GenerativeAI (GenAI) is a threat to your security.

While artificial intelligence (AI) has shown it can bolster your security posture by supporting automation and allowing organizations to be more effective at assessing risk, protecting data and responding to threats, there is the potential for threat actors to harness GenAI models as part of their toolbox to improve their success when attacking you.

The 2024 GenAI Security Readiness Report released by GenAI security firm Lakera has found that as GenAI adoption surges it is also creating a security blind spot for businesses due to the threat of “prompt attacks.” These attack methods specific to GenAI can be easily used to gain unauthorized access, steal sensitive data including customer information, manipulate applications, and take unauthorized actions.

All it takes are a few well-crafted words to lead to unintended actions and data breaches, the Lakera report found, while only 5% of the 1,000 cybersecurity experts surveyed have confidence in the security measures protecting their GenAI applications even though 90% are actively using or exploring GenAI.

Lakera’s CEO said a key lesson from the survey is that businesses that are relying on GenAI to accelerate innovation are unknowingly exposing themselves to new vulnerabilities that traditional security tools and measures don’t address, which has led to a combination of high adoption and low preparedness. They survey found that 34% of responded are concerned with data privacy and security as it relates to Large Language Models (LLMs).

GenAI has ultimately democratized AI for a wide array of users, while also empowering more people to become hackers, the report finds.

The primary challenge of maintaining security in the GenAI era is that these emerging tools are uniquely vulnerable and more complex when compared with traditional software. Developers have had decades to improve the debugging and validation of traditional software code and refine application security.

The immediate concern of GenAI has been not the been security implications of machine learning models until the recent emergence of consumer-facing AI models. Even the modern security tools such as extended detection and response (XDR) still must adapt to keep up with the threats posted by GenAI, and businesses will need to incorporate additional best practices and improve employee awareness to mitigate against security issues raised by GenAI.

Assessment is key as most businesses have little visibility into the use of GenAI within their organization, but they should assume it’s getting adopted, which means prioritizing data security and privacy is more important than ever.

A managed security services provider can help you assess your risk as it relates to GenAI and help you implement the necessary tools that can help you protect your organization against the threats that arise from GenAI adoption as well as the hackers that use it.