The widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the SaaS space is driven by its ability to significantly enhance applications, making them smarter, more efficient, and user-friendly. However, users benefiting from the AI capabilities within common SaaS applications introduce an unprecedented challenge for organizations and their security teams. This is because many of these applications’ AI models may take advantage and leverage data inputted by naive users. For this reason, the discovery of Shadow AI and the control over how AI learns, leverages and stores company data and Intellectual property, is more critical than ever before.
Let’s understand more about Shadow AI. On one hand, it is a term used to describe unsanctioned AI applications in the SaaS stack. On the other hand, Shadow AI refers to regular/common SaaS applications with integrated AI capabilities, often unknown to users. Despite their potential for immense benefits, these applications pose the risk of AI models utilizing sensitive organizational data, intellectual property (IP), and proprietary knowledge for their own learning, thereby presenting significant security and privacy concerns.
While Shadow AI stands as a key capability of Wing’s SSPM solution, Wing equally ensures proactive measures to safeguard data and prevent users from inadvertently agreeing to have their data/IP or knowledge trained on. Wing’s solution empowers security teams to control the sporadic and decentralized use of AI apps through automated remediation workflows, preventing errors, saving time, and prioritizing what matters most.
AI is Being Adopted at a Rapid Pace
Wing’s recent research sheds light on the staggering prevalence of AI-powered SaaS within businesses. An astounding 99.7% of organizations now utilize applications embedded with AI capabilities. Moreover, one in five employees actively engages with at least one AI application. We also noticed that 70% of widely used applications can leverage customer data to train their models. These statistics show that AI has become an integral and inseparable part of daily business operations.
The Growing Threat Landscape
As employees swiftly adopt AI-powered SaaS applications, they may inadvertently expose organizational data without recognizing the inherent risks. The proliferation of hidden AI capabilities across the SaaS ecosystem intensifies threats related to uncontrolled model training and data sharing. Employees might naively introduce problematic security practices, such as AI learning, storing sensitive information, and unauthorized data distribution. Recognizing the critical need for heightened security measures, Wing Security has introduced an innovative automated approach to counter risks emerging from the use of AI in SaaS.
Automated Risk Reduction Using SSPM
Based on an industry-leading 300,000 SaaS records, Wing’s SSPM solution provides complete visibility into AI risks through the discovery of all AI apps and other AI-powered SaaS applications. Powerful workflow automation further empowers end-users to participate in collaborative risk mitigation. With capabilities to control AI usage, spot impersonator AI applications, and automate remediation workflows, Wing secures organizations against the reckless adoption of ungoverned AI SaaS. Wing allows security teams to take decisive actions by permitting, restricting the AI models, or making other security suggestions as needed.
Three SSPM Advantages to Combating AI Threats
Automate AI Remediation
Wing optimizes efficiency through its automated remediation workflows, reducing the time and effort required for identifying and reducing risk management. With Wing’s SSPM, organizations can seamlessly address potential issues in AI usage, enhancing the organization’s overall risk mitigation strategy.
Control AI Usage
Wing empowers security teams to safeguard valuable data and intellectual property from potential security compromises by AI models. The initial step involves unveiling and prioritizing Shadow AI and all instances of AI and AI-powered SaaS currently in use across the organization.
Spot App Impersonation
Wing ensures a robust defense against the inadvertent integration of risky SaaS applications. It ensures security teams stay informed about the onboarding of malicious apps, including AI applications impersonating authentic versions. With Wing, security teams can proactively identify and address potential threats stemming from AI-SaaS usage to maintain a secure SaaS environment.
Regain Control of Your AI-SaaS Landscape
Wing reinforces its commitment to safeguarding SaaS environments by integrating AI discovery into its free discovery tier. Within Wing’s free discovery solution, a security professional can get an understanding of the basic AI threats presented to them within their own SaaS layer. With this knowledge, they can take action on Shadow AI and its risks to protect their organization.
Visit Wing Security and discover how Wing’s SSPM solution can boost your organization’s defense against AI-SaaS risks.
