Prophylactic AI Security: Why a Proactive Strategy Matters More Than Ever
 |
| Tigran Petrosian |
From Chess to Cybersecurity: The Power of Prophylaxis
Prophylaxis in chess is the ability to anticipate your opponent’s strategy and block it before they execute it. Petrosian’s style wasn’t dramatic or aggressive, but it was extremely effective. He rarely lost. In much the same way, cybersecurity professionals must anticipate and neutralize risks before they evolve into threats.
Unfortunately, the current state of information security remains largely reactive. A scan finds vulnerabilities; the team patches them. A penetration test reveals gaps; the team scrambles to close them. An audit is scheduled; the security team addresses the findings. A new program is launched; the team performs a risk assessment. It’s a constant game of catch-up.
The Reactive Trap
Many organizations settle for this reactive approach because their security teams are often understaffed and overextended. Completing the bare minimum required to keep business operations running becomes the norm. But this approach is insufficient in the face of rapidly evolving threats. The frequency and scale of breaches affecting even well-funded companies underscores this point: patching holes after they appear is not enough.
A Real-World Example: The Cloud Vendor
About a decade ago, I audited a cloud vendor being considered to host databases containing electronic protected health information (ePHI). The vendor offered a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution but disclosed that they didn’t run anti-malware on their servers or virtual machines. Their rationale? Each customer’s data was isolated on separate VMs, and according to them, there was no way for malware to jump from one VM to another on the same host.
I told them such an attack might not exist yet, but it could in the future. They dismissed the concern. A couple of years later, the exact type of attack I described became a reality. I don’t know what happened to that company, but I’d bet they weren’t ready.
Why AI Demands Proactive Security
It’s time we start supporting and encouraging a prophylactic approach to security—especially when it comes to Artificial Intelligence. AI is no longer a futuristic idea; it’s deeply embedded in today’s enterprise environments. Yet many organizations still don’t have tailored AI security policies, AI-specific awareness training, or even team members with expertise in AI risk management.
AI is not just another tool you plug in and forget. It intersects with data privacy, retention, and governance. It affects and is affected by every process it touches. That means:
Change management procedures must account for AI models and updates.
Incident response plans should include AI failure modes and attack vectors.
Risk assessments and business impact analyses need to evaluate AI-specific threats.
Security audits and frameworks like SOC 2 and PCI must evolve to address AI-related controls.
The Path Forward: Anticipate, Educate, Secure
If organizations don’t begin preparing now—learning the risks, training their teams, and proactively building out their AI security capabilities—they’ll find themselves struggling to catch up. AI is evolving fast, and malicious actors are already exploiting it to stay ahead of defenders.
Petrosian once said, “I was naturally cautious and disliked situations that involved risk.” In both chess and cybersecurity, it’s not the flashy moves that win—it’s the strategic ones. Prophylaxis is what keeps you one step ahead.
Whether it’s AI, cloud infrastructure, or endpoint protection, security professionals must take steps to anticipate threats before they become incidents. Because by the time you’re reacting, the game might already be lost.
If your organization hasn’t started preparing for AI security, now is the time—because tomorrow might be too late.
Comments
Post a Comment