Corporate IT security risks from external access and shadow AI

Companies face growing cybersecurity vulnerabilities stemming from unmanaged external access and the rise of shadow AI. In many cases, technical permissions for external service providers remain active long after a specific maintenance task or software update is completed. This creates a persistent access structure where user accounts and permissions stay active, potentially allowing unauthorized entry into systems that were not part of the original scope.

Furthermore, the emergence of shadow AI presents a new category of risk. Employees often use unauthorized, private AI applications to increase efficiency, feeding sensitive business information, internal documents, and chat histories into these systems. This data can be processed, stored, and used for training by external providers. The risk is compounded by agent-based AI, which can autonomously perform tasks and access networked business systems, making governance and transparency essential to prevent loss of control over sensitive corporate data.