• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Cisco Umbrella

Enterprise network security

  • Contact Sales
  • Login
    • Umbrella Login
    • Cloudlock Login
  • Why Us
    • Why Cisco Umbrella
      • Why Try Umbrella
      • Why DNS Security
      • Why Umbrella SASE
      • Our Customers
      • Customer Stories
      • Why Cisco Secure
    • Fast Reliable Cloud
      • Global Cloud Architecture
      • Cloud Network Status
      • Global Cloud Network Activity
    • Unmatched Intelligence
      • A New Approach to Cybersecurity
      • Interactive Intelligence
      • Cyber Attack Prevention
      • Umbrella and Cisco Talos Threat Intelligence
    • Extensive Integrations
      • IT Security Integrations
      • Hardware Integrations
      • Meraki Integration
      • Cisco Umbrella and SecureX
  • Products
    • Cisco Umbrella Products
      • Cisco Umbrella Cloud Security Service
      • Recursive DNS Services
      • Cisco Umbrella SIG
      • Umbrella Investigate
      • What’s New
    • Product Packages
      • Cisco Umbrella Package Comparison
      • – DNS Security Essentials Package
      • – DNS Security Advantage Package
      • – SIG Essentials Package
      • – SIG Advantage Package
      • Umbrella Support Packages
    • Functionality
      • DNS-Layer Security
      • Secure Web Gateway
      • Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
      • Cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
      • Cloud-Delivered Firewall
      • Cloud Malware Protection
      • Remote Browser Isolation (RBI)
    • Man on a laptop with headphones on. He is attending a Cisco Umbrella Live Demo
  • Solutions
    • SASE & SSE Solutions
      • Cisco Umbrella SASE
      • Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
      • What is SASE
      • What is Security Service Edge (SSE)
    • Functionality Solutions
      • Web Content Filtering
      • Secure Direct Internet Access
      • Shadow IT Discovery & App Blocking
      • Fast Incident Response
      • Unified Threat Management
      • Protect Mobile Users
      • Securing Remote and Roaming Users
    • Network Solutions
      • Guest Wi-Fi Security
      • SD-WAN Security
      • Off-Network Endpoint Security
    • Industry Solutions
      • Government and Public Sector Cybersecurity
      • Financial Services Security
        • – FTC Safeguards Rule Compliance 2023
      • Cybersecurity for Manufacturing
      • Higher Education Security
      • K-12 Schools Security
      • Healthcare, Retail and Hospitality Security
      • Enterprise Cloud Security
      • Small Business Cybersecurity
  • Resources
    • Content Library
      • Top Resources
      • Cybersecurity Webinars
      • Events
      • Research Reports
      • Case Studies
      • Videos
      • Datasheets
      • eBooks
      • Solution Briefs
    • International Documents
      • Deutsch/German
      • Español/Spanish
      • Français/French
      • Italiano/Italian
      • 日本語/Japanese
    • Security Definitions
      • What is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
      • What is Security Service Edge (SSE)
      • What is a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
      • Cyber Threat Categories and Definitions
    • For Customers
      • Support
      • Customer Success Webinars
      • Free Trial Help and Tips
  • Trends & Threats
    • Market Trends
      • Hybrid Workforce
      • Rise of Remote Workers
      • Secure Internet Gateway (SIG)
    • Security Threats
      • How to Stop Phishing Attacks
      • Malware Detection and Protection
      • Ransomware is on the Rise
      • Cryptomining Malware Protection
      • Cybersecurity Threat Landscape
      • Global Cyber Threat Intelligence
    •  
    • Woman connecting confidently to any device anywhere
  • Partners
    • Channel Partners
      • Partner Program
      • Become a Partner
    • Service Providers
      • Secure Connectivity
      • Managed Security for MSSPs
      • Managed IT for MSPs
    •  
    • Person looking down at laptop. They are connecting and working securely
  • Blog
    • News & Product Posts
      • Latest Posts
      • Products & Services
      • Customer Focus
      • Feature Spotlight
    • Cybersecurity Posts
      • Security
      • Threats
      • Cybersecurity Threat Spotlight
      • Research
    •  
    • Register for a webinar - with illustration of connecting securely to the cloud
  • Contact Us
  • Umbrella Login
  • Cloudlock Login
  • Free Trial
Products & Services

Mitigating Risks of AI Apps: Keeping Your Users Productive & Your Data Safe

Author avatar of Tom BaumgartnerTom Baumgartner
May 17, 2023 • 3 minute read
View blog >

The CISO Dilemma

Graphic showing how Cisco Umbrella can be used to control whether devices can access AI apps.

How can information security leaders ensure that employee usage of artificial intelligence tools to help increase organizational productivity is not putting sensitive company data at risk of leakage? A look at most LinkedIn or news feeds will make most of us wonder which AI apps are safe to use, which aren’t, which of them should be blocked, and which should be limited or restricted.

As reported by Mashable, Samsung employees inadvertently leaked confidential company information to ChatGPT1 on at least three separate occasions in April, prompting the company initially to restrict the length of employee ChatGPT prompts to a kilobyte. Then, they decided on May 1st to temporarily ban employee use of generative AI tools on company-owned devices, as well as on non-company-owned devices running on internal networks.

Whether it’s the need to protect intellectual property (IP), personally identifiable information (PII), or any other private or confidential data, the Samsung example is good reason for CISOs everywhere to scrutinize the risks of similar data leakage events happening to their organizations. It also creates an opportunity to put technology, policies, and processes in place to prevent them. This means having sound data loss prevention and application control capabilities in place that enable administrators to discover organizational usage of AI tools, assess the risks those tools present to data security, determine whether they are safe or need to be blocked, and then block them or allow usage – either in full or limited capacity.

Solving four ChatGPT risk control use cases

Graphic showing how Umbrella can: 1) Discover GhatGPT usage, 2) Assess ChatGPT Usage Risk, 3) Block ChatGPT Usage, 4) Allow Safe ChatGPT Usage

As their organizations try to leverage AI to increase efficiency and stay on the bleeding edge of innovation, information security leaders worldwide must ask themselves: How do I allow my employees to use AI to be more productive while I ensure that they don’t accidentally put sensitive enterprise or customer data into the wrong hands?

The data loss prevention (DLP) and application visibility and control capabilities in Cisco Umbrella’s cloud access security broker (CASB) can help.

Discover ChatGPT usage

It is often said that the first purpose of a CASB is to enable visibility of shadow IT activity so that security admins can better understand which cloud applications its organization’s users are accessing – or trying to access. Umbrella includes ChatGPT in its application database for discovery purposes and designates it as high-risk because of how easily corporate intellectual property (IP) and other sensitive information can be leaked through it. An admin can see who is using it, how frequently, and where.

Assess ChatGPT usage risk

Having a DLP “monitor” rule for “all destinations” enables security admins to understand how ChatGPT is being used in their organization. An existing rule in Umbrella will automatically recognize ChatGPT without need for reconfiguration, but admins can also create a very specific new rule comprised of the most concerning types of data classifications to help them better identify events, volume of usage, and more detail about that usage. This better understanding of ChatGPT risk and usage can help inform any changes needed to DLP policy.

Block ChatGPT usage

ChatGPT is not just discoverable in Umbrella, but also controllable thanks in part to a new AI control category, and it can be blocked through both Umbrella’s DNS-layer security policy and secure web gateway (SWG) policy. Heavily regulated and risk-averse organizations that often have numerous compliance requirements will find this capability particularly helpful, as will many software companies that need safeguards in place to protect source code.

Allow safe ChatGPT usage

Ensuring safe usage – and, more importantly and specifically, determining for what purposes to allow it – can increase employee productivity without sacrificing data security. Umbrella’s DLP functionality provides this clarity to help thoughtfully manage ChatGPT risk.

There’s no question that generative AI tools prevalence will increase over time, accompanied by constant scrutiny of the risks and rewards of leveraging them. By having correctly configured DLP rules in Umbrella, CISOs and security admins alike can enjoy peace of mind knowing that ChatGPT usage is happening in such a way that the risk of confidential company information being leaked is mitigated.

What should you do next?

If you’re already using Umbrella DNS Security Essentials or DNS Security Advantage, you can start managing ChatGPT risk at the DNS-layer today. If you don’t have the advanced data loss prevention and application control capabilities that come with the more robust Umbrella SIG Essentials (as an add-on) or SIG Advantage (standard), visit our packages comparison page to learn more about them, and then talk to your Cisco account team about upgrading.

Want to see what Cisco Umbrella can do for yourself? Sign up for our next live demo today!

1Whoops, Samsung workers accidentally leaked trade secrets via ChatGPT

How do I allow my employees to use AI to be more productive while I ensure that they don’t accidentally put sensitive enterprise or customer data into the wrong hands? DLP and CASB can help.

Tweet this quote

Additional Resources

  • Cisco Umbrella Live Demo

Suggested Blogs

  • Cisco Umbrella for Government: Enabling Advanced Public Sector Cybersecurity May 15, 2023 4 minute read
  • Embrace SASE With Cisco February 28, 2023 3 minute read
  • Cisco Umbrella + Cisco Duo Are Better Together February 14, 2023 7 minute read

Share this blog

FacebookTweetLinkedIn
Subscribe to the Cisco Umbrella blog Subscribe

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Footer Sections

What we make

  • Cloud Security Service
  • DNS-Layer Network Security
  • Secure Web Gateway
  • Security Packages

Who we are

  • Global Cloud Architecture
  • Cloud Network Status
  • Cloud Network Activity
  • OpenDNS is now Umbrella
  • Cisco Umbrella Blog

Learn more

  • Webinars
  • Careers
  • Support
  • Cisco Umbrella Live Demo
  • Contact Sales
Umbrella by Cisco
208.67.222.222+208.67.220.220
2620:119:35::35+2620:119:53::53
Sign up for a Free Trial
  • Cisco Online Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Sitemap

© 2023 Cisco Umbrella