Protecting your intranet from AI-powered threats
Your intranet is more than just a place for sharing documents and news. It’s the backbone of your digital workplace. Employees rely on it daily for collaboration, content and communication. It integrates neatly with multiple other tools in your kit.
But as capabilities grow so do the intranet security risks. Just like external applications, your intranet is vulnerable to cyberattacks too. It’s vitally important to keep your platform secure. And that’s more essential than ever as traditional threats are joined by newer AI-powered methods. Here, we’ll highlight the risks and also ways to increase your business’s resilience to potential attacks.
The importance of intranet security
If you think your intranet’s only accessible to your team members, think again. Cyberattackers can find ways to infiltrate your systems unless you prevent them from doing so.
Bad actors are constantly finding new ways to hack systems. And now, they have an even more sophisticated technology to exploit – Generative AI. It can be used to enter the intranet space via tools like Copilot, chatbots and content generation tools.
One slip up can cause a big impact. AI tools might access sensitive data, generate content with privacy violations or even automate attacks if it’s misused. Without adequate security, your intranet leaves your organization exposed in multiple ways:
- Data leaks or breaches
- Loss of trust among employees, partners and/ or customers
- Downtime that interrupts workflows and reduces productivity
- Regulatory non-compliance (such as GDPR or HIPAA)
- Disruption of operations if systems are compromised.
What are the internal risks?
Not all threats come from outside the firewall. Internal risks can be just as dangerous. Seemingly simple mistakes, like having a weak password (or sharing it with others), make accounts easy to compromise. Assigning more privileges than is essential can give users unnecessary access to sensitive information. Uploading information to the wrong space (such as an AI tool) can mean accidental data sharing. Neglecting to update a system increases your vulnerability. These seemingly simple acts can have far-reaching consequences.
Often, these risks stem from a lack of training or awareness. If people know the devastating effects that can result from their actions, they’ll be more careful and aware. Proactive employee education is absolutely critical.
What are the external risks?
Cyber attackers are constantly evolving their methods and intranets can be prime targets. Common external risks include:
- Phishing attacks that trick users into revealing credentials
- Malware and ransomware that can disrupt or encrypt intranet data
- Denial of Service attacks that overload systems and cause downtime
- Exploited vulnerabilities in outdated software or poorly configured systems.
Generative AI amplifies these risks further. Phishing emails crafted by AI to incorporate deepfakes or voice impersonations are highly believable. AI tools that streamline your workflows and automate tasks can be manipulated to generate insecure or malicious code.
These very real risks highlight why organizations must go beyond basic protections and implement layered intranet security measures.
Best practices for securing your intranet
To defend against both traditional intranet security threats and generative AI-related risks, you need a proactive approach and ongoing defensive measures.
Key intranet security best practices include:
- Strong password policies: Complex, unique passwords are a must. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) should be enforced.
- Regular software updates: Always apply patches for your intranet platform, content management systems, plug-ins, AI tools or APIs. Vulnerabilities in AI libraries or dependencies need updating too.
- Access control measures: Restrict access and apply the least privileges. Review permissions frequently. Access control also applies to AI tools. Only allow users to retrieve or generate content that they have rights to see.
- Encryption: Encrypt data at rest and in transit. Ensure AI integrations also use secure channels.
- Intrusion detection and monitoring: Use tools that can monitor unusual behavior. We’re not just talking logins here. Look at unusual prompts to AI tools, untypical content generation or large-scale data exports.
- Network segmentation: Isolate critical systems, sensitive archives and any AI infrastructure. Then, a breach in one section doesn’t automatically infiltrate the whole intranet.
- Employee training: Schedule regular, up-to-date training. Include AI-specific examples like prompt etiquette, how to avoid leaking sensitive info into AI tools, recognising AI-powered phishing and deepfake threats.
- Incident response plan: Compile a clear guide for what to do when something goes wrong. Include points like how to quarantine misbehaving AI, revoke access, roll back content, notify affected stakeholders and perform detailed reviews.
- Security audits: Conduct regular audits (external and internal) to check for vulnerabilities.
Introducing FreshMind
As AI adoption increases, attackers are adapting fast. Your levels of defence must keep pace. FreshMind, our AI-infused and enterprise-ready solution, makes generative AI work for you, while keeping your data safe. It’s powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI and underpinned by those strict security protocols.
FAQs about intranet security
How can I enhance the security of my organization’s intranet?
Use strong password policies, enforce multi-factor authentication, keep software and AI tools up to date and implement role-based access control. Apply generative AI-specific safeguards – limit what internal AI tools can access, audit prompts and outputs and treat AI integrations with the same scrutiny you apply to any other service.
What measures can I take to protect sensitive data on my intranet?
Encrypt data in transit and at rest. Restrict who can access that data. Limit the datasets AI tools are trained on. Ensure AI tools don’t store or echo sensitive internal info in their outputs. Perform data classification and only allow sensitive content in well-protected zones.
How do I detect and prevent cyberattacks on my intranet?
Use monitoring tools to watch for anomalies like unusual login patterns, large exports or data transfers, suspicious prompts to AI tools or access by unusual accounts. Include threat detection systems, intrusion detection, periodic penetration testing and network segmentation to limit the impact.
How can I train employees on intranet security best practices?
Hold regular training sessions that include examples of real-life AI threats (e.g., phishing and deepfakes). Use simulated attacks that mimic tactics. Provide guidelines on what not to enter into AI tools (such as no private or sensitive data in public prompt tools). Ensure employees understand prompt engineering etiquette.
How often should I conduct security audits for my organization’s intranet?
At least annually. But for organizations using generative AI tools, more frequent audits are advisable. That’s especially after major changes (such as new AI integrations or system upgrades), after security incidents or when new known threats emerge. Quarterly or bi-annual audits may make sense depending on your risk profile.