- Employees have access to too much data
- Sensitive data is often not marked or is marked incorrectly
- Insiders can quickly find and exfiltrate data using natural language
- Attackers can find secrets for privilege escalation and lateral movement
- It’s impossible to manually set the right level of access
- GenAI quickly generates new sensitive data
These data security challenges are not new. However, the speed and ease with which AI can expose information to attackers makes them easier than ever to exploit.
Protective measures against the AI risk
The first step in eliminating the risks associated with AI is ensuring the homework has been done. Before using tools as powerful as Copilot, CISOs need to know where all their sensitive data is located. They also need to be able to analyze threats and risks, close security gaps, and efficiently fix misconfigurations.
Only when CISOs have a firm grip on data security in their environment and the right processes are in place is the company ready to introduce AI assistants. Even after installation, security managers should continuously monitor the following three areas: