How Seriously Do We Take AI Data Security Risks?

I swear, sometimes it’s like nobody watched the Terminator or Matrix movies.  News has come out that a hacker accessed proprietary information from OpenAI on the development of their products.  No loss of customer or partner data, or access to main repository systems has been reported.  And while OpenAI has claimed this incident doesn’t represent a national security risk, the potential for such is rife as the technology continues to evolve at a blistering pace.  OpenAI itself has recently dealt with five covert operations seeking to steal its AI models, and cyber criminals backed by nation-states could easily exploit the tech for their own needs.

Nor does it seem like the industry places sufficient value on the cybersecurity of its products.  One former technical manager contacted OpenAI’s board to express his concerns on this matter.  He was subsequently fired: ostensibly for unrelated reasons, but that would be quite a coincidence.  Other employees have echoed these concerns over geopolitical rivals gaining access to internal details of AI firms.

Indeed, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on a broader scale.  Bad actors can use this new tool to effect a large volume of attacks, in the vein of credential stuffing and DDoS attacks.  Code-generating AI systems, used as a tool by software engineers, can also cause security vulnerabilities in the code of their applications.  A recent study even revealed that only 24% of GenAI projects worldwide have sufficient security, exposing a crucial need for improvement in risk management strategies.

Ironically, as we’ve previously discussed, AI is a double-edged sword.  On that other edge, generative AI has fast become a pervasive defensive measure in cyber security.  Whether it’s the use of AI to enhance threat intelligence and detection, as well as improve incident response, organizations of all stripes are attempting to improve their cyber defenses through a new sophisticated technology.  In order to ensure that this benign edge is the only one to make the cut on your business, it is imperative to follow these best practices that develop for GenAI.  

As we continue to recommend here at NetLib Security, this involves staying up to date on the latest AI trends; training employees to detect and report new AI based incursions; strong passwords and access protocols; and above all, encrypt your data, both to avoid data breaches and comply with requisite privacy laws.