AI Security

Defending against AI-powered attacks

The asymmetric battlefield

Why traditional IT defences fail against AI-powered attackers

The uncomfortable truth: On average, AI-powered attackers need only a few minutes to actively exploit a vulnerability before it is publicly disclosed and a patch is released.

Defenders, on average, take 73 days to implement the appropriate countermeasure (source: BSI). Furthermore, despite NIS2, the EU AI Act and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), around three-quarters of affected organisations are still not compliant, even with deadlines looming.

Traditional triage processes and manual security analyses can no longer keep pace with this dynamic. At the same time, unregulated ‘shadow AI’ within business units, a lack of transparency regarding the AI models used, and unclear lines of responsibility between IT, security and senior management are exacerbating the risk of a catastrophic data breach.

Legislators are also ramping up the pressure: NIS2, the EU AI Act and the CRA oblige management to implement far-reaching security measures. Those who ignore these requirements risk not only huge fines, but also personal liability on the part of senior management.

adesso breaks through this structural asymmetry. With a comprehensive, validated AI defence cycle, we raise your cyber resilience to a level on a par with today’s threats.

Anyone scaling up AI innovations today without considering tomorrow’s security safeguards risks losing control of their digital sovereignty. Let’s work together to build your defences without compromise.
Etienne Dziomber, Head of Cyber Security, adesso SE

The adesso AI defence cycle

Six pillars to technological sovereignty

Seamless protection against sophisticated threats requires more than isolated software tools or a one-off assessment of your AI security.

Whether it’s generative AI applications in software development, the increasing use of generative AI across business units, or machine learning with sensitive training data – each of these applications increases your attack surface and requires its own risk assessment.

The adesso AI Defence Cycle therefore combines precise detection, robust processes and regulatory compliance into a continuous, comprehensive feedback loop. Each of the following six pillars must achieve a sufficient level of maturity within your organisation to form a seamless chain of defence.

Pillar 1

AI Threat Exposure Assessment (Assessment)

Without a precise picture of the situation, it is not possible to set strategic priorities. We analyse your actual threat landscape and your organisational and procedural readiness (AI Defence Readiness) based on real data rather than assumptions.

Result: A transparent risk map and identification of your individual vulnerabilities to AI-enabled attacks.

We highlight where the risks lie.

Pillar 2

AI-enabled Red Teaming (Attacking)

We simulate real-world attacks exactly as highly specialised cybercriminals carry them out today. Using autonomous AI agents and our automated penetration testing platform, adesso ATTACK.AI, we test your applications, APIs, cloud infrastructures and AI systems themselves (e.g. LLMs and RAG architectures).

Result: Validated attack paths – including simulated deepfake, voice cloning and AI phishing attacks that put your awareness and responsiveness to the test.

We demonstrate how you could be attacked.

Pillar 3

Detection & Response (Detection)

Traditional signature-based protection systems fail in the face of mutating AI attack patterns. adesso integrates AI-powered behavioural and anomaly detection directly into your SIEM/SOC processes.

Result: Early detection and automated containment of threats in real time, 24/7.

We detect security-related events at an early stage and respond proactively.

Pillar 4

Findings & Risk Assessment (Evaluation)

Not every technical finding poses a risk to your business operations. We translate identified vulnerabilities into real business impact and prioritise remediation on a risk-based basis – mapped, amongst other things, to OWASP, MITRE ATLAS and regulatory requirements such as the EU AI Act or ISO 27001.

Result: A clear, economically prioritised hardening plan that deploys resources precisely where the impact is greatest.

We specifically prioritise the measures that deliver the greatest added value for your security posture

Pillar 5

AI-assisted remediation (Fix)

We remediate identified security vulnerabilities in a sustainable and holistic manner – technically, organisationally and procedurally. Using AI-supported remediation recommendations and automated response workflows, we significantly reduce the mean time to resolution (MTTR) for addressing your vulnerabilities.

Result: A sustainably reduced attack surface through risk-based, rollback-capable patching with comprehensive, audit-ready proof of remediation, subject to expert approval.

We ensure that vulnerabilities are closed.

Pillar 6

Continuous Validation (Securing)

Security is not a static snapshot, but a continuous cycle – your attack surfaces are never at rest. Using Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM), we continuously assess your vulnerability and establish automated security tests such as Security as Code, as well as secrets and dependency checks, directly within the CI/CD pipeline (Shift-Left).

Result: Verifiably closed vulnerabilities through ongoing AI-generated re-tests, regular tabletop exercises for AI scenarios, deepfake resilience and an audit-ready AI management system (AIMS) in accordance with ISO/IEC 42001.

We ensure that it remains secure.

It is not the tools that matter, but the consistent, integrated and prioritised implementation of measures.

Risk mitigation at all levels

Prevention, emergency preparedness and fallback

Artificial intelligence and high levels of interconnectivity require a security concept that is also prepared for the most extreme contingencies. adesso supports you from strategic planning right through to operational emergency infrastructure:

  • Proactive crisis preparedness:
    Find out how you can make your critical business processes resilient to unforeseen outages through professional Business Continuity Management (BCM)
  • The digital emergency switch:
    Should a destructive attack cripple your entire IT infrastructure, adesso ensures you remain reliably operational. Together with our strategic partner Panic Button B.V., we can activate your fully isolated emergency environment – complete with predefined war rooms for all critical areas – in under an hour. Secure your communications and sensitive core processes now with the Cyber Secure Fallback.

Ready for greater cyber security?

Don’t wait until an AI-powered attack exposes your organisation’s vulnerabilities.

Let’s work together to bring your defences up to speed with today’s threats. Speak directly to our experts about proactively securing your systems, ensuring regulatory compliance for your AI models, and sustainably enhancing your cyber resilience. Minimise your risk of an attack via AI systems.

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