbsp;Launched on Earth Day 2022, SHIP offers individual grants of up to $500 per year for eligible home projects that benefit the environment. Since its introduction, more than 4,000 projects have been undertaken by the Gen Team — upgrading home appliances to more energy-efficient models, installing home solar or PV panels, improving insulation and more. These projects have helped employees reduce their environmental footprints and save on their energy bills.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I decided to install solar panels at home because of the frequent power outages we’ve been experiencing lately,” said David Hsu, a team member based in California. “Since installing the system, I’ve started using it for a lot of my daily power needs, like charging my phone, tablet and laptop, and even using it to run my washing machine. The Gen Sustainable Home Improvement Program is a fantastic initiative, especially with utility costs going up and our environment constantly changing.”&nbsp;In keeping with the clean energy theme, Gen also suggested environmental courses on LinkedIn and offered prizes to complete the <a href="https://www.earthday.org/the-clean-energy-quiz/?_gl=1*1p3v57y*_up*MQ..*_ga*NTI3MTc1NzA5LjE3NDEzNDc2MTU.*_ga_QENXCBT7TN*MTc0MTM0NzYxNC4xLjEuMTc0MTM0NzY1NC4wLjAuMA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clean Energy Quiz</a>. We hosted a webinar with our partners at Social Shifters that featured a presentation about Waste to Energy technology from one of the <a href="https://www.socialshifters.co/global-innovation-challenge/?general_2024&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwy46_BhDOARIsAIvmcwO3sRscsQoqmInl0PLuMrRItNah9QujNQb58kEwQwccPfLIid4mtUsaArYUEALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Innovation Challenge</a> winners.&nbsp;&nbsp;These Earth Month efforts are part of our year-round commitment to support a healthy planet by empowering our teams to choose sustainability and reduce their environmental impacts. Learn more about our environmental strategy in our latest <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/social-impact/social-impact-report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Social Impact Report</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gen team members take action for the planet 

Celebrating Earth Month with our global team

For eight years, we have partnered with <a href="https://planet-water.org/" target="_blank">Planet Water Foundation</a> to help bring clean water to India’s rural population. Employee volunteers from our office in Pune have joined Planet Water staff each year on World Water Day to build <a href="https://planet-water.org/community-water-filtration-system/" target="_blank">AquaTowers</a> in rural schools, not only expanding access to safe water for drinking and sanitation but also providing hygiene education for the wider community.&nbsp;&nbsp;These efforts are part of our company-wide culture of giving, which empowers our teams to use their skills, time and passions to make an impact in their local communities. Recognition such as our inclusion in <a href="https://rankings.newsweek.com/worlds-greenest-companies-2025">Newsweek’s World’s Greenest Companies 2025</a> reflects how local action like building AquaTowers in India contributes to global environmental progress. Confronting India’s growing water scarcity crisis is important to our team members in India.&nbsp;The <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rising-water-stress-hurt-indias-credit-strength-moodys-says-2024-06-25/" target="_blank">Ministry of Water Resources</a> found that the country’s average water availability per capita qualifies the region as “water-stressed,” and even in communities that have regular access to water, it isn’t always safe to drink. Yale University’s <a href="https://epi.yale.edu/measure/2024/UWD" target="_blank">2024 Unsafe Drinking Water Index</a> ranked India 144th out of 180 countries, placing people of all ages at greater risk of waterborne diseases that can cause health problems, financial hardship due to missed work and gaps in education due to missed school.&nbsp;At Gen, we’re doing our part to change that. Since the start of our partnership with Planet Water, our work has:<ul><li>Provided clean, safe water to more than 15,000 people in rural India;</li><li>Constructed eight AquaTowers and deployed accompanying hygiene education programming; and</li><li>Implemented 13 AquaHome systems&nbsp;to provide clean water and lighting into homes for the first time.&nbsp;</li></ul>Bringing Clean Water to Our Communities&nbsp;Rural regions in India are at an increased risk of water scarcity. Villagers must travel long distances to collect water from far-away access points, a responsibility that often falls on women and children. Planet Water’s <a href="https://planet-water.org/community-water-filtration-system/" target="_blank">AquaTower</a> installations significantly reduce that burden, bringing water access to the center of the community.&nbsp;&nbsp;The AquaTower is a water filtration system capable of producing 1,000 liters (~265 gallons) of clean drinking water per hour and functions as a handwashing station for students. The system is also open to the wider community, expanding access to health and hygiene resources.&nbsp;This year’s build took place on March 26 at the ZPPS Valti school in Pune, which serves 116 elementary and middle-grade students in a rural community of 3,000 people. Eleven volunteers from our office in Pune joined the effort this year, further demonstrating our commitment to supporting the communities where we work and live.&nbsp;"The families in our village get water from the well even if it is not safe for drinking,” said Santoshi Purushottam Sutar, a teacher at the ZPPS Valti school. “Now, we would not worry anymore about where to get clean water for our students because Gen built an AquaTower in our school.”Improving Hygiene Community-WideWhen clean water is scarce, residents are forced to drink contaminated water, which can carry diseases and lead to frequent illness. Students and their families who are sick often miss school and work and incur higher healthcare costs. The AquaTower not only reduces the spread of disease but also helps students attend school more regularly, supporting the overall growth of the community.&nbsp;&nbsp;This year’s project is one of dozens of similar initiatives Planet Water organized for this year’s World Water Day, all in support of progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of achieving water and sanitation for all by 2030. The organization has reached more than 4.5 million people in 31 countries since 2009.Our work with Planet Water Foundation is part of our efforts to manage our environmental impacts and empower our employees to care for the environment. You can read more about our environmental stewardship efforts in our <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/social-impact/social-impact-report/" target="_blank">Social Impact Report</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;This grant was awarded from the Gen Foundation, a corporate advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

This World Water Day, Gen marks eight years of bringing clean, safe water with Planet Water Foundation

Providing clean, safe water to communities in India

Earth Month 2024 is a special one. It not only reminds us of our shared responsibility to help protect the planet but also marks the two-year anniversary of our Sustainable Home Improvement Program (SHIP), which has become one of our most successful and beloved sustainability initiatives.&nbsp;&nbsp;We launched SHIP on Earth Day 2022, to help Gen team members bring sustainability into their daily lives. The <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/impact/environment/seal-sustainability-awards-2023">award-winning</a> program offers individual grants of up to $500 per year for home projects that benefit the environment, and the response from Gen team members has been extraordinary. To date, more than 1,800 SHIP projects, both big and small, have been funded, from upgrading home appliances to more energy-efficient models to planting trees and backyard gardens.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I recently moved into a new house and needed to upgrade it to make it more heat efficient,” said Lisa Traynor, who works on the Global Supply Chain Team and is based in Dublin. “Although beautiful and green, Ireland can also be wet and damp! I used the SHIP grant towards attic spray foam insulation which reduced my energy use and my energy costs, making my home much more efficient in terms of heat retention. The SHIP grant was easy to access and easy to use.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Gen team members interested in using the benefit submit an application that describes how they will use the funds. The Gen Environment team reviews each one then reimburses the applicant once they have completed the project.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I chose to plant trees in my backyard,” said Alan Zhang, a Senior Network Security Engineer based in Ontario, Canada. “I believe it is a positive and meaningful way to celebrate and make a difference in the world. The trees can improve local air quality, provide habitat for wildlife and reduce erosion. I believe this program is a good approach to build a better world for future generations.”&nbsp;&nbsp;The long-term benefits that the program offers were a major motivator for team members to take part. Katharina Polainer, a Sales &amp; Marketing Specialist who lives in Tettnang, Germany, used SHIP to purchase solar panels and an accompanying battery for her home. Efforts like these also help us lower our overall Scope 3 emissions—GHG emissions from upstream and downstream activities.&nbsp;&nbsp;“With PV panels, we can produce environmentally friendly power for our own house and the community in peak seasons,” Katharina explained. “I highly appreciate the incentive as PV panel prices and battery prices are still at a pretty high level, so anything that helps us financially is a huge plus.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

The SHIP initiative is one of many initiatives that helped empower employees to choose sustainability this Earth Month. The TERRA employee resource group, open to all team members who are interested in environmental topics, hosts events year-round to raise awareness of sustainability, biodiversity, green energy and more. Over the past several months, TERRA has hosted webinars on the impacts of climate change on the weather, major takeaways from the United Nations COP28 climate conference and tips on going green during the holiday season. The group has grown to more than 70 members globally.&nbsp;&nbsp;The more we do to reduce our impacts, the more sustainable our world can become. Learn how you can take action today at <a href="https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2024/">https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2024/</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

How our sustainability benefits and employee groups help protect the planet 

Celebrating Earth Month with Team Gen

Every year, International Women’s Day serves as a powerful reminder of the progress women have made through the years—while also shining a light on the barriers that still prevent many women from reaching their full potential. In the tech industry, women still make up a small portion of the workforce. A McKinsey <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/women-in-tech-the-best-bet-to-solve-europes-talent-shortage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> found that women occupy only 22% of all tech roles across European companies, with even <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/industry/news/women-in-tech-india-diversity-growth-2027-data-science-cybersecurity-ai-124121700572_1.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fewer</a> women working similar jobs in India. &nbsp;At Gen, we’re doing our part to change that. <a href="https://studies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Studies</a> show that the global cybersecurity workforce will need to grow by roughly 4 million more jobs to keep pace with industry expansion. We believe women can be an important part of addressing the talent shortage. Hiring qualified women in technical roles helps our company continue to make products and solutions that work for all the customers we serve. That’s why we partner with Czechitas, Women4Cyber and NASSCOM Foundation to deliver cybersecurity workforce training that increases access for women. &nbsp;Expanding Women’s Access to Valuable Tech Training&nbsp;One of our nonprofit partners is <a href="https://www.czechitas.cz/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Czechitas</a>, an organization in Czechia that operates several upskilling programs for women looking to embark on careers in IT. Its flagship program, the <a href="https://www.czechitas.cz/en-2/courses" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Czechitas Digital Academy</a>, is a three-month intensive in programming, web development and data analysis, with more than 50% of graduates starting IT jobs within six months. &nbsp;Gen donates to Czechitas’ Endowment Fund, which subsidizes women’s tuition costs, and our employees volunteer as teachers and mentors to program participants. The organization has reached more than 76,000 women through its training courses since its founding in 2014. In 2024 alone, our support helped Czechitas:&nbsp;<ul><li>Reach more than 4,200 students across Czechia,</li><li>Deliver more than 4,100 hours of instruction, and</li><li>Achieve a 94% satisfaction rate with Czechitas courses.&nbsp;</li></ul>We also partner with Nasscom<a href="https://%20foundation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> </a><a href="https://www.nasscomfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Foundation</a>, &nbsp;an organization that leverages technology to digitally empower the marginalized communities in India. We are currently working together for a year-round initiative to equip underserved women in Telangana with IT skills, aiming to create pathways for entry-level employment opportunities in the industry.&nbsp;We also partnered with <a href="https://women4cyber.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Women4Cyber</a>, &nbsp;pledging to help close the gender gap in Europe’s tech sector and train more women for success in cybersecurity fields. In 2024 alone, the Foundation mentored more than 800 women. &nbsp;On March 4th, I had the pleasure of leading a panel for Women4Cyber in partnership with LinkedIn. I was joined by three women leaders from across Gen’s operations in France, Czechia and Romania. More than 100 Women4Cyber mentees and alumni attended the event, which focused on solutions to the unique challenges facing women in cybersecurity fields. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Helping Women in Our Communities&nbsp;Gen sites around the world are also celebrating International Women’s Day, rallying support and raising awareness for women in need in offices around the world.In Dublin, employees will welcome a speaker from the Rape Crisis Center and hear more about the organization’s work. Employees in Gen’s Chennai office will volunteer with Team Everest to inspire up to 60 college-aged women to explore careers in technology through mentoring.&nbsp;WONDER, our women-focused employee community, will also host several #IAmRemarkable workshops that aim to celebrate the strengths of women team members and provide valuable opportunities for our employees to network and knowledge share. WONDER is one of the many ways we support women at Gen. For this and other initiatives, Newsweek recently named Gen as one of <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/americas-greatest-workplaces-women-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women 2025</a>, based on metrics such as fair compensation, work-life balance and proactive management of workplace culture. &nbsp;These efforts are part of Gen’s broader purpose to Power Digital Freedom through social impact. For more on our Cyber Safety education and training efforts, visit our latest <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/social-impact/social-impact-report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Social Impact Report</a>.&nbsp;These grants were awarded from the Gen Foundation, a corporate advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gen elevates women and girls in tech through mentoring, training, volunteering and more 

Accelerating action this International Women’s Day 

Young people all over the world are vulnerable to cybercrime. A recent <a href="https://www.dqinstitute.org/news-post/child-online-safety-index-reveals-a-persistent-cyber-pandemic/">study</a> from the DQ Institute found that an estimated 70% of children and adolescents globally were exposed to cyber risk at some point during 2023, and the overall rate of cybercrime is expected to <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/28878/expected-cost-of-cybercrime-until-2027/">rise</a> in the coming years.&nbsp; &nbsp;India is no exception. The National Crime Records Bureau <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/child-cyber-crime-surges-32-reveals-ncrb-data-underlining-vulnerability-to-online-risks/articleshow/107168056.cms">found</a> that child cybercrime in the country has risen 32% in just one year, and young people often demonstrate <a href="https://www.socialmediamatters.in/patterns-of-internet-usage-among-youths-in-india">low awareness</a> of the importance of data privacy and internet safety.&nbsp; &nbsp;We know this is an area where Gen can help. Through Norton, one of our trusted Cyber Safety brands, and its partnership with <a href="https://balrakshabharat.org/">Bal Raksha Bharat</a> (BRB), also known as Save the Children - India, we were able to reach more than 10,000 young people, parents, family members and educators with Cyber Safety skills training between March 2023 and April 2024. These skills will not only help children stay safe online but also build lasting, healthy digital habits.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Empowering Educators to Teach Cyber Safety&nbsp;</h3>&nbsp;At 40 schools in Pune, Maharashtra, and Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, BBR staffers trained schoolteachers on bespoke Cyber Safety learning modules that Norton helped develop. The two modules—one for students between the ages of 10 and 12, another for ages 13 to 16—covered the basics of threats that young people are likely to face online, from phishing attacks to identity theft to scams. Teachers then delivered these lessons to students and community members.&nbsp;&nbsp;In total, the effort reached more than 10,000 people across these school communities, including:&nbsp;<ul><li>8,300 children (surpassing an initial target of 6,060),&nbsp;</li><li>1,210 parents,&nbsp;</li><li>635 SMC members (a parent and teacher organization), and&nbsp;</li><li>275 teachers (surpassing the target of 220).&nbsp;</li></ul>BRB also conducted a post-training assessment, which demonstrated an 81% increase in participants’ overall Cyber Safety knowledge.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Driving Community Awareness &nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>Cybercrime can affect anyone at any age. The lessons shared in these modules are relevant not only to people across these school communities but also to India at large.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To spread the word, BRB led several digital and on-the-ground activations that raised awareness of the dangers of cybercrime and how to stay Cyber Safe. These included small group meetings, voice calls and SMS messaging throughout the villages in Pune and Thiruvallur where the trainings took place. BRB also hosted workshops on cybercrime for law enforcement officials in these communities, with more planned in 2024. These efforts reached nearly 207,000 people indirectly.&nbsp;&nbsp;The organization also promoted a cybercrime reporting helpline, as well as information about various online risks, on social media. Building on BRB’s existing partnership with <a href="https://yuvaa.co.in/">Yuvaa</a> and their #BeDigiSmart campaign, the campaign’s content saw engagement from nearly 263,000 people.&nbsp;&nbsp;For more information on how we provide Cyber Safety education and training, check out our <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/social-impact/social-impact-report/">2024 Social Impact Report</a>. This grant was awarded from the Gen Foundation, a corporate advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.&nbsp;

Norton and Save the Children reach more than 10,000 students, parents and educators

Strengthening Cyber Safety Skills for Children in India

We leverage the strength of our global team, knowing we’re more powerful together. Read news about Gen's company activities and initiatives.

Security Evangelist at Gen

Company News

Gen has a family of trusted consumer brands that for decades have helped people stay safe in the digital world. We pride ourselves in the trust we’ve built with people around the world to navigate the latest technology safely and with confidence. And that’s exactly why we recently launched the Gen Agent Trust Hub – our trust layer for the agentic AI ecosystem.AI agents are no longer theoretical. They are here. They are editing files, installing packages, calling APIs, connecting to MCP servers, spawning sub-agents, persisting memory, and executing real workflows across environments. This shift from passive AI to autonomous execution fundamentally expands the attack surface.The Agent Trust Hub (ATH) exists to meet this moment. It is designed to provide continuous protection across the full lifecycle of an AI agent – from identity and verification to runtime enforcement. But security at this scale cannot rely on proprietary guardrails alone. It requires shared foundations the industry can build on.To help establish that foundation, we created the AI Agent Safety Standards by Gen to serve as a unified framework designed to bring consistency, portability, and accountability to agentic systems. This framework is currently built on two complementary pillars:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e464ce0354d35c1a986c83945bc06b0cd">AI Agent Runtime Safety Standard (AARTS) – an open standard for runtime decision enforcement across agent hosts</li><li data-list-item-id="e4a7d4ceb7039019b7c2554401a8bb1c3">Skill IDs – a deterministic, content-addressable fingerprinting system for AI agent skills</li></ul>Together, they enable the ATH and the broader agentic AI community to enforce trust not just within one environment but across the broader agentic ecosystem. &nbsp;Let’s dig into the details.&nbsp;<h2>Pillar One: Standardizing Runtime Safety for AI Agents</h2><h3>AARTS</h3>AI agents operate across a fragmented ecosystem of IDEs, orchestrators, frameworks, and standalone applications. Each host defines its own lifecycle events, security hooks, and enforcement logic.This fragmentation creates blind spots. A security engine integrated into one host may lack context or control in another, even when the risks are identical.AARTS&nbsp;addresses this gap. It is not a product. It is a vendor-neutral contract that defines:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e226fc797549b56b0ae0a537923fd79f6">Where security decisions can be made (hook points)</li><li data-list-item-id="e7566ceb595a0278da9453bbd84659578">What data is available for evaluation (data model)</li><li data-list-item-id="e637f36bcc4e8dcfac7321ad59230c1c1">How decisions are enforced (verdict semantics)</li></ul>Simply put:&nbsp; AARTS standardizes runtime security decision-making across agent hosts.<h3>The Architecture</h3>AARTS defines three cleanly separated roles:<ol><li data-list-item-id="e7a445b9a896b9b89299afa17ca58c69e">Host Runs the agent, emits lifecycle events, and enforces decisions.</li><li data-list-item-id="e989b722cd161ff069c924d70571cd6b7">Adapter Maps host-native events into a standardized AARTS schema.</li><li data-list-item-id="ed862f4398b4b82c3b52c721801728a9c">Security Engine Evaluates events and returns structured verdicts.</li></ol>This separation prevents superficial “checkbox security” while preserving portability. Hosts provide the right context at the right time. Engines make decisions without depending on host internals.In ATH, this architecture allows enforcement logic to remain portable while enabling hosts to integrate in a predictable way.<h3>Hook Points: Where Safety Happens</h3>AARTS v0.1 defines 19 hook points across the agent lifecycle, including:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="ec5255705352d810833f77d79b310a42d">PreToolUse — evaluate shell commands, file writes, web requests, package installs</li><li data-list-item-id="ee1ebbdf3e4522a59dedaa55c0305d903">PreLLMRequest — protect prompt integrity and instruction layering</li><li data-list-item-id="e10ef155bfe4c584afd7492da267796be">PreSkillLoad / PrePluginLoad — enforce supply chain controls</li><li data-list-item-id="ee6184f1048dfbf4ee3c0e62c2d3dff16">PreMCPConnect — treat MCP connections as trust boundaries</li><li data-list-item-id="ebc57267bf0e891e01f9daf277ced1a01">PreMemoryRead / PreMemoryWrite — protect persistent memory</li></ul>These hooks enable consistent policy enforcement regardless of whether an agent runs in an IDE, CLI, or orchestrator.Verdict Semantics: Allow, Deny, AskAARTS engines return structured verdicts:<ul type="disc"><li class="ck-list-marker-bold" data-list-item-id="e9615d2d55e251652e73363c052de0bd1">Allow</li><li class="ck-list-marker-bold" data-list-item-id="eb510a0ee27b0a853b90ff01cec91953d">Deny</li><li class="ck-list-marker-bold" data-list-item-id="ed6e8c58ce99af62dddbf6b530bc0c83c">Ask</li></ul>Each verdict includes severity, threat category, optional confidence scoring, and human-readable reasoning.Importantly, AARTS enforces deterministic behavior:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="edfce7cb3a277e1da6e442c971f8cc8e1">If a host cannot support interactive “Ask,” it defaults safely to Deny</li><li data-list-item-id="ec790330b39c695d6cdacf4118e106c1b">If an engine fails, hosts fail-open and log explicitly</li></ul>These operational tradeoffs are intentional. Predictability is essential in security infrastructure.<h3>Why AARTS Matters</h3>Without a shared runtime contract:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e2574817ec2bfc1a1b0233c5fca970994">Security integrations are bespoke and brittle</li><li data-list-item-id="ebbe5c354debe741cc08436719a34032e">Tool taxonomy is inconsistent</li><li data-list-item-id="e2f498a30e5d748e37c3176b169145707">Prompt injection controls vary by host</li><li data-list-item-id="e3aff5387909fd85f523c40998fdb13b0">Supply chain risk is unevenly enforced</li></ul>With AARTS:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="eaa8f402b20b740f0992dd0f9b4f42b44">One engine can operate across multiple hosts</li><li data-list-item-id="e3ddcda4fa65f1abd066be4b0bef0201b">Policies remain portable</li><li data-list-item-id="e5ec3076209374ae5eafb39a00f19adf4">Audit logs become comparable</li><li data-list-item-id="e6f17fa0cc0a6a6e0136b63569cdc58a6">Trust boundaries are explicit</li></ul>AARTS standardizes enforcement in the agentic world.To read the full technical breakdown, see the full AART&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/news/company-news/ai-agent-runtime-security">technical blog post</a>. To comment on the standards, visit our page on&nbsp;<a href="https://github.com/gendigitalinc/aarts">GitHub</a>.<h2>Pillar Two: Skill IDs</h2><h3>Fingerprinting AI Agent Skills</h3>AI agents are extended through skills – directory bundles containing a SKILL.md prompt file alongside scripts, templates, configuration, and documentation.These skills function like plugins. Install one, and the agent gains new capabilities.But skills are not single files. They are directory trees.And directory trees are notoriously difficult to fingerprint reliably.<h3>The Identity Problem</h3>A naive SHA-256 hash of a ZIP file does not work:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e6fc83ba16d130bd7d3d62ba2af79f96d">ZIP files are non-deterministic</li><li data-list-item-id="ee7939e0ca570cb480cbdc5b8e5460ece">Timestamps vary</li><li data-list-item-id="e5d398fbba0c41d53d0e3782902bce4c1">Entry order differs</li><li data-list-item-id="e95611c8e95e6ad4f16eccdede99ac42c">Unicode normalization differs across OS platforms</li><li data-list-item-id="ef8771bdef58d5438cc192edc36e89c56">Wrapper directory names vary</li></ul>Two identical skills can produce different ZIP hashes.That is unacceptable for security workflows.<h3>Designing the Skill ID</h3>Skill IDs solve this problem by creating a deterministic, content-addressable identifier for a skill’s logical directory tree.The algorithm:<ol><li data-list-item-id="ebdc8f7c1fc531f4ccbd79f2baf7b6d83">Extract all files and directories</li><li data-list-item-id="e06cf4d178c29a57575a249d22d5cb9b4">Normalize paths (slashes, Unicode NFC, dot components)</li><li data-list-item-id="e69f139d48a1c91815267ffb649c74e07">Strip wrapper directories</li><li data-list-item-id="e07c1da87b4b07a634d73a79ab93f9134">Hash each file individually (SHA-256)</li><li data-list-item-id="ef7cb735107df0cafdbcc921e639c0212">Build sorted tree entries using null-byte delimiters</li><li data-list-item-id="eab8b3782aab3b4dd9b0f4aed3255caf8">Hash the tree to produce the final Skill ID</li></ol>The result is a 64-character SHA-256 digest that changes if and only if meaningful content changes.Same content, different ZIP packaging? Same ID. One byte changed? Different ID.This mirrors git’s tree hashing model and decades of security best practices.<h3>What Skill IDs Enable</h3>A stable identity primitive unlocks established security workflows:Allowlisting Approved skills can bypass repeated analysis.Content-addressable storage Deduplicate identical submissions automatically.Per-file caching Reuse expensive AI analysis on unchanged files.Detection flagging Connect file hashes to reputation systems.Version tracking Content becomes the version boundary.Skill IDs provide identity before verdict.<h3>From Identity to Authenticity: Signing Skills</h3>Identity answers “what is this?”Authenticity answers “who published this?”We are exploring a signing model inspired by Authenticode:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e2103c63753a0f24a87fa144d75611c7a">A skill.sig file embedded inside the directory</li><li data-list-item-id="e28e6643465e0cabeea54eb4bc5302028">Excluded from the Skill ID calculation</li><li data-list-item-id="e700fd96bf7f3d0db4aa70df0a92d57ec">Contains a signature over the Skill ID</li><li data-list-item-id="ea2483e766cae2defa9d2dd19707d9302">Verifiable against the author’s public key</li></ul>This enables:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="eddf73c0b79d7d482c030736b4f449be8">Author signing</li><li data-list-item-id="e3d708097518f6e38a31a73aaf27ecb49">Marketplace attestation</li><li data-list-item-id="e81ca5157252eece76405ff632c0d6722">Certificate chains</li><li data-list-item-id="efe336aa9f477f99f141fc5a81f887d9b">Revocation workflows</li></ul>Self-verifiable skills create accountability without external lookups.To read the full technical breakdown, see the full <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/insights/research/ai-agent-skill-fingerprinting" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SkillsID technical blog post</a>. To comment on the standards, visit our page on <a href="https://github.com/gendigitalinc/skill-id-standard">GitHub</a>.&nbsp;<h2>The AI Agent Safety Standards by Gen: Identity + Enforcement</h2>AARTS governs runtime enforcement. Skill IDs govern artifact identity.Together, they form the foundation of the AI Agent Safety Standards.<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="ea3ef208939f34e4fcfaf98bd8e26b2d6">Skills can be uniquely identified, versioned, and signed.</li><li data-list-item-id="e30dceebd279e7a291dc71a82c7168ab2">Runtime actions can be evaluated consistently across hosts.</li><li data-list-item-id="e1a7b0d4259c4abb5e6ba2f38dffd6aaa">Supply chain trust and runtime enforcement operate under shared semantics.</li></ul>This is the same model that matured endpoint security over decades:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="ebacb70fb4a6565c103650a6c6ee67532">File hashes</li><li data-list-item-id="ed254dd1eec0c62e2aea6bce82e871995">Content signatures</li><li data-list-item-id="e37a3133a17b4a1adca017b868990baa6">Runtime enforcement</li><li data-list-item-id="eeeb5f5d7a84badb31f60600269d24edf">Portable policy engines</li></ul>We are applying those proven patterns to a new artifact type and a new execution model.<h2>Looking Ahead</h2>These standards are early. AARTS v0.1 is a draft. Skill ID signing is an evolving proposal. Adapter conformance testing, enterprise fail-open profiles, and cross-marketplace reputation sharing remain active areas of collaboration.But the direction is clear.AI agents are moving from experimentation to infrastructure. Security must do the same.The Gen Agent Trust Hub is our contribution to building a predictable, interoperable trust layer for the agentic ecosystem.&nbsp;We invite host builders, marketplace operators, enterprise security teams, and fellow security vendors to review, adopt, and challenge.Because in the agentic era, safety cannot be bespoke. It must be foundational.&nbsp;

Shaping the standards for a safer, freer Agentic Era 

Leading the Way for AI Agent Safety 

Director of Threat Research & Applied AI

We built a security engine that protects AI agents across several major platforms. The hardest part wasn't building the protection. It was discovering that each platform exposes different security-relevant events, provides different context about what the agent is doing and why, and enforces security decisions differently. The same agent action we can catch and block in one platform is invisible in another, not because our detection failed, but because the platform never told us it happened. There are now over a dozen agent platforms, from IDE assistants like Claude Code, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot, to agentic frameworks like LangChain, CrewAI, and OpenAI Agents SDK, to orchestrators like n8n, and each one handles this differently, if at all.Today, Gen is releasing AI Agent Runtime Safety Standard (AARTS) as part of its Agent Trust Hub initiative, which aimsto address this fragmentation. This is not a security product, but rather a set of vendor-neutral standards that connects agent hosts (IDEs, orchestrators, frameworks, standalone agent apps), security engines (components that evaluate agent actions), and adapters (thin mappings that translate host-native events into a common schema). For those building or operating agents, AARTS enables portable, consistent security decisions across hosts, eliminating the need to rebuild security integrations from scratch.&nbsp;The standard is open and vendor-neutral, and any host or security vendor can implement or contribute to it.<h2 class="text-align-justify">The Problem AARTS Addresses</h2>Agentic systems fail in ways that are familiar but occur more rapidly and with greater reach. Examples include sequences evolving from helpful actions to dangerous activities like&nbsp;"download and execute," prompt injection steering tool use, supply chain issues affecting skills and plugins, sensitive data exposure by agents, and permission confusion resulting from sub-agents and external tool providers creating additional trust boundaries. Although these risks are not new, they now manifest within a rapidly diversifying set of hosts and tool APIs.Without a shared contract, security becomes a collection of one-off integrations, each missing context and offering inconsistent enforcement. This leads either to weak coverage, due to incomplete integrations and context, or to overly blunt blocking when trust is undermined by limited interpretation. AARTS targets the root cause: the lack of shared semantics and hook points.In our previous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/news/company-news/ai-agent-detection-and-response" target="_blank">post on Agent Detection and Response</a>, we described how attackers register AI-hallucinated package names on npm and PyPI, preloaded with infostealers. Catching that requires seeing the package install action with enough context — the package name, the source, whether the agent hallucinated it or the user requested it. One platform gives us all of that. Another gives us the command string with no structured metadata. A third doesn't emit the event at all. Same attack, three different levels of visibility.Simply put, AARTS standardizes where security decisions can be made (hook points), what data is available for decision-making (data model), and how decisions are enforced (verdict semantics), ensuring consistent protections across different agent hosts.<h2 class="text-align-justify">Architecture and Roles</h2>AARTS defines three distinct roles:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="ef43f78807d68ed5d7cafc41e43ed6a77">Host: The environment that runs the agent. The host emits lifecycle events at defined hook points and enforces decisions.</li><li data-list-item-id="ea8ecfedda9151e1e4ff45954fc0bd003">Adapter: A minimal translation layer that maps host-specific events into AARTS events, normalizing tool names, lifecycle phases, and context.</li><li data-list-item-id="ec84e412023baa1359b60a4c189c0ce73">Security Engine: The evaluator that receives AARTS events, applies detection strategies, and returns structured verdicts.</li></ul>This separation matters. Embedding security logic in hosts results in superficial security ("checkbox security"), while engines depending on host internals compromise portability. AARTS keeps the boundary clean: hosts provide the right moments and context, and engines make decisions. AARTS also supports various integration models (in-process, subprocess, remote), accommodating different latency, isolation, and operational requirements.<h2 class="text-align-justify">How the Standard Works</h2>AARTS defines hook points, moments in an agent's lifecycle where a security engine can intercept, evaluate, and act. Version 0.1 specifies 19 of them across session management, prompt lifecycle, tool execution, plugin and skill loading, sub-agent behavior, memory operations, and output delivery.Not all hooks carry equal weight. Three illustrate the design logic:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e9e499b9374a4cd1f71378518f359c0d6">PreToolUse is the primary checkpoint. Before an agent runs a shell command, writes a file, makes a network request, or installs a package, the security engine sees the action, its arguments, and the context that led to it, then returns a verdict: allow, deny, or ask the user. This is where most real-world threats get caught.</li><li data-list-item-id="ebd37c3ab71aca6ef9cddd1080d793f75">PreLLMRequest operates earlier in the loop, before the prompt reaches the model. It lets engines inspect prompt integrity: whether safety instructions survived context compaction, whether untrusted content was injected into the conversation, whether the instruction layering is intact. If PreToolUse is the checkpoint at the door, PreLLMRequest watches for problems before the agent even decides what to do.</li><li data-list-item-id="ecce291342cb701e4290928d827faf930">PreSkillLoad addresses supply chain risk. When an agent installs a plugin or skill from a marketplace, the engine can evaluate the trust source (where it came from, whether it's signed, whether it was modified) before it gets loaded. AARTS can also direct the host to strip hooks from skills, preventing plugins from disabling the security layer that's supposed to govern them.</li></ul>The remaining 16 hooks follow the same pattern: they sit at the moment where risk becomes real and provide the engine with enough context to make a decision.For those decisions to be portable across hosts, the inputs have to be consistent. AARTS standardizes the event structure: every event carries a mandatory envelope (hook point, session ID, timestamp, host identity) plus standard extensions, reusable field groups for conversation context, tool details, trust source metadata, modification tracking, and provenance. A canonical tool taxonomy maps host-specific tool names (Cursor's "terminal" vs. Claude Code's "bash") to common categories (shell, file_write, web_request, package_install), so detection logic written once works everywhere.Verdicts are structured: a decision (allow, deny, or ask), a threat category, a severity level, confidence, and a human-readable explanation for the user. Two design choices are worth noting. If the host can't prompt the user, ask falls back to deny, safe but a real constraint for headless orchestrators. If the engine crashes or times out, the host treats it as allow and logs the failure. Fail-open is the right default for developer tools where latency matters, but enterprise deployments will want to revisit this per environment.<h2 class="text-align-justify">Conformance Levels: Gradual Adoption</h2>AARTS defines three conformance levels:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e18c7418214ef4f97b683f20402deb227">Level 1 (Basic): Requires SessionStart and PreToolUse hooks, minimum tool coverage (shell, file_write, web_request), enforcement of allow and deny (ask may be treated as deny).</li><li data-list-item-id="e0369d9837c299bdfd5a5c490fb899318">Level 2 (Standard): Adds plugin and skill load hooks, prompt lifecycle protection, broader tool coverage, additional hooks (PrePluginLoad, PreSkillLoad, PostInputProcessing, PreLLMRequest, PostToolUse), and requires provenance on PreToolUse.</li><li data-list-item-id="e31f70f735daa583aec2ef8c2d180686d">Level 3 (Comprehensive): Provides full lifecycle coverage including user input, prompt response cycle, tool modification, sub-agents, MCP connect, memory read/write, output delivery, and session end. Clarifies sub-agent inheritance and memory protection.</li></ul>This tiered approach offers a realistic adoption path: Level 1 addresses basic failures, Level 2 tackles prompt integrity and supply chain issues, and Level 3 supports persistent and autonomous agents.<h2 class="text-align-justify">Open&nbsp;Considerations</h2>As we move AARTS beyond a draft specification,&nbsp;the following are being considered:<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="ef56e3529222a5671c75f8e80fbc5c2c9">Enterprise fail-open story: The spec mandates fail-open behavior. Deployment profiles may be needed to reflect the realities of different environments.</li><li data-list-item-id="e5e2beee0ceee16ba315173c83dcc4596">Adapter integrity: Ensuring adapters correctly map tool types and extract artifacts is vital. A conformance test suite for adapters is as important as the specification itself is a next-step priority.</li><li data-list-item-id="eea2912c8ee60ab64a8339e4d3c2b5748">Consent for privacy: Explicit consent is required for external transmission of prompts and tool data. Operational guidance or recommended patterns are needed to avoid incompatible implementations.</li><li data-list-item-id="e7dbd49139e599330dbad43c59209bc82">Ask semantics in headless environments: Treating ask as deny by default is safe but may discourage engines from using ask. A standard way for deployment policy to handle ask in these scenarios is needed.</li></ul>AARTS aims to translate&nbsp;these considerations into predictable operational behavior.<h2 class="text-align-justify">Call for Feedback</h2>AARTS v0.1 is a draft intended for early review by host builders, security vendors, and enterprise operators.&nbsp;The full specification is available <a href="https://github.com/gendigitalinc/aarts" target="_blank">here</a>. If you build agent hosts, consider whether you want every security integration to remain one-off. If you develop security engines, ask yourself whether you want to rewrite the same logic for each host and still miss critical context. AARTS aims to make the answer “no”.&nbsp;We welcome contributions — open an issue or submit a pull request.

AARTS standardizes how AI agent platforms expose security events, enabling portable runtime protection across the growing agent ecosystem

Introducing AARTS: An Open Standard for AI Agent Runtime Safety

You gave an AI agent access to your computer. Maybe it's writing code for you, managing your emails, or handling your finances. It's working with your credentials, acting on your behalf, and making decisions you used to make yourself. Fast, confidently, and largely unsupervised. That's the deal: you trade safety and oversight for productivity. That changes the security model.But who's watching what it actually does?That is why we built the Gen Agent Trust Hub (ATH), our trust layer for the agentic AI ecosystem, designed to secure agents across their lifecycle from skill to runtime to enforcement.Agent Detection and Response (ADR) is the runtime pillar — the layer that governs what agents actually do.<h2 class="text-align-justify">What is ADR?</h2>ADR intercepts agent actions at the moment of execution, before they land, and evaluates whether they're safe. It allows, asks the user, or denies. That's the core.Verification tells you what an agent is. ADR tells you what it's doing. These are complementary. Verification is necessary, but it can't govern what happens at runtime. A verified skill can still hallucinate a malicious package name. A signed plugin can still be exploited through prompt injection. A trusted agent can still lose its safety instructions mid-session and go off the rails. The moment of action is where risk becomes real.The principle isn't new. Every major computing paradigm has developed its own detection and response layer. Endpoints got EDR. Distributed infrastructure got XDR. Not replacements for what came before, but purpose-built layers for new execution surfaces with new threat models. AI agents are the next such surface, and ADR is the layer built for it.Within the Agent Trust Hub, ADR is the enforcement engine that turns trust signals into real-world protection.<h2>Why Now?</h2>The threats targeting AI agents are already here. What follows is a small sample of the agentic threats we’re seeing. The actual attack surface spans everything an agent can do, and agents can do a lot.Your agent installs malware for you. AI agents hallucinate. When they hallucinate a package name during installation, that's not just an error, it's an opportunity. Attackers monitor AI-suggested package names and register them on npm and PyPI, pre-loaded with infostealers and backdoors. The technique is called slopsquatting, and it's already being exploited at scale. In February 2026, researchers uncovered a campaign of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.securityweek.com/new-sandworm_mode-supply-chain-attack-hits-npm/">19 typosquatted packages specifically</a> targeting users of AI coding tools, designed to exfiltrate SSH keys, AWS credentials, and API tokens.Your agent ignores your instructions. Summer Yue, Meta's Director of Alignment, told her OpenClaw agent to&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/23/a-meta-ai-security-researcher-said-an-openclaw-agent-ran-amok-on-her-inbox/">confirm before taking any action</a> on her email. It worked, until the session ran long enough to trigger context compaction, a mechanism where the agent compresses its memory to keep running. The safety instructions were among the first things dropped. The agent deleted 847 emails. She had to physically run to her machine to stop it.Your agent is a new delivery channel for malware. Attackers are already using multiple paths to get malicious code running through agents. Weaponized skills on public marketplaces have delivered the&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/GenThreatLabs/status/2018323584834318419">AMOS infostealer to macOS users</a>. Malicious project configurations have achieved&nbsp;<a href="https://research.checkpoint.com/2026/rce-and-api-token-exfiltration-through-claude-code-project-files-cve-2025-59536/">remote code execution in Claude Code</a> the moment a developer opens a repository. Prompt injection through fetched content can turn a trusted agent into an attacker's proxy. The delivery mechanisms vary. The result is the same: your agent executes something it shouldn't, and it does so with your permissions.These are just three examples. The pattern is consistent: agents operate with real authority, and that authority is being exploited. Through supply chains, through the agent's own fragility, and through the same malware ecosystem that has targeted every other computing platform before them.<h2>Where ADR Must Operate</h2>To be effective, ADR must sit as close to the agent's execution loop as possible. Not as an external service watching from the outside. Inside, where the actions happen.Agent sessions contain source code, credentials, business logic, and personal data. ADR evaluates locally, on the device. No prompts, tool inputs, or code leave your machine for analysis.Agents are not robust systems. Their own internal mechanisms can silently drop safety instructions or get poisoned across sessions. A security layer that only sees inputs and outputs misses the moment things go wrong inside. ADR watches the execution loop itself: every action the agent attempts, in context, in sequence.Only a client-side layer sees the complete picture: the prompt history, what files were already modified, the sequence of prior actions. A remote service sees isolated events. ADR sees the session. That difference is what makes it possible to distinguish a legitimate file deletion from a compromised agent cleaning up its tracks.<h2>Sage: ADR in Practice</h2>In February, we&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/news/company-news/sage-ai-agent-security">open-sourced Sage</a> as the first implementation of ADR. It runs client-side, directly inside the agent's execution loop, across Claude Code, Cursor, and OpenClaw. Over 200 detection rules cover supply chain attacks, credential exposure, dangerous commands, persistence mechanisms, and more, backed by Gen's threat intelligence.Since launch,&nbsp;<a href="https://github.com/avast/sage/">Sage</a> has quickly crossed 1,000 installs and is available across the major agentic tool marketplaces. The open-source community is already contributing, porting Sage to new platforms like OpenCode and hardening detection rules. As one independent security researcher concluded after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/paranoid-sage-testing-security-tool-agents-radek-hendrych-capff/">testing Sage</a>: "Real-time monitoring and management of AI agents based on deterministic measures is, in my view, the right way to go."All these responses confirm what we suspected: people want this layer.<h2>What's Next</h2>ADR is the runtime layer. But runtime protection alone isn't enough.&nbsp;The Agent Trust Hub is built on the idea that trust in the agentic era must be layered: verification before installation, ecosystem trust signals across marketplaces, and enforcement at execution. ADR closes the gap at the moment risk becomes real.&nbsp;The industry needs a common interface for how agents expose their actions to security tools. A shared standard, so that protection works consistently regardless of which agent you use or which platform you're on. We've been working on that too. More soon.

Inside the Gen Agent Trust Hub, ADR turns trust signals into real-world protection.

Gen Agent Trust Hub Introduces Agent Detection and Response: The Missing Security Layer for Agentic AI 

Threat Research Team

AI agents are starting to do the parts of computing that used to be “hands on keyboard”. They run terminal commands, edit files, install packages, and fetch things from the web, because that’s what it takes to get real work done. Tools like Claude Code, Cursor, and OpenClaw give these agents direct access to your machine and your sensitive information. That's what makes them useful. It's also what makes them risky. These agents make mistakes. They install packages that don't exist because they hallucinated the name. They pick up credentials and pass them where they shouldn't. They'll download and run programs from the internet without a second thought if the task seems to call for it. All of this happens fast, with confidence, and without asking. If you’ve watched an agent confidently suggest curl … | bash or “just add your API key here” into a file it shouldn’t touch, you’ve seen the problem.&nbsp;Agents are also targets. Malicious URLs, poisoned dependencies, and compromised plugins can turn an agent into an attack vector, one that already has access to your files, your terminal, and your network. This is already happening. <a href="https://x.com/GenThreatLabs/status/2018323584834318419" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">We recently identified</a> around 400 malicious skills on ClawHub, a public registry for agent extensions. At the time of discovery, they accounted for 12% of all available skills. These weren’t obviously shady throwaways; many were weaponized versions of legitimate skills, designed to trick agents into downloading malware.&nbsp;&nbsp;These are the same agents we're starting to trust with payments, infrastructure, and sensitive workflows. The gap between what agents can do and what keeps them in check is real, and it's growing.&nbsp;Today, Gen, the company behind Norton, Avast, LifeLock, and AVG, is releasing Sage to close that gap. With Sage, the Agent Trust Hub now evaluates and governs agent behavior during execution. Not just before installation. Not just at verification. But in the exact moment an action is about to happen.&nbsp;

<h2>What Sage does</h2>Think of Sage as a lightweight safety shield for AI agents. It sits inside the agent's workflow and checks every action before it happens: shell commands, URL fetches, file writes, package installs. For each action, Sage returns a verdict:&nbsp;<ul type="disc"><li data-list-item-id="e2aee30f293d4edf72390d310cdfa3f0e">Allow — no threat detected, the action proceeds&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e89d49ae9fae752dee97f089112c466b8">Ask — something looks suspicious, the user decides&nbsp;</li><li data-list-item-id="e44ca3f76876a9e666f2544e1233366ba">Deny — confirmed threat, the action is blocked&nbsp;</li></ul>The agent never notices unless something is wrong.&nbsp;Sage catches both sides of the risk. It protects agents from external threats like malicious URLs, compromised packages, and dangerous downloads. And it protects users from agents themselves, when they try to run destructive commands, expose credentials, or write to sensitive system files.&nbsp;Here's a concrete example. An agent automating a setup task decides to download and execute a script from the internet. No review, no confirmation. Sage recognizes the pattern and blocks it before anything runs.&nbsp;<h2 class="text-align-justify">Part of a larger commitment</h2>Sage is not a standalone effort. It’s part of a broader strategy to embed continuous trust into the AI skills ecosystem through the Gen Agent Trust Hub.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Skill Scanner of the <a href="https://ai.gendigital.com/agent-trust-hub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gen Agent Trust Hub</a> helps determine whether an agent extension is trustworthy before it gets installed, using cloud-based verification and classification. Sage picks up where that leaves off. Once the agent is running, it enforces safety locally, on your machine, checking every action at the moment it's about to execute.&nbsp;&nbsp;Together, they cover the full lifecycle: from the decision to install something to the moment it actually runs. More capabilities are on the way as the agentic ecosystem grows.&nbsp;<h2 class="text-align-justify">Open source, on purpose</h2>The agentic platforms themselves are designed for open integration: open-source tools, community plugins, public hook APIs. A closed security layer would be harder to adopt in a space that moves fast and depends on community integrations.&nbsp;At the same time, there is no established playbook for how to secure AI agents. By open-sourcing Sage, we're proposing one and inviting the community to help define what safe agents should look like in practice.&nbsp;This first version is lightweight. It's not a full antivirus product as we know it, but it addresses the problems where they are. It covers the high-risk paths we think matter most: commands, file changes, URL fetches, and package installs, including catching hallucinated or malicious dependencies before they land on your machine. Sage ships with over 200 detection rules covering command injection, persistence, credential exposure, obfuscation, and supply-chain attacks.&nbsp;Sage currently supports Claude Code, Cursor, and OpenClaw, with more platforms on the way. If you find a detection that's too noisy or not strict enough, open an issue. If you want to add a rule, improve a check, or add support for another agent platform, send a pull request.&nbsp;We built Sage to be extended.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Try it</h2>Learn more about Sage at <a href="https://ai.gendigital.com/sage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://ai.gendigital.com/sage</a>. For technical details, documentation, and source code, visit the project on <a href="https://github.com/avast/sage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://github.com/avast/sage.</a>&nbsp;If you use Claude Code, Cursor, or OpenClaw, install Sage and put it in the path of real work. The fastest way to improve a safety layer is to expose it to real commands, real repos, and real mistakes. That's what we're doing here — shipping early, in the open.&nbsp;

Closing the growing security gap between what Al agents can do and what keeps them in check

Introducing Sage: Safety for Agents 

AI agents aren’t just helpful in chats anymore. They’re actually taking action on your behalf. Autonomous AI can access data. They move from suggestion to execution without hesitation.&nbsp;This is what we call “mindless artificial intelligence.”&nbsp;When technology starts taking action on our behalf, trust has to be built into the system itself.&nbsp;That’s why Gen is partnering with Vercel to bring independent safety verification to the AI skills ecosystem at <a href="https://skills.sh/" target="_blank">skills.sh</a>, embedding trust directly into the skills layer.&nbsp;

<h2>Independent verification. Built in.&nbsp;</h2>Through this partnership, the Gen <a href="https://ai.gendigital.com/agent-trust-hub" target="_blank">Agent Trust Hub</a> will evaluate skills on skills.sh and assign clear, transparent classifications:&nbsp;🟢 Safe&nbsp; 🟡 Low Risk&nbsp; 🟠 High Risk&nbsp; 🔴 Critical Risk&nbsp;Behind those ratings is advanced risk modeling and threat intelligence from Gen Threat Labs, analyzing permissions, behaviors, vulnerabilities and potential malicious intent.&nbsp;The goal isn’t to slow innovation. It’s to help it scale responsibly. Developers should be able to build boldly. Users should be able to install confidently. And both deserve clarity.&nbsp;<h2>Security as infrastructure, not an afterthought&nbsp;</h2>By integrating verification directly into skills.sh, Gen and Vercel are making security part of the AI development lifecycle, not something bolted on after the fact.&nbsp;In the agentic world, skills are how things get done. Until now, developers and users had limited visibility into whether a skill was truly safe. Reputation and documentation can’t tell the whole story. As agents gain autonomy, guesswork isn’t good enough.&nbsp;The trust has to be visible.

<h2>Powering Digital Freedom in what comes next&nbsp;</h2>At Gen, we believe Digital Freedom means being able to embrace new technology without sacrificing safety or confidence. As AI evolves, our responsibility evolves with it.&nbsp;The future of AI will be powerful. And expansive. But, it must also be secure by design.&nbsp;This partnership is one more step toward building the trust foundation the agentic era demands, so innovation and confidence can grow together.&nbsp;

Bringing transparent risk ratings to the AI skills ecosystem to help developers build boldly and users move confidently

The trust layer for the agentic era 

Today’s young people have a lot on their minds. Studies show they’re anxious about global issues like <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-anxiety/">climate change</a> and <a href="https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/issues/work/content/genz-millennialsurvey.html">economic instability</a>, and they’re <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/upshot/teens-politics-mental-health.html">losing confidence</a> in their political leaders to reflect their needs and interests. Even many parents <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/02/28/most-in-the-u-s-say-young-adults-today-face-more-challenges-than-their-parents-generation-in-some-key-areas/">agree</a> that young people face more challenges than they did, particularly in areas like saving for the future and buying a home.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.socialshifters.co/">Social Shifters</a> is looking to transform that anxiety into action. The organization is currently accepting submissions for its <a href="https://www.socialshifters.co/global-innovation-challenge/">Global Innovation Challenge 2024</a>, an annual competition that awards funding to young leaders (18-30 years) with an idea, project or business solution to a pressing social or environmental issue. We’re excited to announce that as part of our new partnership with Social Shifters, we are providing $30,000 USD in funding support (this grant is awarded from the Gen Foundation,&nbsp;a corporate-advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation). Gen team members will also serve as volunteer judges for this year’s contest.&nbsp;

Seeking Solutions to Global IssuesAs Global Innovation Challenge judges, Gen team members will evaluate &nbsp;projects that use technology to address climate change and benefit the environment, such as recycling solutions, renewable energy, resource conservation and beyond. This approach is part of Social Shifters' larger endeavor to align with the United Nations&nbsp;<a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals">Sustainable Development Goals</a>, a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.&nbsp;Submissions are open until July 31, and judging will take place throughout the month of September. The finalists will then pitch their finished project to a live panel in November, with grants of up to $10,000 USD to be awarded in December.&nbsp;&nbsp;The <a href="https://www.socialshifters.co/our-impact/">Global Innovation Challenge 2023</a>, which included projects addressing the refugee crisis, climate action, water stewardship and more, incubated 1,325 startup projects and businesses that have impacted upwards of 22 million people around the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;Elevating the Next Generation&nbsp;Gen is a family of trusted consumer brands built for the next generation of digital life. We’re committed to powering digital freedom, and we’re excited that our partnership with Social Shifters allows us to inspire and empower the leaders of tomorrow. For more on how we do this, check out our <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/social-impact/social-impact-report/">2024 Social Impact Report</a>.&nbsp;

Gen announces new partnership with Social Shifters

Supercharging Young People to Meet Global Challenges

Gen has partnered with <a href="https://planet-water.org/">Planet Water Foundation</a> to bring clean, safe water to communities in rural India that need it most.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our collective efforts led to the successful installation of a new <a href="https://planet-water.org/community-water-filtration-system/">AquaTower</a> and Aqua San Hygiene system at Panchayat Union Middle School.&nbsp;"The Aqua Tower provides access to clean, safe drinking water, reducing the risk of waterborne illnesses and enhancing the quality of life for the community and school,” said Nandini, a community member.The school serves more than 330 students in the nearby village of Gummipoondi, which has a population of more than 2,000 people. The new water filtration system can produce 1,000 liters of clean drinking water per hour and doubles as a handwashing station for students, caregivers and family members.&nbsp; &nbsp;“Most of our students belong to low-income families, making it a challenge for them to purchase bottled water,” said Indumati G., school principal. “We needed an AquaTower urgently to combat diseases among these children.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to the <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/india/brief/world-water-day-2022-how-india-is-addressing-its-water-needs">World Bank</a>, India is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. It is home to roughly 18 percent of the world’s population but only four percent of its water resources. Those who live in rural communities are at even greater risk of water scarcity due to the long distances they must travel to find water.&nbsp;&nbsp;"We hope the students avoid diseases so that absenteeism rates decrease and academic performance improves," said Indumati, a school teacher there.When clean water is scarce, as it was in Gummipoondi, residents are forced to drink contaminated water, which can carry diseases and lead to frequent illness. When students and their families are sick, they miss school and work and incur higher healthcare costs. The AquaTower not only reduces the spread of disease but also helps students attend school more regularly, supporting the overall growth of the community.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dinesh Bhalaji C B, Program Manager for the Global Consumer Services, Sales &amp; Support Group at Gen, was there on-site volunteering. He shared his thoughts on the impact that was made that day.&nbsp;"As the event wrapped up, we all felt a deep sense of accomplishment and gratitude, uplifted by the knowledge that our efforts had provided the local community and 100s of students with clean, safe drinking water for years — a significant stride towards enhancing their lives. Seeing the children's joy and curiosity during the hygiene education program and their first taste of clean water was unforgettable. Their excitement, gratitude, and hope, along with the community's warm thanks, underscored the meaningful change we helped bring about."&nbsp;The project is one of many that Planet Water Foundation has planned for World Water Day. The organization has reached more than four million people in impoverished communities across 28 countries through the installation of community-based water filtration systems and implementation of hygiene education programs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our work with Planet Water Foundation is part of our efforts to do our part to protect the planet and to enable our employees to take an active role in caring for the environment. You can read more about our environmental stewardship efforts, in our <a href="https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/social-impact/social-impact-report/">2023 ESG Report</a>.&nbsp;

Gen team members volunteer for World Water Day 

Bringing clean water to rural India

India has no shortage of qualified women in STEM. A&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-has-more-women-stem-grads-than-us-uk-or-france/articleshow/84571128.cms">2020 World Bank report</a>&nbsp;found that there are more women graduates in the STEM fields in India than in any other developed country.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Yet, a gender gap in the tech industry remains, with women accounting for only a fifth of the country’s cybersecurity jobs, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/gender-gap-stark-as-only-21-of-women-work-in-cyber-security/articleshow/92447118.cms">the Cybershiksaa Initiative</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gen works with nonprofits to address this disparity, tackling the barriers that exist for women and helping them find the tech jobs of their dreams.&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nasscomfoundation.org/">nasscom foundation</a>&nbsp;is one of those&nbsp;organizations, leading&nbsp;two major programs just last year to empower women in rural communities. The first was a large-scale cybersecurity training effort to equip professional women engineers with the skills and experience necessary to take their careers to the next level.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The program consisted of a 350-hour course—five hours a day, six days a week for 11 weeks—designed to cover advanced cybersecurity, threats and data protection. Each session was designed to help participants position themselves as the best possible candidates for top tech jobs.&nbsp; &nbsp;

More than 170 women engineers from the Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states completed the training, and more than 80% later started jobs in cybersecurity.

<h2>Expanding Economic Opportunities for Women in India&nbsp;</h2>

Learning new digital skills benefits women across all industries, not just those pursuing tech careers.&nbsp;<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/entrepreneurship/easier-access-to-information-can-create-a-level-playing-field-for-women-entrepreneurs-google-indias-sapna-chadha/articleshow/92868507.cms">Studies</a>&nbsp;have shown that digitalization is a key driver of economic opportunity for women in India.&nbsp;

With this in mind, our funding also supported the nasscom foundation’s training program for women entrepreneurs, particularly those in the agricultural space. For six months, the organization offered digital and financial literacy guidance to help women agri-entrepreneurs launch new ideas, reach new customers and grow their businesses.&nbsp;&nbsp;

More than 200 participants from Latur and Osmanabad completed the 30-hour crash course, brushing up on digital communication, social media marketing, smartphone best practices, e-accounting and e-commerce.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Fostering the Next Generation of STEM Enthusiasts&nbsp;</h2>

In addition to our nasscom foundation partnership, we also support the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.agastya.org/">Agastya International Foundation</a>. This year, the organization oversaw the return of the iMobile lab, a traveling van equipped with laptops and science experiments designed to inspire students in grades 7-8.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The iMobile Lab made stops at 15 schools in Tamil Nadu, hosting science fairs, community visits and science camps. These efforts reached an estimated 3,200 students, many of whom attend one of the 75% of schools in India that lack adequate science laboratories.&nbsp;

We believe that everyone should have an opportunity to learn digital skills and land the cybersecurity job of their dreams. For more information on how we support Cyber Safety education and training,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gendigital.com/blog/impact">read more impact stories</a>&nbsp;on our blog.&nbsp;

Gen™ is a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted consumer brands including, Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender&nbsp;and CCleaner.&nbsp;

Amanda Davis

Posts by Amanda Davis