As Cybersecurity Awareness Month continues, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the lessons from incidents that remind us how fast technology and its vulnerabilities evolve.
Earlier this year, researchers uncovered a prompt injection vulnerability in Google’s Gemini AI, the system powering Gmail’s AI summarization feature in e-mail. The discovery exposed how generative AI tools can be manipulated with surprising ease, creating new attack vectors hidden in plain sight.
What Happened
Mozilla researchers found that attackers could embed hidden HTML or CSS code in emails that Gemini’s AI would interpret as instructions. This allowed them to modify or corrupt AI-generated summaries, turning legitimate emails into vehicles for misinformation, phishing, or even internal manipulation.
While Google quickly added new safeguards, this issue goes far beyond one company. Ultimately, it proves that AI doesn’t just analyze data; it can be tricked into amplifying threats.
Why It Matters
1. AI expands your attack surface
Every AI tool that touches sensitive information—email, chat, or documents—creates a new entry point for attackers. Therefore, it’s essential to treat AI systems as part of your overall security perimeter.
2. Trust can be exploited
Users tend to trust AI-generated outputs. If attackers compromise the inputs, they control the narrative.
3. Even tech giants are vulnerable
Even though Google has vast security resources, the Gemini case proves that advanced systems are not immune to simple yet dangerous flaws. This, in turn, serves as a warning to every organization relying on third-party AI solutions.
What Organizations Should Do
As AI becomes embedded in daily business operations, security teams must treat AI platforms like critical third-party systems—requiring oversight, testing, and risk management.
Here’s how to start:
- Assess AI vendor security: Confirm how vendors mitigate prompt injection, model poisoning, and adversarial manipulation.
- Establish AI use policies: Define what data can be shared with AI systems and where automation should stop.
- Train your workforce: Educate employees on recognizing manipulated outputs or unexpected AI behavior.
- Review your cyber insurance coverage: Ensure your cyber insurance policy covers AI-driven compromises or data misuse.
A Bigger Lesson for Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Although this vulnerability surfaced months ago, its relevance continues to grow. The Gemini flaw reminds us that innovation doesn’t eliminate risk—it simply changes its form.
Meanwhile, AI continues to act as a driving force for innovation and efficiency, yet its rapid growth is outpacing security readiness. True progress comes not from resisting technology, but from mastering and safeguarding it.
Contact BW Cyber to assess your organization’s AI exposure, strengthen vendor security, and prepare for emerging AI-driven threats.
Let’s make this Cybersecurity Awareness Month more than awareness; let’s make it about readiness!
Michael Brice
President
BW Cyber, LLC