Securing SaaS In The Age Of AI: What CISOs Need To Know
AI is everywhere. It's driving productivity, accelerating workflows and powering SaaS for every department. But while AI tools are making life easier for teams, they are also creating new opportunities for cybersecurity attacks. The unpleasant truth is that the security implications of AI are growing fast.
CISOs and security teams need to understand where these risks are emerging and get ahead of them fast.
Shadow AI is the new shadow IT.
AI-powered apps are entering your SaaS stack often without approval from your security team. Tools that seem harmless, such as writing assistants, meeting notetakers or document summarizers, can plug directly into your SaaS environment and access sensitive data.
Some of these tools request broad access to emails, file storage or chat platforms. Others quietly collect user inputs. If they are operating outside of monitored processes, they increase your organization's exposure, and you won't even know about it. Make sure you know if the apps in your stack utilize AI and understand the potential risks of that exposure.
AI integrations can go from access to exploitation.
AI tools often require deep access to functions, including admin-level permissions, API keys or OAuth tokens.
Once granted, this access is hard to track and even harder to revoke. If a connected AI tool is compromised, the attacker also inherits its permissions. A single compromised integration can become a foothold into your SaaS ecosystem and allow attackers to move laterally from there. This is why it's so important to be aware of the permissions granted to AI apps and monitor to ensure those permissions are removed when no longer needed.
Weak privacy laws create long-term exposure.
AI privacy regulations are still evolving in many regions. As a result, vendors have broad leeway in how they collect, process and store your company's data.
Without strong legal protections or vendor transparency, sensitive internal information shared with AI tools can end up being stored, reused or even incorporated into the training datasets of your competitors. This means your product road map, brand terminology or financial models could become part of someone else's model training process. It's important to assess the data policy of your AI vendor to make sure it aligns with your company policy.
AI is helping attackers move faster.
On top of the risks discussed above, attackers are also using AI to scale and enhance their attacks. From tailored phishing emails to automating credential stuffing across multiple platforms, AI has lowered the barrier for launching large-scale identity-based attacks and increased their success rate.
These attacks are more efficient, are harder to detect and often mimic legitimate activity with alarming accuracy. What used to be one-off attacks can now be executed at scale with minimal effort. So, the same way that AI is accelerating your work, it is accelerating breaches. There is no time to wait for an airtight security policy around AI. The time to implement strategies and tools is now.
Can you have safe AI in your organization?
AI adoption is not slowing down, and simply avoiding AI is not realistic and not the goal. What you can do is focus on visibility, control and consistent enforcement.
You can only secure what you can see. Identify all AI-powered tools in use across your organization, including embedded features and third-party integrations. A strong SaaS security posture management (SSPM) solution can help uncover what might otherwise go undetected.
AI tools often request more access than they actually need to serve their intended purpose. Review access scopes closely and apply least privilege policies. Pay attention to any tool requesting access to documents, calendars, messaging platforms or admin-level functions. When in doubt, reject.
Most employees want to do the right thing but might not understand the risks. Provide practical, easy-to-follow guidelines and provide training. Do not assume that employees are reading memos or organization-wide emails.
Any tool that processes your company's data is a vendor and should be vetted accordingly. This means conducting risk assessments, reviewing how data is handled and requiring security controls and adherence to compliance standards.
Achieve a safe AI reality.
With AI, the risks are getting more complex, but SaaS security can still be controlled.
My advice is not to fear AI, but to approach it with a clear strategy. By understanding the risks, establishing clear policies and implementing the right tools, you can enable productivity and innovation without compromising on your security.
The threat landscape is changing. Is your SaaS security agile enough to change with it?
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AI in food – 'secret sauce' solution sought for productivity
AI is expected to improve food manufacturers' productivity and efficiency but as with the development of any new technology there is an element of apprehension. Much of the anxiety seemingly comes down to a lack of understanding of the technology itself, how it works and the myriad of AI systems that could be employed for different applications and problem-solving. And then there's the question of labour, tech-skilled labour rather than the manual kind. Think about the evolution of phone technology – moving from analogue to digital devices and hefty back-of-the car handsets to those that now fit in a pocket – electric vehicles and their slow development due to a lack of infrastructure and the introduction of hybrid models as a half-way-house to address bottlenecks. Food manufacturers are adopting AI but reservations might come down to investing too much too quickly when the tech is advancing at pace, capital on hand and assessing the return on investment. Abhinav Agrawal, the co-lead of AI and data monetisation at consultancy AlixPartners, argues food manufacturers also face a bottleneck in that they 'are not exactly the desired location for data scientists, AI programmers and developers' to attract the desired talent pool. 'I don't recommend our clients make big bets right now,' Agrawal tells Just Food. 'One of our clients launched a $55-60m AI initiative about two years ago but there's no measurable ROI right now. There's no success that we can point to that $60m was worth investing. 'Instead, launch $5m projects and see. Maybe two of them fail but three of them produce a ROI and you gain a little more experience in which type of skills you need to hire. 'Then you launch another five, or maybe next time you can launch ten, so in the end you may end up spending $60m over three years, for instance.' 'Strategic advantage' It's a bit of a juggling act for food manufacturers. There's almost an obligation to invest in AI now or risk being left behind and losing a competitive edge. Or as Tom Clayton, the CEO of Sheffield-based IntelliAM, puts it, gaining a 'strategic advantage'. Clayton, the head of the tech company specialising in AI software and machine learning for manufacturers, believes productivity improvements through the tech are a way to address the increasing demand for food as global populations rise. 'In the food and beverage world, where you're talking about high volumes and low margins, it's really interesting because, if you can make an extra 100,000 SKUs a day, that's direct profit to the business. Similarly, if you can avoid wastage, you're moving costs from the bottom line. 'We're talking considerable amounts of money. Essentially, the driver of these organisations is to be able to improve capacity of the plants by being more intelligent and doing more with less.' AI not yet 'transformational' to profits There's an obvious buzz around AI, not just in the food industry but outside as the benefits (or otherwise) of the technology are debated across media. Clayton says there's been an 'immense increase' in interest over the last two years as boardrooms wake up to the fact the tech might give them an advantage. 'In any new technology convergence, there's always people who want to embrace it immediately. As your competitors do it, you've got to do it. Unfortunately, I think there's going to be a bit of first-mover advantage over the AI element,' he adds. Agrawal presents an example of how AI can work its magic in improving productivity and efficiency in terms of a salty snacks manufacturer for which AlixPartners acted as an adviser – assessing the size and shape of corn used in the production process to ensure quality and consistency. The production line's operating efficiency rate went up from the 80s percentage range into the 90s from employing an AI system, he says, adding each percentage point increase 'translated into a couple of million dollars of bottom-line impact'. However, Agrawal suggests the tech is not yet 'transformational' when it equates to output and profitability. 'For me, transformative means you're going after 30-40-50% plant P&L improvement, that type of thing. I would not say it is possible right now. It is in maybe the 20s with these technologies,' he argues. 'But I do think that in a year or so, the technology can improve, that it can produce like an 30-40-50% improvement.' Labour leverage Nevertheless, AI can translate into savings on the labour front, Agrawal says, proposing 'what was not possible even five years ago is possible now'. A bakery manufacturer in the US needed a lot of temporary, hourly paid staff to help run its 30 or so production plants, with managers having to assess shift arrangements and working patterns on a daily and weekly basis, he says. 'Our algorithms recommended how much labour they needed by the day, by zone and by type, and whatever. We tracked it for six months and those predictions saved them on average 20%,' Agrawal explains. For those food and CPG manufacturers already 'leveraging' AI tech, Chris Ashley, the vice president of strategy at Peak, a unit of software company UiPath, says the 'advantages compound over time'. He believes the 'more sophisticated they become, the more they can leverage these systems'. Ashley adds: 'They will accrue more working capital efficiency, more operating margin, more productivity and that will just continue to compound over time. We think this needs to be a topic of conversation in every boardroom currently on how to educate the teams. 'I think the impacts can be transformational. The augmentation of these teams with AI-driven systems is driving more productivity and driving more economic upside for the business, which means more jobs.' Level playing field Meanwhile, Clayton at IntelliAM says AI helps improve the reliability and life of production components by identifying problems before they arise, reducing maintenance times and the potential for lines going out of action. AI does that by 'ingesting millions of data points from the brains of the machines in a factory and contextualising' them to 'understand tolerance settings to get maximum throughput speed settings, reduce bottlenecks, to understand the blend of different ingredients from different suppliers to achieve quality improvements, and to reduce waste streams', he explains. IntelliAM advised an unnamed dairy producer trying to make the best use of hygiene requirements between the production of different SKUs on the same line. 'If you're running ten SKUs a day, that might save an hour's production a day and an hour's production turns into hundreds of thousands of bottles of milk,' Clayton suggests. AI is impacting snacks much more than proteins or meat Abhinav Agrawal, AlixPartners However, it's not a level playing field in terms of benefits when it comes to assessing the AI productivity impact on different food categories, Agrawal proposes. In areas like meat and pastries, for instance, AI-driven robots don't yet have the 'delicate' touch to avoid damage, although developments are being made there. 'My experience is that for the protein manufacturer, the ROI from AI so far is still there but it is modest compared to snacks and things like that, largely because there are some regulations around humans doing certain inspections. 'In a nutshell, AI is impacting both sides but it is impacting snacks and those things much more than the proteins or meat and those types of products.' 'Secret sauce' Food manufacturers that Just Food approached to comment for this article were generally disinclined to chat or did not respond – Tyson Foods, Nestlé, Mondelez International and Kellanova fell into the former camp, for instance. It's a 'sensitive' topic, Agrawal says, because some food manufacturers are now using custom solutions rather than the 'out-of-the-box software' in the past – their 'secret sauce'. Cargill was, however, more willing by identifying its 'patent-pending' computer vision technology CarVe, which measures red meat yields. It was rolled out at the company's beef facility in Friona, Texas, in 2024 and additional plants will be added in a 'phased rollout'. Through cameras, CarVe uses AI-inputted models to assess human cutting and trimming techniques to ensure consistent quality and to reduce waste. 'Those gains, together with steadier throughput and better use of labour and materials, strengthen overall plant economics and help us stay cost-competitive for customers,' Jarrod Gillig, senior vice president for food at Cargill's North America beef unit, says. 'Our philosophy with CarVe is to test, learn, refine then scale. We pilot first, capture lessons quickly and scale once the business case is clear. This approach lets us invest wisely, stay nimble and roll out proven innovations across our facilities when they're ready to deliver value for producers and consumers.' Cargill's comments were echoed by Roger Gaemperle, the head of industry strategy and marketing in EMEA markets at US-headquartered automation and tech firm Rockwell Automation. 'There is a lot of potential or high impact on margin' through increased yield output when AI assisted robots can replace the human role in meat processing, which is often not 'nice work' conducted in a cold environment, Gaemperle says. 'If you really want to optimise the margin and also productivity or the output, I think these are the systems that producers need to look at. And, over the next few years, the systems will get smarter and smarter,' he envisages. Another AI benefit is the reduction of waste in raw materials, Gaemperle adds, using the example of milk powder production and the need to have a consistent milk fat percentage to ensure equal quality by production unit. It's becoming transformational because of the speed of the algorithms and computing power Roger Gaemperle, Rockwell Automation More generally, Gaemperle adds: 'It's really becoming transformational because of the speed now with the algorithms and computing power. That's really what has opened up many new opportunities that were not feasible in the past. 'Look at it holistically, the whole production process, and identify first where there are potential opportunities, and then prioritise those opportunities. If the return on the investment can be proven first with one line, then additional use cases can be implemented over time.' Implications for jobs It would be amiss here not to address one of the biggest concerns over the implications of AI technologies across industries – jobs. Opinions varied for this article but the underlying theme to emerge was new types of jobs will be created. 'If you take a modern food and beverage organisation, whilst there is arguably a high degree of automation, there is still a hell of a lot of human interaction and judgement. AI will replace all that,' Clayton opines. However, he throws in the caveat: 'There's an argument that jobs will change, that there will be a transfer of skills because of AI. But there will be better jobs, it's not about job reduction. 'People are intrinsically part of the solution because a) you need the automation engineers to support obtaining the data to create the insights in the first place and then b) they need to look at the people on the output to react to these or manipulate data, like data scientists.' Agrawal suggests the food industry will eventually replicate the semiconductor sector, where companies such as Nvidia and TSMC are using AI to the 'fullest'. 'What I see as the biggest change in four or five years is that we will not need as much human labour in manufacturing. I don't think it'll lead to mass unemployment because there'll be other manufacturing opportunities,' Agrawal suggests. For Ashley at Peak, boardroom education has a key role to play. 'Those jobs might look different going forwards in terms of individuals that can map decision logic and map processes and help architect AI systems. The nature of those jobs and the skills required may shift slightly but I think there is huge upside economically and for every workforce in the AI era,' he argues. 'I think that for the manufacturing industry it basically means that there's incredible opportunity to deploy pilots and capabilities that you can test very quickly to see if they drive business uplifts but it also means there's an education challenge in boardrooms. 'I think it is a watershed moment but it is evolving continuously and businesses need to lean into that and try and figure out how to harness it as best as possible.' "AI in food – 'secret sauce' solution sought for productivity" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
You've probably been duped by AI on a dating app – but not the way you think
As I was hanging out with a couple of friends recently, one of them mentioned that he had used an artificial intelligence program to punch up his online dating profile. I didn't respond. The other guy we were with is so much an AI fanboy that it's hard to get through a conversation without him describing how much simpler the technology has made his life. Still, the idea of trusting machines to bridge the gender divide and unlock secrets generations of humans have sought seemed sketchy to me. I've heard all the hype. I've been told, repeatedly, about how AI will change our lives in wonderful and unimaginable ways. Even so, are we really ready to move toward a future where we rely on AI to fill our social calendars? Computer-assisted canoodling comes with risks Sharpening a business résumé with computer assistance is one thing. Since olden times, lots of books have been devoted to that subject, so enlisting AI's help is a logical progression there. Dating is − or at least should be − different. It is, after all, among the most interpersonal experiences human beings can have. Do we really want microprocessors more involved in matters of the heart than they already are? No question, if you are using a dating site, an algorithm already helps pick your matches. That decreases the likelihood of those Hallmark Channel pairings with people of very different backgrounds meeting by chance and falling in love. Maybe that's no great loss. The odds of mismatched couples staying together anywhere but in those fictitious and perpetually snowy Hallmark villages may be on the low side, anyway. Still, is it wise − or even ethical − to use AI to make a dating profile more attractive to potential matches? Opinion: 'Happy Gilmore 2' works because it has something for the woke and Trump crowds Using an old photo or a "glamour" portrait with a dating profile is a familiar trick. But AI has the ability to take photo doctoring to a whole new level. Rather than just sending would-be suitors images of what we looked like in our prime, AI can manufacture super-buff versions of ourselves that we might not recognize in a mirror. If relationships never advance past the online flirting stage, that's fine. If potential romantic partners finally meet face-to-face, that's when those AI-generated illusions will be shattered. Some might argue keeping virtual relationships going a while gives less physically attractive people more opportunities to demonstrate their good qualities, before being dismissed based on their appearance. I would counter that relationships grounded in deception probably aren't headed anywhere good. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Using AI to provide more clever answers to dating profile questions isn't much better than digitally altering photos. If your dating profile gives people the impression you are smarter, funnier or more self assured than you really are, you will be found out eventually. I think most people would agree that creating AI-generated profiles that are purely fake to scam people is wrong. Yet AI-assisted dating profiles are at least a step − and maybe several steps − in that direction. Opinion: AI knows we shouldn't trust it for everything. I know because I asked it. Will AI have to teach us the facts of life someday? Overall, AI's intrusion into the dating world is a disturbing trend. If people become so reliant on technology to handle the most intimate details of their personal lives, it won't be long before a "date" might be two people sitting across from each other in a restaurant, parroting what their smartphones are telling them to say to each other. Some of us worry about AI eventually overthrowing human civilization. Research already suggests that AI programs would resort to blackmail to protect themselves from deactivation or replacement. The end for our species might not be as dramatic as Skynet commissioning an army of Terminators to wipe us out. At the rate we're going, maybe all AI would need to do is provide enough bad dating advice so we're no longer able to procreate. Blake Fontenay is USA TODAY's commentary editor. You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can AI help me get a date? That's the wrong question | Opinion Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Proofpoint and Optiv Surpass $1 Billion in Historical Sales
Longstanding partnership delivers human-centric cybersecurity to thousands of organizations across the Americas SUNNYVALE, Calif., August 05, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Proofpoint, Inc., a leading cybersecurity and compliance company, today announced that Optiv, the cyber advisory and solutions leader, has surpassed $1 billion in cumulative sales of Proofpoint's industry-leading cybersecurity platform. This milestone underscores the depth, strength, and strategic alignment of the Proofpoint-Optiv partnership in securing organizations against human-centric threats. For more than a decade, Proofpoint and Optiv have partnered to deliver Proofpoint's best-in-class solutions that address the most critical risks organizations face: protecting their people and defending their data. In an era where 90% of breaches involve human error or behavior, and threats continue to grow and become more sophisticated due to AI, that mission has never been more critical. Proofpoint's human-centric security platform has become a key part of the modern cybersecurity architecture along with XDR and SASE. Together, Proofpoint and Optiv empower organizations across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America with advanced technologies and services that secure users, defend data, and reduce risk. "The strength of our relationship with Optiv is rooted in mutual trust, shared innovation, and a relentless focus on customer success," said Blake Sallé, chief revenue officer at Proofpoint. "Surpassing the $1 billion mark is a testament to Optiv's understanding of the risk landscape and their ability to deliver Proofpoint's market-leading solutions at scale. We congratulate the entire Optiv team on this tremendous achievement and look forward to continuing our joint mission of protecting people and defending data." Proofpoint's human-centric security platform, combined with Optiv's outcome-driven services and deep expertise, have helped thousands of organizations modernize their security posture, consolidate vendor spend, and reduce complexity. Through this collaboration, customers gain access to fully managed security solutions tailored to the specific risks facing their people and data—across email, cloud, identity, apps, and beyond. "Reaching the $1 billion milestone with Proofpoint is more than a sales achievement – it's a reflection of a trusted partnership built on shared values, innovation, and a relentless focus on client success," said John Hurley, chief revenue officer at Optiv. "Together, we've helped organizations strengthen their cybersecurity posture in a rapidly evolving threat landscape, and we're just getting started." As organizations embrace new technologies to drive efficiency and innovation, cybersecurity must evolve in tandem. The enduring partnership between Optiv and Proofpoint ensures customers have access to integrated, AI-powered, unified solutions that provide the critical visibility and insights needed to effectively solve today's sophisticated threats and risks targeting people. Proofpoint's focus on continuous innovation has been validated by industry accolades—six Leader positions in analyst reports and 11 industry awards so far this year, including: Leader in Forrester Wave for Email, Messaging, and Collaboration Security (Q2 2025) Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrants for Email Security 2024 and Digital Communications Governance 2025 Best AI Solution & Best Cybersecurity Company – Cyber Defense Magazine Product of the Year – MSP Today To find out more about Proofpoint's human-centric cybersecurity platform through Optiv, please visit: About Proofpoint, Inc. Proofpoint, Inc. is a leading cybersecurity and compliance company that protects organizations' greatest assets and biggest risks: their people. With an integrated suite of cloud-based solutions, Proofpoint helps companies around the world stop targeted threats, safeguard their data, and make their users more resilient against cyber attacks. Leading organizations of all sizes, including 85 percent of the Fortune 100, rely on Proofpoint for people-centric security and compliance solutions that mitigate their most critical risks across email, the cloud, social media, and the web. More information is available at Proofpoint is a registered trademark or tradename of Proofpoint, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. View source version on Contacts PROOFPOINT MEDIA CONTACT: Estelle DerouetProofpoint, Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
