{"paper":{"title":"Like a Hammer, It Can Build, It Can Break: Large Language Model Uses, Perceptions, and Adoption in Cybersecurity Operations on Reddit","license":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/","headline":"Security practitioners use LLMs for low-risk productivity tasks in cybersecurity but grant them limited autonomy due to reliability and security concerns.","cross_cats":["cs.AI"],"primary_cat":"cs.CR","authors_text":"Aditi Ganapathi, Chih-Yi Huang, Gail-Joon Ahn, Jaron Mink, Kashyap Thimmaraju, Souradip Nath","submitted_at":"2026-04-11T03:00:37Z","abstract_excerpt":"Large language models (LLMs) have recently emerged as promising tools for augmenting Security Operations Center (SOC) workflows, with vendors increasingly marketing autonomous AI solutions for SOCs. However, there remains a limited empirical understanding of how such tools are used, perceived, and adopted by real-world security practitioners. To address this gap, we conduct a mixed-methods analysis of discussions in cybersecurity-focused forums to learn how a diverse group of practitioners use and perceive modern LLM tools for security operations. More specifically, we analyzed 892 posts betwe"},"claims":{"count":4,"items":[{"kind":"strongest_claim","text":"Overall, our findings reveal nuanced patterns in LLM tools adoption, highlighting independent use of LLMs for low-risk, productivity-oriented tasks, alongside active interest around enterprise-grade, security-focused LLM platforms. Although practitioners report meaningful gains in efficiency and effectiveness in LLM-assisted workflows, persistent issues with reliability, verification overheads, and security risks sharply constrain the autonomy granted to LLM tools.","source":"verdict.strongest_claim","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C1","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"weakest_assumption","text":"That posts on three public Reddit forums between December 2022 and September 2025 accurately capture the range of real-world security practitioner behaviors, perceptions, and adoption decisions without significant self-selection or platform-specific bias.","source":"verdict.weakest_assumption","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C2","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"one_line_summary","text":"Security practitioners use LLMs independently for low-risk productivity tasks while showing interest in enterprise platforms, but reliability, verification needs, and security risks limit broader autonomy.","source":"verdict.one_line_summary","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C3","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"headline","text":"Security practitioners use LLMs for low-risk productivity tasks in cybersecurity but grant them limited autonomy due to reliability and security concerns.","source":"verdict.pith_extraction.headline","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C4","attestation":"unclaimed"}],"snapshot_sha256":"36bf202a1935e8f8c8cc5f31ee99517463c6166d0ad308cb10df103b947172ae"},"source":{"id":"2604.09998","kind":"arxiv","version":2},"verdict":{"id":"ebce6138-e2d2-4d41-b19c-a69ca54c6d25","model_set":{"reader":"grok-4.3"},"created_at":"2026-05-10T16:40:07.708918Z","strongest_claim":"Overall, our findings reveal nuanced patterns in LLM tools adoption, highlighting independent use of LLMs for low-risk, productivity-oriented tasks, alongside active interest around enterprise-grade, security-focused LLM platforms. Although practitioners report meaningful gains in efficiency and effectiveness in LLM-assisted workflows, persistent issues with reliability, verification overheads, and security risks sharply constrain the autonomy granted to LLM tools.","one_line_summary":"Security practitioners use LLMs independently for low-risk productivity tasks while showing interest in enterprise platforms, but reliability, verification needs, and security risks limit broader autonomy.","pipeline_version":"pith-pipeline@v0.9.0","weakest_assumption":"That posts on three public Reddit forums between December 2022 and September 2025 accurately capture the range of real-world security practitioner behaviors, perceptions, and adoption decisions without significant self-selection or platform-specific bias.","pith_extraction_headline":"Security practitioners use LLMs for low-risk productivity tasks in cybersecurity but grant them limited autonomy due to reliability and security concerns."},"integrity":{"clean":true,"summary":{"advisory":0,"critical":0,"by_detector":{},"informational":0},"endpoint":"/pith/2604.09998/integrity.json","findings":[],"available":true,"detectors_run":[],"snapshot_sha256":"c28c3603d3b5d939e8dc4c7e95fa8dfce3d595e45f758748cecf8e644a296938"},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":2,"snapshot_sha256":"fca49d11a6f2f916d9552391eba3a7a744748d72a533b816e788a3bdc070607d"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}