Growing Cyber Security Risks with the Adoption of AI
With the rapid pace at which Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries, companies are becoming more and more vulnerable to cyber threats. In a new survey, most organizations say they’re adding AI applications, but they’re having trouble keeping a strong security posture. More than half of the 350 IT leaders surveyed said the complexity of AI applications has weakened their overall cybersecurity defenses. Nearly 40% of executives said their security teams did not have the skills required to effectively protect these applications.
This gap in cybersecurity expertise surrounding AI has opened the door for a wave of specialized startups aiming to protect AI systems from adversarial attacks and data breaches. Among the emerging leaders in this space is Noma Security, a new venture co-founded by Niv Braun and Alon Tron. This startup, launched quietly earlier this year, is stepping up to address the unique security challenges in AI environments.
Noma Security: Protecting AI with the Next-Generation Threat Detection
Noma Security is coming into play with a suite of AI application security tools to offer its platform, engineered to detect vulnerabilities along code and data pipelines, spaces traditional security fails to capture. This also includes what would be termed as a ‘prompt injection attack.’ An injection attack on the basis of AI models with feed-in malicious prompts can lead to compromised output, data leaks, or simply become worse.
Niv Braun is the co-founder and CEO of Noma According to him, solutions developed today do not work well enough in addressing the needs of AI systems. “The lifecycle of data and AI is inherently different from that of traditional software,” he points out. “AI and data science environments require their own research and development, unique vulnerabilities that demand dedicated security solutions.”.
Experiential experience working at Verint in customer experience automation showed Braun there is a “huge blind spot” in the AI lifecycle especially for security teams handling AI models. This blind spot inspired him to build Noma with co-founder Alon Tron as it closes this gap in the AI security landscape.
Filling a Critical Gap: A Dashboard for AI Security Consolidation
Noma provides an integrated dashboard for AI security that allows companies to monitor and govern their AI applications through one interface. It has been designed to detect misconfigurations across the different parts of the development and deployment process of AI models. It can, for example, scan the training datasets for “sensitive” data, like personally identifiable information (PII), for privacy and compliance.
As Braun explains, this integrated approach by Noma to AI security is tackling threats not just at the immediate level but it also enables the business to move further up its value curve using safe expansions of its use of AI. “There are plenty of point-solutions on the market trying to jump onto the AI bandwagon,” says Braun. In short, Noma helps companies understand their AI application footprint, and gives them governance controls so as not only to be able to minimize and mitigate risk but also to gain confidence in expanding faster-to-higher-value parts of the business.
Such an integrated approach to AI security is part of the even broader trend of consolidation in cybersecurity—a move toward much more comprehensive solutions that reduce the need for multiple isolated tools.
Early Success and a Bright Future: Noma’s Strong Start and Series A Funding
Even though the launch date will be 2023, Noma already has some paying clients from some notable Fortune 500 companies dealing with B2B software, financial services, and retail. It has an amazing early traction because solutions with an emphasis on AI-based cybersecurity pose a very high demand.
In further acceleration for its development and go-to-market, Noma, a deep learning platform developing AI products, recently obtained a Series A funding worth $25 million, raised by Ballistic Ventures. This came after an initial seed round that had taken an undisclosed sum of $7 million, led by Glilot Capital Partners; Cyber Club London participated and brought the total funds acquired by Noma to stand at $32 million. The interesting part is the fact that investors pre-exercised their option prior to closing this Series A round as Noma was still having some money in their bank accounts.
The strategic decision to accept the infusion of $25 million is in the view of accelerating the expansion of the company, with plans to double its current size from 20 people within the coming year. The infusion will facilitate the company in developing the technology and expand it into more industries.
Comparison of Noma in the Developing AI Security Landscape
Noma competes with AI security startups, in a competitive field, since HiddenLayer and Protect AI prevent adversarial attacks on AI systems while Cranium provides visibility at the application level. But Noma stands out because it integrates several security functions into a single interface and thus represents an all-in-one solution for AI security governance.
Noma has value in being able to detect threats, manage data compliance, and provide a single-pane view of security controls. It is this all-in-one approach, therefore, to support the company’s ambition to scale AI initiatives with confidence while not compromising on security.
Conclusion: Noma Preparation for a Secure AI Future
With the increasing integration of AI in business processes, securing AI applications from cyber threats will be a matter of critical importance that organizations must focus on. Noma Security’s unique approach places it at the forefront of this newly emerging field, meeting distinct needs in AI security using specialized tools and an extensive platform.
For early adopters of AI, Noma is a solution that provides an answer to the complex questions of AI security. Advanced threat detection and holistic governance set it ready to be a core player in the AI security landscape, allowing businesses to protect their data while expanding their ability to apply AI with confidence.
Noma emerges as a very critical trend in cybersecurity as technology advances: with change comes the need for changing tools and strategies. It is in this respect that Noma is going to set a new benchmark in the security of data-driven environments by providing peace of mind to businesses, so they can explore the full potential of AI without sacrificing safety.
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