NEWS
Cyberattackers exploit AI tools and defences, new report warns
Threat actors are now embedding malicious prompts in emails, which an AI assistant, like Microsoft 365’ s Copilot, may inadvertently ingest when scanning for context. This could lead to the silent exfiltration of sensitive data or the execution of malicious commands.
Another key risk is RAG( Retrieval-Augmented Generation) poisoning, where manipulated emails corrupt an AI assistant’ s memory, causing it to provide false information or make incorrect decisions. Attackers are also manipulating the AI components of security platforms, with the potential to trigger automated help desk tickets or sensitive data autoreplies.
The report also highlights‘ confused deputy’ attacks, where an AI agent with high-level access performs unauthorised tasks on behalf of a lower-privileged user. To combat this, experts say email defences must become“ agent-aware”, incorporating LLM-aware filtering and zero trust AI execution to validate all actions and prevent manipulation.
Recent findings from global cybersecurity leader, Barracuda Networks, sees security researchers reveal how attackers are targeting and manipulating companies’ AI assistants and their security features.
The report was authored and researched by a team of experts and professors. It stated:“ Security researchers are now seeing threat actors manipulate companies’ AI tools and tamper with their AI security features to steal and compromise information and weaken a target’ s defences. AI assistants and the Large Language Models( LLMs) that support their functionality are vulnerable to abuse.”
Augusta Spinelli appointed SAP’ s new EMEA Regional President
German software giant SAP has appointed as its new regional president for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa( EMEA), effective immediately.
In her new role, Spinelli will be responsible for leading the company’ s teams across 53 offices and 89 countries in the region. The appointment comes as organisations across Europe continue to grapple with digital transformation challenges, with a particular focus on leveraging AI to drive business growth and operational efficiency. The move signals SAP’ s commitment to strengthening its leadership in the EMEA market, which is a key region for the company’ s enterprise software and cloud services.
The appointment is a significant development in the wider European tech and IT leadership community, as major personnel changes at a company of SAP’ s stature are closely watched for their potential impact on market strategy and regional priorities.
Speaking on her appointment, Spinelli said she was“ honoured” to take on the role.
“ The EMEA region is rich in diversity and opportunity,” she said.“ I look forward to delivering value to our customers through our
AI-first, Suite-first strategy, in close partnership with our SAP ecosystem, while continuing to foster a culture of high performance and accountability.” p
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