Check out a new Cloud Security Alliance framework for securing AI systems. Plus, SANS Institute and OWASP are joining forces to deliver AI security controls. Meanwhile, Accenture finds orgs unprepared to counter AI-powered cyber attacks. And get the latest on the Iran cyber threat, SMB cyber defenses and CIS Benchmarks!
Dive into six things that are top of mind for the week ending July 11.
If you’re looking for guidance on how to protect your AI systems from cyber attacks, there’s a new resource for you to check out.
The Cloud Security Alliance released this week its “Artificial Intelligence Controls Matrix,” which it describes as a vendor-agnostic framework that organizations can use to develop, deploy and operate AI systems securely and responsibly.
“The AI Controls Matrix bridges the gap between lofty ethical guidelines and real-world implementation. It enables all stakeholders in the AI value chain to align on their roles and responsibilities and measurably reduce risk,” Jim Reavis, CSA CEO and co-founder, said in a statement.
The “Artificial Intelligence Controls Matrix” maps to cybersecurity standards such as ISO 42001 and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s “Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework” (NIST AI 600-1).
It includes 243 AI security controls categorized into 18 domains, including:
For example, the “application and interface security” domain includes controls for application security metrics; secure application development cycle; application security testing; input and output validation; API security; and application vulnerability remediation.
Meanwhile, the “threat and vulnerability management” domain includes controls for penetration testing; vulnerability remediation; vulnerability prioritization; vulnerability management reporting and metrics; and threat analysis and modeling.
To get more details, check out this video:
For more information about AI data security, check out these Tenable resources:
And we stay on the hot topic of AI security. Hoping to bring clarity to this complex and fast-evolving field, SANS Institute and OWASP have partnered to jointly develop a comprehensive set of AI security controls.
The organizations will mash up the work done in the OWASP AI Exchange project with the SANS Critical AI Security Guidelines v1.1 to produce AI security controls in six core areas that cybersecurity teams can adopt right away.
“This partnership is about clarity,” Rob van der Veer, founder of the OWASP AI Exchange, said in a statement. “We already have the technical foundation. SANS helps us bring it into the field and make it real for defenders.”
The AI security controls, which the organizations pledge will offer “a common language and reduce ambiguity,” will be grouped under these six categories:
The partnership’s work will be made available as open-source resources. Got ideas? You can contribute via the SANS community section on Github or via the OWASP AI Exchange contribution page.
For more information about AI security, check out these Tenable Research blogs:
Now we shift to a reality check on AI security and, well, it’s not pretty.
Hackers’ use of AI is far outpacing defenders’ ability to handle AI-powered attacks, so cybersecurity teams must step up their efforts to mitigate this rapidly evolving cyber threat.
That’s a key takeaway from Accenture’s “State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2025: Elevate Your Cybersecurity to Fit an AI-driven World” report, which is based on a global survey of almost 2,300 tech executives — 80% of them CISOs and 20% CIOs — from large organizations.
“With unprecedented speed and scale, AI is enabling attackers to bypass legacy systems and overwhelm security teams. Traditional defenses are no longer sufficient,” the report reads.
Specifically, the report found that:
So what’s the fix? Accenture offers four major recommendations:
To get more details, read the full 41-page report “State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2025: Elevate Your Cybersecurity To Fit an AI-driven World.”
For more information about protecting AI systems against cyber attacks:
Following a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alert about potential cyber attacks from Iran-backed hackers and hacktivists, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and other federal agencies chimed in, echoing the warning.
In the joint “Iranian Cyber Actors May Target Vulnerable US Networks and Entities of Interest” fact sheet, CISA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) prompted U.S. organizations, especially those in critical infrastructure sectors, to be on alert due to the U.S. involvement in the Israel - Iran military conflict.
“At this time, we have not seen indications of a coordinated campaign of malicious cyber activity in the U.S. that can be attributed to Iran. However, we are urging critical infrastructure organizations to stay vigilant to Iranian-affiliated cyber actors that may target U.S. devices and networks,” reads a joint statement.
Iran-linked cyber attackers tend to exploit low-hanging fruit, such as assets with unpatched known vulnerabilities; and internet-connected accounts and devices with common or default passwords.
Mitigation recommendations include:
For more information about Iran’s cyber threat to U.S. critical infrastructure:
A playbook designed to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) adopt strong cybersecurity practices has been revamped with the goal of making it easier to use.
The Cyber Readiness Playbook is now made up of two main components – the playbook and a step-by-step adoption guide, the Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI) announced this week.
“With simple language, adaptable templates, and step-by-step guidance, the Playbook makes it easier than ever to embed good cybersecurity habits into daily business operations,” the CRI said in a statement.
The Cyber Readiness Playbook focuses on four key cybersecurity areas:
For more information about cybersecurity best practices for SMBs:
Apple iOS, Google Kubernetes Engine and Microsoft Windows Server are some of the products whose Center for Internet Security (CIS) Benchmarks got updated in June.
Specifically, these secure-configuration recommendations were updated:
In addition, CIS released these four brand new Benchmarks:
The CIS Benchmarks are secure-configuration guidelines designed to help organizations harden products against cyber attacks. CIS offers more than 100 Benchmarks for 25-plus vendor product families in categories including:
To get more details, read the CIS blog “CIS Benchmarks July 2025 Update.”
For more information about the CIS Benchmarks list, check out its home page, as well as:
Juan has been writing about IT since the mid-1990s, first as a reporter and editor, and now as a content marketer. He spent the bulk of his journalism career at International Data Group’s IDG News Service, a tech news wire service where he held various positions over the years, including Senior Editor and News Editor. His content marketing journey began at Qualys, with stops at Moogsoft and JFrog. As a content marketer, he's helped plan, write and edit the whole gamut of content assets, including blog posts, case studies, e-books, product briefs and white papers, while supporting a wide variety of teams, including product marketing, demand generation, corporate communications, and events.