Since 2004, October has been officially designated as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an initiative led by the U.S. government to highlight the importance of cybersecurity for both individuals and organizations. This initiative, launched through a partnership between the President of the United States, Congress, and industry leaders— emphasizes collaborative efforts to raise awareness and drive proactive actions to mitigate cyber threats.

Over the past two decades, Cybersecurity Awareness Month has grown into a global movement, with organizations across the public and private sectors working together to spread knowledge about cybersecurity threats and best practices. October 2024 marks the 21st Cybersecurity Awareness Month— continuing the mission to reduce cyber risks and enhance the security of our increasingly digital world.

This years theme and beyond

In 2023, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) introduced the theme “Secure Our World,” which will now be the enduring focus of future Cybersecurity Awareness Months. This theme highlights the importance of daily actions we can all take to protect ourselves online, whether at home or at work. As technology continues to evolve, cybersecurity remains a priority for safeguarding sensitive information and preventing cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month serves as a reminder that every individual, business, and government agency has a role in securing the digital world. From protecting personal data to securing business operations, taking consistent steps toward cybersecurity is essential in today’s interconnected world.

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Essential Strategies for Using AI Safely

As AI technology continues to grow in use and influence, it also introduces new security risks. Protecting AI systems and the data they handle is critical to ensuring their safe, responsible deployment. Here are three key strategies for using AI safely:

Discover and Secure AI Data

The first step in protecting AI is to know what data is being fed into your models. Training AI and LLMs involves massive datasets, which may sometimes contain sensitive or proprietary information. Without visibility into what data is being used, your AI model could be trained on information that was never intended to be exposed.

BigID provides a unique solution to this challenge, allowing organizations to discover and secure their AI data. By leveraging BigID, companies can easily identify what data is being processed, understand its sensitivity, and ensure it’s fit for the intended purpose. This proactive approach to data discovery helps you mitigate risks associated with AI training and data misuse.

Inventory AI Assets and Models

Managing your AI environment can quickly become complex if you don’t have an organized system for tracking AI assets and models. It’s essential to know what data is accessed by AI, what data should remain off-limits, and which models are interacting with your data. Without a clear inventory of these assets, it’s nearly impossible to ensure compliance with data privacy regulations or understand the full scope of your AI’s impact on your data landscape.

BigID helps businesses solve this challenge by finding, inventorying, and mapping all AI-related data at scale, no matter where it lives. This visibility ensures that your organization has a clear picture of AI’s interaction with data, helping to prevent unauthorized access and maintain data privacy. Having an accurate, up-to-date inventory also simplifies audits and regulatory compliance.

Alert and Remediate High-Risk AI Activity

In the realm of data security, every second counts—especially when AI models interact with sensitive or high-risk data. A breach or misuse of restricted information by an AI model could have significant financial and reputational consequences. That’s why it’s crucial to have real-time alerts and rapid remediation mechanisms in place.

BigID automatically flags risky AI activity, such as when models access restricted data or when sensitive data is used for training purposes. The platform alerts security teams immediately, allowing them to take swift action and limit potential damage. Having a system that identifies high-risk behavior as soon as it happens helps prevent costly data breaches and ensures that your AI models operate securely.

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The Importance of Cybersecurity in AI

As AI systems become more integrated into everyday business operations, securing them from cyber threats becomes increasingly important. These systems often handle sensitive personal, financial, and business-critical data. Failing to protect AI models can lead to data breaches, manipulation of AI-driven decisions, and loss of intellectual property. By implementing these strategies, organizations can ensure that their AI systems are not only powerful but also secure, trustworthy, and compliant with evolving regulations.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an ideal time to reassess and strengthen your cybersecurity posture. The theme “Secure Our World” reminds us that cybersecurity is not a one-time effort but an ongoing responsibility. Whether it’s through safeguarding AI systems, protecting personal data, or securing business operations, the steps you take today will help secure a safer digital future for everyone.

Take action to better secure your organization’s data security posture— get a 1:1 demo with BigID today.