Paul Krill
Editor at Large

Cloudflare announces Firewall for AI

news
Mar 5, 20242 mins

Firewall for AI will analyze user prompts to large language models to identify attempts to extract data or otherwise exploit a model, Cloudflare said.

artificial intelligence

Cloudflare has announced the development of https://www.csoonline.com/article/1309355/check-point-unveils-ai-powered-quantum-force-firewalls.html, a protection layer that can be deployed in front of large language models (LLMs) that promises to identify abuses before they reach the models.

Unveiled March 4, Firewall for AI is intended to be an advanced web application firewall (WAF) for applications that use LLMs, comprising a set of tools that can be deployed in front of applications to detect vulnerabilities and provide visibility into the threats to models.

Cloudflare said Firewall for AI will combine traditional WAF tools such as rate limiting and sensitive data detection with a new protection layer that analyzes the model prompts submitted users to identify attempts to exploit the model. Firewall for AI will run on the Cloudflare network, enabling Cloudflare to identify attacks early and protect users and models from attacks and abuses, the company said. The product is currently under development.

Some vulnerabilities that affect traditional web and API applications, such as injections and data exfiltration, also apply to the LLM world. But a new set of threats is now relevant because of how LLMs work. For example, researchers recently discovered a vulnerability in an AI collaboration platform that allowed them to hijack models and conduct unauthorized actions, Cloudflare said.

Cloudflare’s Firewall for AI will be deployed like a traditional WAF, in which every API request with an LLM prompt is scanned for patterns and signatures of possible attacks. It can be deployed in front of models hosted on the Cloudflare Workers AI platform or models hosted on any third-party infrastructure. Also, it can be used alongside Cloudflare AI Gateway.

Firewall for AI will run a series of detections designed to identify prompt injection attempts and other abuses, such as making sure the topic of the prompt stays within boundaries defined by the model owner. Firewall for AI also will look for prompts embedded in HTTP requests or allow customers to make rules based on where in the JSON body of the request that the prompt can be found.

Once enabled, Firewall for AI will analyze every prompt and provide a score based on the likelihood that it is malicious, Cloudflare said.

Paul Krill

Paul Krill is editor at large at InfoWorld. Paul has been covering computer technology as a news and feature reporter for more than 35 years, including 30 years at InfoWorld. He has specialized in coverage of software development tools and technologies since the 1990s, and he continues to lead InfoWorld’s news coverage of software development platforms including Java and .NET and programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Go. Long trusted as a reporter who prioritizes accuracy, integrity, and the best interests of readers, Paul is sought out by technology companies and industry organizations who want to reach InfoWorld’s audience of software developers and other information technology professionals. Paul has won a “Best Technology News Coverage” award from IDG.

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