Security-of-AI: The Convergence of AI-Governance and AI-Security
As AI systems grow more powerful and widespread, organizations must ensure they are both secure and responsibly governed. Traditionally, AI governance (focused on ethics, accountability, and compliance) and AI security (addressing vulnerabilities, adversarial attacks, and data protection) have developed separately. This divide is no longer sustainable.
The emerging "Security-of-AI" perspective recognizes that governance and security are deeply interconnected. Governance without strong security cannot enforce its rules, while security without governance context risks overlooking key issues or hindering valid uses.
This requires a holistic approach: security controls should serve as governance mechanisms, and governance needs should shape security design. Organizations need unified frameworks covering supply chain integrity, model provenance, access controls, bias mitigation, and more—all within an integrated security-governance model.
Our Approach to Security-of-AI:
Integrating NIST AI-RMF with Comprehensive Security Practices
Our Security of AI methodology combines the structured governance framework of the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI-RMF) with comprehensive, actionable security techniques across the entire AI lifecycle. AI-RMF provides our governance foundation through its four core functions—Govern, Map, Measure, and Manage—ensuring that AI systems are developed and deployed with clear accountability, risk awareness, and stakeholder alignment. This framework guides our strategic decision-making, establishes organizational policies, and maintains oversight throughout the AI lifecycle. Our security implementation builds upon these AI-Security foundational integrated practice areas:
1. Establish AI Governance Framework
2. Conduct Risk Assessment
3. Secure Data and Models
4. Discover and Manage AI Assets
5. Implement Adversarial Defense and Security Controls
6. Monitor Continuously and Ensure Compliance
7. Establish Incident Response Protocols
8. Foster Innovation and Continuous Improvement
AI-Governance using NIST AI-Risk Management Framework
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a U.S. federal agency that develops standards, guidelines, and tools to ensure the reliability and security of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI). In the realm of artificial intelligence, NIST introduced the AI Risk Management Framework (AI-RMF) to guide organizations in managing the risks associated with AI systems. The AI-RMF is designed to be a flexible and voluntary framework that helps stakeholders across various sectors understand, assess, and address the risks AI technologies can pose. This includes considerations for the ethical, technical, and societal implications of AI deployment. The framework emphasizes the importance of trustworthy AI, which means AI systems that are responsible, equitable, traceable, reliable, and governable while also being transparent, explainable, and accountable.
Fortifying Trust through Security-of-AI:
AI-Security:
AI security involves a series of steps and strategies aimed at protecting AI systems from vulnerabilities, ensuring they operate reliably, and are free from manipulation. Here are the main steps involved in securing AI systems:
- Risk Assessment:
- Data Security:
- Model Security:
- Adversarial AI Defense:
- Ethical and Legal Compliance:
- AI Governance:
- Incident Response:
- Research and Development:
Understanding the AI-Threat Landscape:
Overview
Our AI-Threat Landscape section serves as a critical resource for understanding the ever-evolving threats in the realm of artificial intelligence. As AI technologies integrate more deeply into various sectors, the potential for sophisticated threats grows. This section provides a comprehensive analysis of the current and emerging threats specific to AI systems, aiming to equip stakeholders with the knowledge required to identify, assess, and mitigate these risks effectively. Learn about
Identify Key Threats:
- Adversarial Attacks.
- Data Security Breaches.
- Model Theft and Reverse Engineering.
- AI Misuse.
Threat Mitigation Strategies:
- Adversarial Training.
- Robust Encryption Methods.
- Red Team Testing.
- Ethical AI Deployment.
AI Security Through "Penetration and Red Team Testing"
AI-Red Team Testing (AI-RTT) is a proactive approach to identifying vulnerabilities, harms and risks to better develop and deploy Responsible AI. The goal is to release safe and secure artificial intelligence (AI) systems, by simulating adversarial behaviors and stress-testing models under various conditions. This process ensures that AI systems are robust, secure, and aligned with organizational goals and ethical standards.
Here, we integrate AI-Red Team Testing with the principles and guidelines of the NIST AI-Risk Management Framework (AI-RMF) to deliver a structured and comprehensive Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) of AI systems.
In this section, we will delve into the specific information, tools and techniques for:
- Setting-up Red Team Operations,
- ML Testing Techniques,
- ML-Model Scanning Tools,
- Manual and Automated Adversarial Tools