Zero-Day Discovery with Safeguard: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assisted Hunting in Dependencies

AdvancedFree5 modules · 15 lessons · ~2 min

About this course

An advanced course for Application Security (AppSec) practitioners on how Safeguard hunts for zero-day candidates inside open source dependencies before a Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) entry exists. You will learn the agentic and deterministic discovery modes, the Griffin, Eagle and Lino model family, the Zero-Day Artificial Intelligence (AI) discovery tuning in Scanner Settings, confidence scoring, triage of machine-found candidates, and responsible disclosure.

What you'll learn

Why AI-Assisted Discovery Exists

The Gap CVE Feeds Leave: What "Before It Is Public" Means
Two Modes: the Agentic Discovery Loop versus the Deterministic Scanner
The Model Family: Griffin, Eagle and Lino, Who Does What

How Deep Dependency Analysis Finds Candidates

Deep Dependency Scanning a Hundred Layers Down: Why Depth Matters
Signal Sources: Code Pattern, Behavioral, Anomaly and Cross-Ecosystem Signals
Zero-Day Artificial Intelligence (AI) Discovery Tuning in Scanner Settings

From Candidate to Confidence

Confidence Scoring: How Eagle Disproves Its Own Findings
Triage Workflow for Machine-Found Candidates
The Cost of False Positives When Hunting the Unknown

Responsible Handling

01Why AI-Assisted Discovery Exists3 lessons

The Gap CVE Feeds Leave: What "Before It Is Public" Means
Two Modes: the Agentic Discovery Loop versus the Deterministic Scanner
The Model Family: Griffin, Eagle and Lino, Who Does What

02How Deep Dependency Analysis Finds Candidates3 lessons

Common questions

How much does Safeguard Academy cost?

Nothing. Every course, exam, and certificate on the catalog is free — including retakes. All you need is a free Safeguard account.

What are the prerequisites?

None. The flagship course, Safeguard Certified Practitioner, is a beginner-level course — basic familiarity with how software is built helps, but every exam question is answerable from the lessons themselves.

Responsible Disclosure for a Zero-Day You Found Yourself
The SGZ Advisory: From Internal Candidate to Actionable Feed
Legal, Ethical and Coordination Considerations

Operationalizing AI-Assisted Hunting

Tuning for Your Stack: Ecosystem Coverage and Noise Budget
Case Study Walkthrough: How a Real Zero-Day Class Bug Gets Caught
Building an AppSec Program Around Continuous Zero-Day Hunting

Deep Dependency Scanning a Hundred Layers Down: Why Depth Matters

Signal Sources: Code Pattern, Behavioral, Anomaly and Cross-Ecosystem Signals

Zero-Day Artificial Intelligence (AI) Discovery Tuning in Scanner Settings

03From Candidate to Confidence3 lessons

Confidence Scoring: How Eagle Disproves Its Own Findings
Triage Workflow for Machine-Found Candidates
The Cost of False Positives When Hunting the Unknown

04Responsible Handling3 lessons

Responsible Disclosure for a Zero-Day You Found Yourself
The SGZ Advisory: From Internal Candidate to Actionable Feed
Legal, Ethical and Coordination Considerations

05Operationalizing AI-Assisted Hunting3 lessons

Tuning for Your Stack: Ecosystem Coverage and Noise Budget
Case Study Walkthrough: How a Real Zero-Day Class Bug Gets Caught
Building an AppSec Program Around Continuous Zero-Day Hunting2 min

What happens if I fail the exam?

You can retake it after a 24-hour cooldown, as many times as you need. Retakes are free, and each attempt draws a fresh random set of questions.

How long is a certificate valid?

The Safeguard Certified Practitioner credential is valid for 24 months from issue. The expiry date is printed on the certificate and shown live on its public verification page. Renewing means passing the current exam again.