The AI tools you trust might be spying on you — and not in the way you think.
That’s the kind of unsettling reminder coming out of early discussions ahead of Black Hat 2025, one of the biggest cybersecurity events on the calendar. The conference, known for spotlighting serious vulnerabilities in the tech we rely on, is putting a spotlight on a new kind of insider threat: your artificial intelligence tools.
Yeah, the same ones supposed to make your job easier.
AI Isn’t Just a Tool — It Could Be a Risky Colleague
The idea might sound like sci-fi, but it’s very real. We’re entering a world where your AI assistant isn’t just completing tasks — it’s potentially exposing sensitive data in the process.
Here’s the concern:
- AI tools are increasingly being used for everything from code generation to writing emails to automation in enterprise systems.
- These tools are trained on massive data sets that can include private information.
- When connected to the internet or shared environments, they can accidentally (or maliciously) leak internal data to external parties.
In short, the tool that just helped summarize your meeting notes might also be the weakest link in your security chain.
Image by Mel Poole on Unsplash
From “Helpful Assistant” to “Insider Threat”
Insider threats have traditionally meant suspicious employees or contractors. But now, experts are warning we need to expand that definition to include AI-based tools that have been deeply embedded into companies’ workflows without proper vetting.
Think about it: an AI tool with access to company files, team chats, and strategic plans could be manipulated into sharing that data — without even knowing it’s doing something wrong.
Why is this happening now? Two reasons:
- Rapid adoption. Everyone’s racing to add AI to their workflow. But that speed often skips over security steps.
- Lack of transparency. Many AI models are black boxes. It’s hard to know exactly what they retain, learn, or reproduce once they’ve been exposed to data.
Security researchers heading to Black Hat 2025 are urging companies to take this risk seriously. Because this threat doesn’t show up wearing a hoodie and typing in dark rooms. It shows up as helpful, fast, and almost invisible.
So What Can You Do?
If your company is using AI tools — and let’s be real, most are — here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Know what you’re using. Not all AI tools are built the same. Some provide better data governance than others.
- Restrict access. Limit what sensitive data AI tools can “see” or interact with.
- Audit everything. Just like you track what humans are doing with sensitive info, you’ll need similar checks for your AI systems.
- Ask hard questions. How is your AI vendor storing data? Is it retained? Used in training? Shared?
Image by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
The Bottom Line
AI tools are helpful. But they’re not harmless.
As we gear up for Black Hat 2025, the message is clear: If you’re not treating AI like an insider threat, you might already be exposed.
Security isn’t just about stopping hackers from getting in — it’s about making sure your own tools aren’t letting data leak out.
Now might be a good time to sit down with your team and ask: who (or what) do we really trust with our data?
Keywords: AI security, insider threat, AI tools, Black Hat 2025, enterprise AI risk, cybersecurity, data leaks, AI vulnerabilities, secure AI deployment.
