Prevention
How to prevent AI data leaks
Prevention starts with knowing where data goes, then limiting who and what can reach it. The controls below come from the NCSC, OWASP and IBM.
Last reviewed against legislation.gov.uk, National Cyber Security Centre and OWASP GenAI Security Project. Sources
Start with the gap
Why controls matter
IBM's 2025 study found that 97% of breached organisations that had an AI-related security incident lacked proper AI access controls [5]. It also reported that 13% of surveyed organisations had experienced an attack that affected their AI models or applications [5]. Access control and governance are the obvious places to start.
Controls
Six to put in place
Know your data and suppliers
Understand your data, model and software supply chains, and ask suppliers the right security questions [3].
Least privilege
OWASP advises that users and processes should see only the data they need, and that model access to external data sources is limited [4].
Sanitise before use
Scrub or mask sensitive content before it enters training data, and use strict input validation [4].
Secure by design
The NCSC says to build security in from the start and treat it as a business priority across the AI system's lifecycle [3].
Logging and monitoring
The NCSC's guidelines list logging and monitoring, update management and information sharing under secure operation and maintenance [2].
Educate users
OWASP advises teaching users not to submit sensitive information and publishing clear data retention and usage policies [4].
Sequence
What to do first
-
1
Inventory AI tools and data flows. -
2
Fix any AI data store that is open or over-permissioned. -
3
Publish the rule on what data may be entered. -
4
Switch on logging for AI services you run. -
5
Review supplier terms.
Use the NCSC guidelines as a checklist
They are organised into secure design, development, deployment, and operation and maintenance, and are aimed at providers of any system that uses AI [2].
Then prepare for failure: read how to contain an AI data breach.
Keep reading
Read next
Containment
A practical first-response plan for a suspected AI data breach: stop the exposure, scope the data, preserve evidence, decide on reporting and review.
Read the guide
Suppliers
Questions to ask AI suppliers about data storage, training use, access and incident notification, based on NCSC guidance for UK organisations.
Read the guide
Data protection
What the ICO's AI and data protection guidance says about impact assessments, transparency and lawfulness, and how it links to breach duties.
Read the guideHow CyPro can help
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