Navigating Data Security Risks in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

We see that multiple industries are working hard to accelerate the adoption of Artificial Intelligence, without having the proper security measures in place. It is important to know that AI is not some invincible new technology, but rather, a technology extremely vulnerable to cyber threats just like many others that came before it. The motivations for attacking AI are what you would expect. They range from financial gain to manipulating public opinion to gaining competitive advantage. While industries are gaining the benefit of increased efficiency and innovation thanks to AI, there is still the concerning reality that expanding the use of AI causes a significant increase in security risks.

Risks Related to the Use of AI

Like with any other life-changing technology, artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword. Although it’s already starting to have a massively positive impact on our lives and workflows, it also has tremendous potential to cause serious harm, especially if used carelessly or with overt malicious intent. There are plenty of ways in which adversaries - such as criminals, terrorists, cyber threat actors, foul-playing competitors, and repressive nation-states can utilize AI to their advantage. There are also numerous obscure risks related to the legitimate use of this technology.

Privacy is also an issue when it comes to the information we share with AI-based tools. Data leakage can cause significant legal issues for businesses and institutions. In addition, because of code generation tools, vulnerabilities could be introduced into the software - intentionally, by poisoning the datasets, or unintentionally, by training the models on already vulnerable code. All this is on top of copyright violations and various ethical and societal concerns.

Generative AI is especially vulnerable to abuse.

It can be:

a) manipulated to give biased, inaccurate, or harmful information

b) used to create harmful content, such as malware, phishing, and propaganda

c) used to develop deepfake images, audio and video

d) leveraged by any malicious activity to provide access to dangerous or illegal information.

There’s a lot of conversation about the safe and ethical use of AI-powered tools, however the security and safety of AI systems themselves are still often overlooked. It’s vital to remember that, like with any other ubiquitous technology, AI-based solutions can be abused by attackers, resulting in disruption, financial loss, reputational harm, or even risk to human health and life.

There are, broadly, three types of attacks targeting AI:

1. Adversarial machine learning attacks - Attacks against AI algorithms, aimed to alter AI’s behavior, evade AI-based detection, or steal the underlying technology.
2. Generative AI system attacks - Attacks against AI’s filters and restrictions, intended to generate content deemed harmful or illegal.
3. Supply chain attacks - Attacks against ML artifacts and platforms, with the intention of arbitrary code execution and delivery of traditional malware.

Securing Your AI for Better Data Security

Understanding and implementing extensive security measures for AI is no longer a choice. It’s a necessity. Too much is at risk for organizations, government, and society at large. Security must maintain pace with AI to allow innovation to flourish. That is why it is imperative to safeguard your most valuable assets, from development to operation and everything in between.

Discovery and Asset Management

First, identify where AI is already used in your organization. What applications has your organization already purchased that use AI or have AI-enabled features? Second, evaluate what AI may be under development by your organization. Third, understand what pretrained models from public repositories may already be in use.

Risk Assessment and Threat Modelling

First, conduct a benefit assessment to identify the potential negative consequences associated with the AI system if those models were to be compromised in any way. Second, perform threat modeling to understand the potential vulnerabilities and attack vectors that could be exploited by malicious actors to complete your understanding of your organization’s AI risk exposure.

Data Security and Privacy

Go beyond the typical implementation of encryption, access controls, and secure data storage practices to protect your AI model data. Evaluate and implement security solutions that are purpose-built to provide runtime protection for AI models.

Model Robustness and Validation

Regularly assess the robustness of AI models against adversarial attacks. This involves pen-testing the models’ response to various attacks such as intentionally manipulated inputs. Next, implement model validation techniques to ensure the AI system behaves predictably and reliably in real-world scenarios. This will help minimize the risk of unintended consequences.

Continuous Monitoring and Incident Response

Implement continuous monitoring mechanisms to detect anomalies and potential security incidents in real time for your AI. Require your vendors to utilize AI in their solutions to alert you to attacks that could compromise your data or business processes. Develop a robust AI incident response plan to quickly and effectively address security breaches or anomalies. Regularly test and update the incident response plan to adapt to evolving AI threats.

Conclusion

The security landscape as well as AI technology are dynamically and rapidly changing. It’s crucial to stay informed about emerging threats and best practices. Regularly update and refine your AI-specific security program to address new challenges and vulnerabilities. Responsible and ethical AI frameworks in many cases fall short of ensuring models are secure before they go into production, as well as after an AI system is in use. Always ask yourself the following questions 1) What am I doing to secure my organization’s use of AI? 2) Is it enough? 3) How do I know? Only by answering these questions with data-driven, intellectual honesty, can you maintain the integrity of your security role and keep your organization secure.