Deploying Artificial Intelligence(AI) Securely: Key Steps to Follow

As organisations continue to adopt AI, it's very important to follow approved IT policies and processes to ensure that deployment is secure, reliable, and compliant.

What are the essential controls every team should implement when deploying AI systems?

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1. Prioritise AI Security Awareness

People are often the weakest link in cyber security. The adoption of AI presents a good opportunity to revisit or introduce training on best practices, such as strong authentication controls, security awareness, and secure data handling.

2. Enforce Strong Access Controls

To protect your AI models from unauthorised access or tampering apply strict access controls. Separate user and admin roles. Require multi-factor authentication (MFA) and if possible, use privileged access workstations for administrative access.

3. Conduct Independent AI Audits and Testing

Before going live, have internal and external security experts perform audits and where possible penetration testing.

4. Implement Logging and Monitoring

Track system inputs, outputs, and behaviours using logging and monitoring tools. Set up real-time alerts for security anomalies, anomalous inputs/outputs including potential AI-specific attacks.

5. Stay Updated and Patch AI Systems Often

Run comprehensive tests to validate performance, accuracy, and security before redeployment of an updated or replacement AI model or AI application. Patching on a regular basis will help to close known vulnerabilities.

6. Prepare for Downtime and Recovery

To improve resilience use immutable backup systems to store critical logs and data in a way that cannot be altered. Have detailed high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) strategies and plans to maintain operations during outages.

7. Secure Deletion Practices

When AI components are no longer needed, like training models or cryptographic keys, they must be deleted in a way that’s irretrievable, so no traces of sensitive or exposed data remain.

As AI systems evolve, so will the threats targeting them. While a comprehensive, adaptable security strategy is essential, making sure the above measures are in place will help to reduce the information security risks associated with AI technology.

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Contact us today for more information on how we can help your organisation strengthen IT policies to support the secure use of AI.