Comprehensive Guide to GenAI Security

The emergence of generative AI (GenAI) has transformed numerous industries for many use cases, such as content creation, code writing, customer support, chatbots, and only limited to one’s imagination.

You would be amazed to know that 88% of companies have already started adopting GenAI in their technologies—but unfortunately, most of those organizations are experiencing security issues related to their GenAI deployments.

As GenAI continues to evolve, so do the risks associated with these applications. This necessitates a comprehensive understanding of GenAI security, the threats to AI systems, and the solutions available to map, measure, and eventually mitigate these risks.

Why GenAI Security?

The reasons behind focusing on the security of GenAI cannot be overstated. Organizations have already started integrating these AI capabilities into their products or services; hence, they cannot compromise their credibility. Any risk to the GenAI systems can uniquely threaten the integrity, reliability, and ethical use of GenAI applications. It's more important than ever to get hands-on knowledge of these security issues and find working solutions to deal with the problems.

GenAI Threat Landscape

The GenAI threat landscape is multifaceted, encompassing various types of attacks that can compromise the security of AI systems.

Prompt Injection

Prompt Injection is a significant vulnerability in large language models (LLMs) and GenAI applications, where attackers manipulate inputs to control the model's behavior. This can occur through:

• Direct prompt injections: Involves overwriting the system prompt explicitly of a large language model (LLM). This manipulation allows the attacker to bypass built-in restrictions and execute unauthorized commands, effectively controlling the model's responses.

  
  

• Indirect prompt injections: Occur when malicious content is embedded in external inputs. Attackers can strategically place harmful prompts within documents, websites, or other data sources that the LLM accesses. Read how RAG poisoning made Llama3 racist.

Insecure Output Handling 

Insecure Output Handling refers to the inadequate validation and sanitization of outputs generated by GenAI models before they are processed by other systems. This vulnerability can lead to severe security issues, such as cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), and remote code execution. For example, if output is directly executed in a system shell or rendered in a browser without proper checks, it can allow attackers to exploit these outputs. 

Training Data Poisoning

This security risk is faced when someone deliberately adds false or harmful information to the dataset used to train large language models (LLMs). This can lead the model to learn incorrect facts or develop biases, which can affect its responses to user inputs. An attacker might just insert misleading documents into the training set, causing the AI model to produce unreliable or wrong outputs. If the model is then used in important applications, it could make poor decisions based on this faulty information.

Model Denial of Service

Model Denial of Service (DoS) occurs when an attacker sends too many requests to a GenAI application, causing it to slow down or stop working altogether. This can happen if the attacker uses tricky inputs that require a lot of processing power or sends a flood of requests that exceed the model's limits. This is also called Denial of wallet attack if it exhausts all the compute resources to serve the genuine users.

Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Supply chain vulnerabilities refer to risks that arise from the various components and services used to build, deploy, and operate large language models (LLMs). If any part of the supply chain is compromised, it can affect the entire system. For example, if a third-party service that provides data or tools is hacked, it could introduce harmful elements into the LLM.

Sensitive Information Disclosure

Sensitive information disclosure happens when an AI model unintentionally reveals private or confidential data. This can occur if the model is trained on sensitive information and then generates outputs that include this data.

Insecure Plugin Design

Insecure plugin design refers to weaknesses in the way additional features or tools (plugins) are created for AI models. If a plugin is not built with security in mind, it can create vulnerabilities that attackers might exploit and misuse the power of GenAI.

Excessive Agency

This security failure takes place when a large language model (LLM) is given too much control over actions or decisions without proper oversight. This can lead to unintended consequences if the AI model makes choices that are harmful or not in the best interest of users. For example, if an LLM is allowed to make financial decisions without human review, it could result in significant losses.

Overreliance

Overreliance refers to the negative consequences of depending too much on AI for important tasks. When users trust the model's outputs without question, it can lead to mistakes, especially if the model provides inaccurate or biased information.

Model Theft

Model theft, also known as model extraction, is the unauthorized duplication of models without direct access to their parameters or training data. Attackers typically interact with the model via its API, making queries and analyzing the outputs to create a new model that mimics the original model.

Security Measures and Solutions

Preventing threats against GenAI is not child’s play, it requires you to have a multi-layered security approach to effectively combat the threats. This includes:

• Robust Testing and Validation: Conduct thorough testing of GenAI models before deployment to identify vulnerabilities.

• Fine-tuning with Secure Data: Use techniques like Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to enhance model accuracy while reducing the risk of harmful outputs.

• Transparency and Explainability: Implement methods that allow models to explain their reasoning, enhancing trust and accountability.

• Continuous Monitoring: Regularly monitor the performance of GenAI models to detect and address potential vulnerabilities and drift.

• Governance and Compliance: Establish strong governance protocols to ensure ethical use and alignment with organizational values.

AI Attack Surface Area

The AI attack surface includes various components that can be targeted by intruders. These include:

• Contact: Attackers may attempt to establish contact with AI systems through various means, such as prompts or APIs, to exploit vulnerabilities or gather sensitive information.

  
  

• Supply Chain: Ensuring the security of the supply chain that supports AI models is crucial. Attackers may target third-party components, libraries, or services used in the development or deployment of GenAI models.

  
  

• Code: The code underlying GenAI models can be a target for attackers. Vulnerabilities in the code can lead to security breaches or enable unauthorized access to sensitive data or functionality.

  
  

• Dataset: The training data used to develop GenAI models is a prime target for attackers. Data poisoning attacks can manipulate the dataset to introduce biases or backdoors into the models, leading to unintended or harmful outputs.

• Model Level: At the model level, attackers may target the training process, the model architecture, or the model parameters. Protecting the integrity of the model is essential to ensure reliable and secure outputs and avoid any model duplication.

Securing the AI Attack Surface

To secure the AI attack surface, organizations should implement a combination of technical and organizational measures:

Pre-Production

• AI Red Teaming: AI Red teaming in the pre-production phase is a critical practice aimed at identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in generative AI systems. By rigorously testing the AI models against a variety of adversarial scenarios, red teaming helps ensure that the systems can withstand real-world threats. This proactive strategy not only enhances the security of the AI applications but also informs necessary adjustments to improve their safety and reliability.

Production

• Security by Design: Include security best practices throughout the development lifecycle, ensuring that security is a priority from the initial design stages only.

• Database/CRM RAG Workflow: Implement secure workflows for storing and processing sensitive data, such as using RAG techniques to enhance data protection and minimize the risk of data leakage. In an RAG workflow, relevant information is retrieved from a secure database or CRM system and provided as context to a language model. This allows the model to generate more accurate and contextually relevant responses without exposing the entire dataset.

  
  

• Agentic Capability: Develop AI-powered security agents that can autonomously monitor and respond to potential threats, enhancing the overall security posture of GenAI systems.

Post-Deployment

Regularly monitor the performance of your GenAI models to detect and address potential issues. Employ comprehensive evaluation methods, including:

• Task-specific benchmarking

• Statistical evaluation measuring inherent properties of the responses

• Model-based evaluation using a separate model to assess outputs

• Human evaluation via feedback from domain experts

By addressing the AI attack surface at various levels and stages of the development and deployment process, organizations can significantly reduce the risks associated with GenAI technologies. 

Conclusion

The future of AI is bright, but it requires our commitment to security and vigilance to ensure it remains a force for good. Scan your AI systems today for potential security and safety issues with Repello, and ensure the secure and responsible use of these powerful tools.