When a work project is due but company technology is causing headaches, you can’t blame a manufacturing employee for looking for a workaround. Maybe it’s switching to a personal laptop or smartphone to complete a task or communicate, or downloading time-saving software from an app store.
The temptation to mix and match personal and work tech is understandable, but don’t do it. Introducing outside technology to a secure environment creates immediate risks to data and systems. So-called “Shadow IT” — the use of any personal or unapproved technology used in the workplace — represents a digital hole in the dike.
In the age of artificial intelligence, this familiar cybersecurity problem takes on a new dimension. Shadow AI is tempting. AI chatbots and code-writing programs promise to improve efficiency, but introducing them into an otherwise secure environment without proper controls can create serious problems.
“Nobody does this to hurt the company, but people are using tools they’re not supposed to use,” said Michael Tanji, director of cybersecurity for MxD, the National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing as designated by the U.S. Department of War. “They’re exposing data that shouldn’t be shared to systems they have no control over. Basically they’re practicing computer insecurity at scale.”