Cisco Unveils AI Defense to Secure the AI Transformation of Enterprises

Rhea-AI Summary

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) has announced AI Defense, a comprehensive solution designed to protect enterprises during their AI transformation. The solution addresses critical security challenges in both AI development and usage, as current security measures are inadequate for emerging AI-specific threats.

According to Cisco's 2024 AI Readiness Index, only 29% of surveyed participants feel fully equipped to detect and prevent unauthorized AI tampering. AI Defense focuses on two main areas: securing AI application development/deployment and protecting access to AI applications. Key features include AI discovery across clouds, model validation, runtime security, visibility of AI-enabled apps, access control, and data protection.

The solution integrates with Cisco's Security Cloud platform and leverages their network infrastructure for enforcement. It's built on industry standards from MITRE, OWASP, and NIST, and will be available in March 2024.

Positive

• Launch of innovative AI security solution addressing emerging market needs
• Integration with existing Cisco Security Cloud platform
• Comprehensive protection covering both AI development and usage
• Built on established industry standards (MITRE, OWASP, NIST)

Negative

• None.

Insights

Security Technology Expert

Cisco's AI Defense launch represents a pivotal advancement in enterprise AI security. The solution addresses critical vulnerabilities in AI development and deployment through a comprehensive three-layer approach: discovery, validation and runtime security. The technology's integration with Cisco's Security Cloud platform leverages their extensive network infrastructure to provide unparalleled visibility and control.

The timing is strategic, as enterprises face mounting pressure to secure AI applications while only 29% feel equipped to detect unauthorized AI tampering. The platform's ability to detect shadow AI applications and implement automated testing for hundreds of security issues positions it as a first-mover in the enterprise AI security space. The March 2025 release timeline gives Cisco a competitive advantage in this rapidly evolving market.

Market Research Analyst

This product launch significantly strengthens Cisco's position in the enterprise security market. The integration with Splunk and compatibility with industry standards (MITRE, OWASP, NIST) demonstrates strategic ecosystem development. The World Wide Technology endorsement adds credibility and suggests strong enterprise adoption potential.

The self-optimizing nature of AI Defense, powered by Cisco Talos threat intelligence, creates a sustainable competitive advantage. With Cisco's $234.7B market cap and established enterprise relationships, this solution could drive significant recurring revenue growth in the cybersecurity segment, particularly as AI adoption accelerates across industries.

AI Risk Management Specialist

The product addresses two critical market gaps: securing AI development and controlling AI application access. The multi-model approach is particularly valuable as enterprises increasingly deploy numerous AI applications across different clouds. The focus on protecting proprietary data during model training addresses a major enterprise concern.

The platform's ability to implement guardrails while maintaining development speed is important for enterprise adoption. The emphasis on continuous validation and automated testing suggests strong potential for reducing AI-related incidents and compliance violations. This could become a standard requirement for enterprise AI deployments, similar to how firewalls became mandatory for network security.

News Summary:

• Cisco's end-to-end solution protects both the development and use of AI applications so enterprises can advance their AI initiatives with confidence. 
• AI Defense safeguards against the misuse of AI tools, data leakage, and increasingly sophisticated threats, which existing security solutions are not equipped to handle. 
• The innovative solution leverages Cisco's unmatched network visibility and control to stay ahead of ever-evolving AI safety and security concerns.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), the leader in security and networking, today announced Cisco AI Defense, a pioneering solution to enable and safeguard AI transformation within enterprises. As AI technology advances, new safety concerns and security threats are emerging at an unprecedented speed which existing security solutions are unprepared to protect against. Cisco AI Defense is purpose-built for enterprises to develop, deploy and secure AI applications with confidence.

"Business and technology leaders can't afford to sacrifice safety for speed when embracing AI," said Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Cisco. "In a dynamic landscape where competition is fierce, speed decides the winners. Fused into the fabric of the network, Cisco AI Defense combines the unique ability to detect and protect against threats when developing and accessing AI applications without tradeoffs."

The stakes of something going wrong with AI are incredibly high. According to Cisco's 2024 AI Readiness Index, only 29% of those surveyed feel fully equipped to detect and prevent unauthorized tampering with AI. The security challenges are also new and complex, with AI applications being multi-model and multi-cloud. Vulnerabilities can occur at model or app level, while responsibility lies with different owners including developers, end users and vendors. As enterprises move beyond public data and begin training models on proprietary data, the risks only grow.

To unlock AI innovation and adoption, enterprises need a common layer of safety and security that protects every user and every application. AI Defense enables enterprises' AI transformations by addressing two urgent risks:

Developing and Deploying Secure AI Applications: As AI becomes ubiquitous, enterprises will use and develop hundreds if not thousands of AI applications. Developers need one set of AI security and safety guardrails that work for every application. AI Defense helps developers move fast and unlock greater value by protecting AI systems from attacks and safeguarding model behavior, across platforms. The capabilities of AI Defense include:

• Discovering AI: Security teams need to understand who is building applications and the training sources they use. AI Defense detects shadow and sanctioned AI applications across public and private clouds.
• Model Validation: Model tuning can lead to toxic and unexpected outcomes. Automated testing checks AI models for hundreds of potential safety and security issues. This AI-driven algorithmic red team identifies potential vulnerabilities and recommends guardrails in AI Defense for security teams to use.
• Runtime Security: Continuous validation safeguards against potential safety and security threats such as prompt injection, denial of service and sensitive data leakage on an ongoing basis.

Securing Access to AI Applications: As end users rush to adopt AI applications like summarization tools to improve their productivity, security teams need to prevent data leakage and the poisoning of proprietary data. AI Defense enables security teams with:

• Visibility: Provides a comprehensive view of shadow and sanctioned AI-enabled apps used by employees.
• Access Control: Implements policies that restrict employee access to unsanctioned AI tools.
• Data and Threat Protection: Continuously safeguards against threats and confidential data loss while ensuring compliance.

Unlike safety guardrails built into individual AI models, Cisco delivers consistent controls for a multi-model world. AI Defense is self-optimizing, leveraging Cisco's proprietary machine learning models to detect ever-evolving AI safety and security concerns based on threat intelligence data from Cisco Talos. Splunk customers that are using AI Defense will receive enriched alerts with additional context from across the entire ecosystem. AI Defense integrates seamlessly with existing data flows for unparalleled visibility and control and is built into the Security Cloud, Cisco's unified, AI-driven, cross-domain security platform. It leverages Cisco's extensive mesh of enforcement points to perform AI security at the network level in a way only Cisco is optimized to deliver. Accuracy and trustworthiness are essential for protecting enterprise AI applications, and Cisco has been actively involved in developing AI security industry standards, including those from MITRE, OWASP, and NIST.

"The adoption of AI exposes companies to new risks that traditional cybersecurity solutions don't address," said Kent Noyes, Global Head of AI & Cyber Innovation at World Wide Technology. "Cisco AI Defense represents a significant leap forward in AI security, providing full visibility of an enterprise's AI assets and protection against evolving threats."

AI Defense is the latest in a series of AI-driven security innovations from Cisco, including Cisco Hypershield. Cisco AI Defense will be available in March for enterprises to safeguard their AI transformations. For more information, visit cisco.com/go/ai-defense.

Additional Resources:

• Blog: Protecting AI So AI Can Improve the World, Safely
• Blog: Cisco AI Defense: Comprehensive Security for Enterprise AI Adoption
• Animation: Cisco AI Defense

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that is revolutionizing the way organizations connect and protect in the AI era. For more than 40 years, Cisco has securely connected the world. With its industry leading AI-powered solutions and services, Cisco enables its customers, partners and communities to unlock innovation, enhance productivity and strengthen digital resilience. With purpose at its core, Cisco remains committed to creating a more connected and inclusive future for all. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on X at @Cisco.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at http://www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word 'partner' does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

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SOURCE Cisco Systems, Inc.

FAQ

When will Cisco (CSCO) launch its AI Defense solution?

Cisco's AI Defense solution will be available in March 2024.

What are the main features of Cisco's (CSCO) AI Defense solution?

AI Defense includes AI discovery across clouds, model validation, runtime security, visibility of AI-enabled apps, access control, and data protection features.

How does Cisco (CSCO) AI Defense protect enterprises?

It protects enterprises by securing both AI application development/deployment and controlling access to AI applications, while preventing data leakage and unauthorized tampering.

What security standards does Cisco (CSCO) AI Defense follow?

Cisco AI Defense is built on industry standards from MITRE, OWASP, and NIST.

What percentage of companies feel equipped to prevent AI tampering according to Cisco's (CSCO) 2024 AI Readiness Index?

According to Cisco's 2024 AI Readiness Index, only 29% of surveyed participants feel fully equipped to detect and prevent unauthorized AI tampering.