As more small businesses adopt new and exciting Generative AI tools, it is critical to have generative AI cybersecurity practices in place. As Gen AI is evolving at breakneck speeds, it is important to understand the risks of utilizing it and steps a small business can take to protect itself.
The benefits
Generative AI has many benefits to the everyday small business. Gen AI can assist in making promotional videos without the need of hiring actors or film crews. It can aid in creating marketing materials or emails to send to customers. A small business can use it to create catchy social media posts for better engagement. Gen AI can be used for business operations, like creating an employee schedule or to help write business policies. These are just to name a few of its many use cases to small businesses.
Threats from the outside
The downside is generative AI has made it infinitely easier for cybercriminals too. Everything from coding malware, like ransomware, to writing near perfect phishing emails, to even mimicking the voice of a coworker. Gen AI has made it so the non-technical person can wage cyberattacks against any small business.
Since it has made it easier for cybercriminals, it raises the importance of good cybersecurity practices. Training employees on phishing attacks, having business grade security solutions, and practicing good cybersecurity hygiene is a must.
Threats from within
Not only does it make life easier for cybercriminals, it makes life easier for small businesses to accidentally expose confidential information. Many Gen AI programs use the entered information in training their LLM. An employee at a small business may use Gen AI to help create a financial strategy for their client, entering in the client’s name, financial information, and business strategy and not even realize they just exposed their client’s personal confidential information. This is called accidental exposure and could very possibly be considered a data breach. So because of this, it is important to train employees and management of what is and isn’t acceptable to enter into a Gen AI tool.
Generative AI is beneficial, but small businesses need to have generative AI cybersecurity in place to protect itself.
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