FRESNO, California – Cody Sarhan, Communications Specialist
With the rapid advancements in technology, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence, concerns surrounding internet privacy have become more pronounced. The convergence of AI, privacy policies, network vulnerabilities, and social engineering has created a complex landscape where personal and company information is increasingly at risk. In the first of a three-part series of articles concerning internet privacy protections, we look to address the advancements in AI tools and how they can both help and hurt a small business.
“Security experts have noted that AI-generated phishing emails actually have higher rates of being opened — [for example] tricking possible victims to click on them and thus generate attacks — than manually crafted phishing emails.” — Brian Finch, co-leader of the cybersecurity, data protection & privacy practice at Pillsbury Law
AI Is A Double-Edged Sword
As technology continues its rapid advancement, AI capabilities stand out amongst various other innovations as revolutionary transformations in how we interact online. However, despite their strengths, like better consumer experiences with and more customization than ever thought possible, AI algorithms utilized today are capable of aggregating mass amounts of data collected from individual user behaviors and information. These algorithms have the power to enhance user experiences and improve services, but they can also be weaponized.
Learn more: How Xobee can protect your business data and systems
Social Engineering, Manipulation, & Fake News
AI-driven chatbots and voice assistants may quickly deceive unsuspecting users through impersonation; tricking users into giving away sensitive data. Additionally, by analyzing large amounts of personal data, AI algorithms can create sophisticated social engineering attacks that are difficult to detect.
The damage caused by these security violations, from increasingly sophisticated imposters and social engineering scams is profound and far-reaching.
New tools are hitting the market every day from advanced photo generation, video manipulation, widespread bot propagation, synthesized voice technology, language models, and so much more. These things combined have the power to generate advanced takedowns, infringe on copywrite trademarks, and create propaganda machines aimed at companies to tarnish reputations enough to drive stocks down, or worse shutter them completely.
Learn more: How Xobee can protect your email from viruses, phishing, malware, and more
How AI Model Poisoning Affects SMBs
AI model poisoning, also known as adversarial attacks or data poisoning attacks, occurs when an individual or entity intentionally manipulates the training data of an AI model to compromise its performance or cause it to produce incorrect results. This manipulation is aimed at exploiting vulnerabilities in the model and can have serious consequences.
As a small business owner, AI model poisoning should be a significant concern for several reasons:
- Compromised Decision-Making: If your business relies on AI models for critical decision-making processes such as fraud detection, customer recommendations, or risk assessments, a poisoned model could produce inaccurate results. This can lead to financial losses, reputational damage, and even legal consequences.
- Data Security & Privacy: Poisoning attacks involve injecting malicious data into the training process, potentially jeopardizing the security and privacy of sensitive business information or customer data. This can result in data breaches, unauthorized access, and misuse of confidential information.
- Reputation & Trust: If your AI systems are compromised due to model poisoning, it can erode the trust your customers have in your business. Loss of trust impacts customer satisfaction, loyalty, and overall reputation, which can ultimately affect your bottom line.
By taking proactive steps to secure your AI models and staying informed about potential threats, you can minimize risks and enjoy the benefits of AI in a safer manner.
How Xobee Can Help Protect Your Business
At Xobee Networks, we keep a sharp eye on industry standards and emerging technologies to help better serve our clients. By being on the cutting edge of these technological advancements, we can help build better systems for our clients — no matter if we’re converting an older system or creating a fully tailored solution for our clients’ specific needs.
We conduct risk assessments, identify vulnerabilities, and provide tailored security solutions. Through our robust security measures, detection systems, and advance encryption protocols we have the power to secure your business against the most aggressive AI-enabled intrusions. In the event of a breach, our constant monitoring, validation, and authentication procedures enable us to offer rapid incident response. We can assist with data recovery and though continuous monitoring, maintenance, and employee training we can enhance security.
By partnering with Xobee, your businesses can benefit from expert support, proactive security measures, and the ability to focus on core activities while safeguarding your systems and data.
Contact one of our highly skilled technicians to learn more today.
Xobee Networks now has engineers servicing clients within Fresno, Clovis, Madera, San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco & The Bay Area, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Anaheim, Palm Springs, and more.
Cody Sarhan | Communications Specialist, Xobee Networks
