The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) conducted its first AI-focused tabletop exercise with over 50 experts from government and industry in Reston, Virginia. Led by the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC), the four-hour session simulated a cybersecurity incident involving AI, concentrating on response protocols and collaboration among participants. Key leaders, including CISA Director Jen Easterly and FBI officials, emphasized the importance of building secure AI systems and enhancing partnerships to combat emerging threats. The exercise aimed to develop an AI Security Incident Collaboration Playbook to improve coordination in AI security incident responses. Participants included major tech firms and government agencies, with a second exercise planned for later this year.
| name | description | change | 10-year | driving-force | relevancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Security Tabletop Exercise | First federal tabletop exercise focused on AI security incidents with industry partners. | Moving from isolated responses to collaborative strategies for AI cybersecurity incidents. | In 10 years, AI cybersecurity incident responses will be highly collaborative, involving diverse stakeholders. | Growing threats from AI systems necessitate coordinated responses and best practices among organizations. | 5 |
| AI Security Incident Collaboration Playbook | Development of a playbook to guide AI security incident response coordination. | Transitioning from reactive to proactive incident response planning for AI-related threats. | The playbook will be a standard resource for organizations facing AI security threats, enhancing resilience. | The increasing complexity and frequency of AI-related cyber threats demand structured response frameworks. | 4 |
| Public-Private Partnerships in Cybersecurity | Collaboration between government and private sector to enhance AI security preparedness. | From fragmented efforts to unified public-private strategies for AI incident response. | Such partnerships will evolve into established norms, improving national security against AI threats. | The need for shared resources and expertise to combat sophisticated cyber threats enhances collaboration. | 4 |
| Inclusion of AI Integrators in Future Exercises | Future exercises will incorporate AI integrators in U.S. critical infrastructure. | Shifting from general AI security discussions to targeted involvement of AI system integrators. | AI integrators will play a critical role in defining security protocols and responses for AI systems. | The growing reliance on AI systems in critical infrastructure creates the need for specialized involvement. | 3 |
| Growing Complexity of Cyber Threats | Increase in complexity of cyber threats correlating with the expansion of AI applications. | From straightforward threats to a nuanced landscape of AI-targeted vulnerabilities. | Cybersecurity strategies will increasingly need to address the unique challenges posed by AI technologies. | Rapid advancements in AI technology lead to evolving and more complex cyber threat landscapes. | 4 |
| Focus on Secure-by-Design AI Development | Emphasis on developing AI products with security as a priority from the outset. | Shift from reactive security measures to proactive security design principles in AI development. | In 10 years, secure-by-design will be standard practice in AI development, reducing vulnerabilities. | The urgent need to mitigate risks associated with AI systems enhances focus on security in design. | 5 |
| name | description | relevancy |
|---|---|---|
| AI Security Vulnerabilities | The rapid discovery of vulnerabilities in AI systems makes them attractive targets for threat actors, increasing the risk of compromised systems. | 5 |
| Collaborative Security Readiness | The need for organizations to enhance their preparedness by collaborating on AI threat intelligence and response strategies. | 4 |
| Public-Private Partnership Security Gaps | Potential weaknesses in security measures despite the collaboration between government and industry in addressing AI threats. | 4 |
| Complexity of Cyber Threats | The increasing complexity of cyber threats paralleling the rise of AI applications raises concerns about safeguarding digital ecosystems. | 4 |
| Insufficient Incident Response Frameworks | The current frameworks may not be adequate to address the unique challenges posed by AI-related security incidents. | 5 |
| Emerging AI Threats to Critical Infrastructure | As AI systems are integrated into national critical infrastructure, they become more susceptible to targeted attacks. | 5 |
| name | description | relevancy |
|---|---|---|
| Public-Private Collaboration in Cybersecurity | Increased collaboration between government agencies and private sector companies to enhance cybersecurity measures, especially in AI-related incidents. | 5 |
| Development of AI Security Incident Playbook | Creating a dedicated resource for coordinated responses to AI security incidents involving multiple stakeholders. | 5 |
| Simulation Exercises for Preparedness | Conducting tabletop exercises to simulate AI security incidents, improving preparedness and response strategies. | 4 |
| Secure-by-Design AI Development | Emphasizing security as a priority in the design and deployment of AI systems to mitigate risks. | 5 |
| Coordinated Threat Intelligence Sharing | Encouraging sharing of threat intelligence among organizations to improve collective security against AI threats. | 4 |
| Focus on Critical Infrastructure Resilience | Prioritizing the protection of national critical infrastructure from AI-related threats through proactive measures and training. | 5 |
| Continuous Learning and Improvement | Using insights from exercises to refine and enhance AI security practices and incident response strategies. | 4 |
| name | description | relevancy |
|---|---|---|
| AI Security Incident Collaboration Playbook | A playbook to coordinate AI security incident responses among government, industry, and global partners. | 5 |
| AI-enabled cybersecurity systems | Systems that utilize AI technology to enhance cybersecurity measures and incident response capabilities. | 5 |
| Public-private partnership models in cybersecurity | Collaborative frameworks between government and industry to enhance cybersecurity preparedness and response. | 4 |
| AI threat intelligence sharing | Collaborative efforts to share intelligence on AI-related threats to improve security measures. | 4 |
| Secure-by-design AI development | An approach to developing AI technologies with security as a primary consideration from inception. | 5 |
| Simulated adversarial threat exercises | Controlled simulations to train security teams on potential AI system vulnerabilities and threats. | 4 |
| Operational collaboration in AI security | Coordinated efforts between various stakeholders to address AI security threats and risks. | 4 |
| AI security incident response strategies | Strategies developed to effectively respond to security incidents involving AI technologies. | 5 |
| name | description | relevancy |
|---|---|---|
| AI Security Incident Preparedness | The need for robust preparedness measures to handle AI security incidents is becoming increasingly critical as AI systems are integrated into national infrastructure. | 5 |
| Public-Private Collaboration in Cybersecurity | The increasing importance of collaboration between government agencies and private sector companies to enhance cybersecurity measures for AI systems. | 5 |
| AI Vulnerability Management | The rapid discovery of vulnerabilities in AI applications poses significant risks, necessitating coordinated threat intelligence sharing. | 4 |
| Secure-by-Design AI Development | The emphasis on developing AI systems with security as a primary consideration to mitigate future risks and threats. | 5 |
| AI Threat Landscape Evolution | The evolving nature of AI-related cyber threats requires ongoing adaptation and preparation from organizations. | 4 |
| AI Incident Response Playbook | Development of a collaborative framework for organizations to respond effectively to AI security incidents. | 4 |
| Critical Infrastructure Protection | The pressing need to safeguard national critical infrastructure against AI-enabled attacks as AI adoption grows. | 5 |