The AI Surge: Rising Data Breaches and How Your Business Can Stay Safe

You will likely have noticed that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly rising. While AI can be an instrumental tool for businesses, offering innovative solutions and automation capabilities, this progress brings about a growing concern: AI data breaches. As AI becomes more integrated into our systems, the risks increase, and the data it collects, analyses, and utilises becomes a target.

A recent study on AI security breaches revealed a sobering truth. In the last year, a whopping 77% of businesses have experienced a breach of their AI. This poses a significant threat to organisations because a breach can potentially expose sensitive data, not to mention compromise intellectual property and disrupt critical operations.

But wait a minute before you hit that panic button - let's explore why AI data breaches are on the rise and what steps you can take to safeguard your company's valuable information.

Why AI Data Breaches are Rapidly Growing

Several factors contribute to the increasing risk of AI data breaches:

• The Expanding Attack Surface: The adoption of AI is fast increasing. As it increases, so does the number of potential entry points for attackers. Hackers can target vulnerabilities in AI models and data pipelines, as well as the underlying infrastructure supporting them.
• Data, the Fuel of AI: AI thrives on data. The vast amount of data collected for training and operation makes a tempting target. This data could include customer information, business secrets, financial records, and even personal details of employees.
• The "Black Box" Problem: Many AI models are complex and opaque, making it difficult to identify vulnerabilities and track data flow. This lack of transparency also makes it challenging to detect and prevent security breaches.
• Evolving Attack Techniques: Cybercriminals are crafty and constantly develop new methods to exploit security gaps. Techniques like adversarial attacks can manipulate AI models, producing incorrect outputs or leaking sensitive data.

The Potential Impact of AI Data Breaches

The consequences of an AI data breach can be far-reaching:

• Financial Losses: Data breaches can lead to hefty fines, lawsuits, and reputational damage. This can impact your bottom line significantly.
• Disrupted Operations: AI-powered systems are often critical to business functions. A breach can disrupt these functionalities, hindering productivity and customer service.
• Intellectual Property Theft: AI models themselves can be considered intellectual property. A breach could expose your proprietary AI models, giving competitors a significant advantage.
• Privacy Concerns: AI data breaches can compromise sensitive customer and employee information. This can raise privacy concerns and potentially lead to regulatory action.

How to Protect Your Company from AI Data Breaches

The good news is that you can take steps to mitigate the risk of AI data breaches. Here are some proactive measures to consider. Our IT Operations team can help implement these security measures as part of our cybersecurity services.

Data Governance

Put in place robust data governance practices. This includes:

• Classifying and labelling data based on sensitivity
• Establishing clear access controls
• Regularly monitoring data usage

Security by Design

Integrate security considerations into AI development or adoption. Standard procedures for AI projects should be:

• Secure coding practices
• Vulnerability assessments
• Penetration testing

Model Explainability

Invest in techniques like explainable AI (XAI) that increase transparency in AI models. This allows you to understand how the model arrives at its results and identify potential vulnerabilities or biases.

Threat Modelling

Conduct regular threat modelling exercises. This identifies potential weaknesses in your AI systems and data pipelines. This helps you rank vulnerabilities and allocate resources for remediation.

Employee Training

Educate your employees about AI security threats and best practices for data handling. Empower them to identify and report suspicious activity.

Security Patch Management

Keep all AI software and hardware components updated with the latest security patches. Outdated systems are vulnerable to known exploits, leaving your data at risk.

Security Testing

Regularly conduct security testing of your AI models and data pipelines. This helps identify vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.

Stay Informed

Keep yourself updated on the latest AI security threats and best practices. You can do this by:

• Subscribing to reliable cybersecurity publications
• Attending industry conferences
• Seeking out online workshops on AI and security

Partnerships for Enhanced Protection

Consider working with a reputable IT provider that understands AI security. Here at Red Eagle Tech, we can offer expertise in threat detection as well as vulnerability assessment and penetration testing tailored to AI systems. We also help businesses implement AI solutions with security built in from the start, so you can take advantage of what AI offers without exposing your business to unnecessary risk.

Additionally, explore solutions from software vendors who offer AI-powered anomaly detection tools. These tools can analyse data patterns and identify unusual activity that might suggest a potential breach.

Get Help Building a Fortress Against AI Data Breaches

AI offers immense benefits. But neglecting its security risks can leave your company exposed. Do you need a trusted partner to help address AI cybersecurity?

Our team of experts at Red Eagle Tech will look at your entire IT infrastructure, including both AI and non-AI components. We'll help you put proactive measures in place for monitoring and protection, so you can sleep soundly at night knowing your business is secure.

Contact us today to schedule a chat about your cybersecurity.

Republished with Permission from The Technology Press