Is Your Business Training AI How To Hack You?

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot can turbo‑charge productivity. They draft e‑mails, summarize meetings and even write code in seconds. But if your Los Angeles  County area -team isn’t careful, these same tools can expose sensitive data and give cybercriminals a new way in.

The Hidden Danger

The risk isn’t the technology itself—it’s what employees paste into it. Anything dropped into a public AI chat may be stored, analyzed and even used to train future models. That means client contracts, medical records or source code could end up in someone else’s prompt results.

* Samsung engineers learned this the hard way when confidential chip‑design code was accidentally fed into ChatGPT, prompting the company to ban public AI tools altogether.(Tom's Hardware)

A New Breed Of Attack: Prompt Injection

Hackers now embed hidden instructions inside e‑mails, PDFs or meeting transcripts. When an AI assistant “reads” the document, it obediently follows those malicious commands—revealing data, rewriting replies or inserting malware links. Security researchers have confirmed that these prompt‑injection attacks can bypass guardrails in leading AI platforms.(Tom's Hardware, TechTarget)

In other words, the AI helps the attacker without realizing it’s being tricked.

Why Small Businesses Are Especially Exposed

  • Most SMBs don’t track which AI tools employees use.
  • Staff treat ChatGPT like a smarter Google search, unaware their prompts are saved.
  • Few companies have clear policies defining what data is off‑limits.
  • Cyber‑insurance carriers are starting to deny claims when risky AI use is uncovered.

Four Steps To Use AI Safely

  1. Publish an AI usage policy. List approved tools and data types that must never be shared.
  2. Educate your team. Run lunch‑and‑learns on prompt injection and privacy risks.
  3. Choose business‑grade platforms. Microsoft Copilot keeps data inside your Microsoft 365 tenant—no public training.
  4. Monitor & block when needed. Track AI traffic on company devices; restrict public chatbots if sensitive work is common.

CMIT  Solutions LA Can Help

Our Zero Hackers™ security stack already protects dozens of L.A. businesses from ransomware and phishing. Now we’re adding AI Risk Assessments to make sure ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot aren’t leaking your crown jewels.

Why CMIT LA? Benefit to You
Local Angeles County  SOC + national 24/7 monitoring Fast response, one throat to choke
8‑layer security architecture, including EDR & SIEM Enterprise‑level defense on an SMB budget
AI governance workshops & policy templates Staff know what’s safe to share—and what isn’t

Ready For A Real‑World Test?

Let’s find the gaps before the criminals do. Call 213‑870‑8888, e‑mail bsolano@cmitsolutions.com or visit www.cmitsolutionsla.com to schedule your FREE penetration test today. No tech jargon—just clear answers from the Calabasas team that “stops threats cold.”

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AI is here to stay. Make sure it’s helping your business—not hacking it.