Generative AI Opening New Doors to Security Risks
From ChatGPT to Dall-E and everything in between, generative AI has taken the whole internet by storm. With the recent integrations of AI into major search engines including Google and Bing, it is clear that the technology is here to stay, for better or for worse.
Apart from the ethical concerns of making new content by using the work of human artists, generative AI security risks are also a red flag for those who use the technology. If you want to protect yourself against these risks, the following information can help.
Inadvertently Aiding Phishing Attacks is a Massive Concern
According to reports, bad actors are now using generative AI to craft fraudulent messages and emails. This is usually done through phishing, which refers to the act of fooling someone to extract confidential or sensitive information out of them. During phishing attempts, attackers assume the identity of an established entity such as banks, online stores, or government agencies, which makes it easier for them to dupe the recipient in a variety of ways.
With the use of generative AI, it becomes easier for attackers to create fake material out of thin air and use it in mass messaging afterwards. This takes very little effort on the attackers’ part, but could mean a world of financial and reputational loss for those who are at the receiving end of this criminal activity.
Sharing Sensitive Data Heightens Generative AI Security Risks
When ChatGPT was first introduced to the masses, one of its touted benefits included the ability to find faulty code and improve application programming within a few seconds. While that is true, this ability has created a massive security loophole for many.
The story of Samsung engineers leaking secrets through ChatGPT went viral in April 2023. But all that these engineers did was to share a section of code with the AI tool and ask it for suggestions. Nonetheless, the simple action created an otherwise security risk by the sharing of sensitive information.
These types of incidents highlight that professionals, students, and other users with access to generative AI need to learn about the risks of disclosing sensitive information to these tools. This could help prevent a variety of issues that could otherwise put user safety and finances at risk.
Bad Actors May Harness AI Faster Than Security Experts
Call it a functional disadvantage or an unfortunate cycle of events, but attackers are usually one step ahead of security experts when it comes to finding misuse of new technology or weak links in safety mechanisms. This also holds true for generative AI.
With malicious parties being at an advantage for using generative AI security risks to their benefit, security experts need to be more vigilant than ever to figure out possible vulnerabilities in their systems. While this would be an ongoing practice, the security threats that it brings to the table once again calls for vigilance by all users.
Ongoing Training and Public Messaging Can Prevent These Issues
The current set of generative AI security threats may paint a bleak picture. But with actions such as offering training for employees, providing information to general users, and utilizing public messaging to highlight the security risks of generative AI, we can all establish a safer environment over the internet that is now full of generative AI services.
This calls for a collective effort joined by businesses, nonprofits, and governments to safeguard and educate everyone in a day and age where human evolution is set to take place at a rapid pace.