We’ve talked before about the importance of cyber security to the health and integrity of your business, and also of the vast potential opened up by emerging artificial intelligent solutions. As with any new development in technology, the benefits come along with risks, and businesses engaging with the cutting edge of AI solutions will no doubt find themselves facing bad actors working just as diligently to exploit those same technologies for malicious purposes.
The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has released a new publication guiding small business owners in best practices to avoid AI-related cyber threats. The document includes real-world examples of AI putting data or credibility at risk, a cyber security checklist for small businesses and a glossary of technical terms related to artificial intelligence and data security.
“More small businesses are using AI through applications, websites and enterprise systems hosted in the public cloud like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and Microsoft Copilot. AI adoption is growing fast in Australia. Based on data from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR), this is rising every year,” the ASD said.
According to the document, the key security risks in AI systems are data leaks and privacy breaches, reliability and manipulation of AI outputs, and supply chain vulnerabilities. Managing these risks require a multifaceted approach, but a few highlights of steps your business can take include:
- Understand the data-handling and privacy policies of AI vendors, and anonymise or remove personal details so it can’t be used to identify individuals.
- Include human staff in the review of AI outputs to check for inaccuracies, biases, unethical or irrelevant responses.
- Evaluate the AI vendor’s reputation and commitment to security, including the user of third-party tools or services.
If your business makes use of AI technology, take the time to review configuration settings, terms & conditions and privacy policies of any AI platform you engage with. Read the full publication on managing artificial intelligence cyber security risks here.
