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Securing AI Applications
Learn to defend AI-powered applications against real-world attacks through hands-on labs and practical exercises.
Training for a team or organization? Contact us about group access.
Inside the Course
Scroll down to explore the skills you’ll build, the techniques you’ll master, and the requirements to get started.
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Difficulty: Intermediate
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Duration: 5h
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Access: Included in Membership
Overview
Securing AI Applications teaches students the fundamentals of securing AI/LLM based applications with a focus on hands-on labs. Students will learn to identify and mitigate AI vulnerabilities with practical exercises using the custom-built lab environment which features a vulnerable chatbot that uses Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and integrates with a company knowledge base, website and ticketing system. This course mirrors the AI Hacking 101 offensive course, for each attack category covered there, students will implement the corresponding defenses.
Key Topics
- Secure Model Configuration (temperature, token limits, stop sequences)
- System prompt hardening
- Input validation and prompt injection filtering
- Using AI classifiers and AI as a judge moderator
- Rate limiting and resource abuse prevention for AI endpoints
- Output moderation and content filtering
- PII Detection and sensitive data handling in AI responses
Objectives
Design and Build Secure AI Applications:
- Configure AI models with security best practices to reduce risk and misuse
- Control and filter AI-generated content to ensure safe, appropriate responses
- Apply safeguards to AI agents to keep automated actions within intended boundaries
Test AI Application Defenses:
- Assess how well AI systems resist attempts to manipulate or bypass their intended behavior
- Identify weaknesses in content controls across different types of AI-powered workflows
- Verify that AI systems properly handle sensitive and personal information
Remediate AI Application Risks:
- Connect common AI security weaknesses to practical, real-world fixes and workarounds
- Recommend a layered security approach that addresses risk across the entire AI application
System Requirements
The ability to run a VM on a local machine:
- Stable Internet Connection
- Modern Web Browser
Minimum Requirements:
- 64-bit 2.0 GHz processor or higher
- RAM: 16GB
- Hard Drive Space: 100 GB Free
Recommended Requirements:
- 64-bit 2.0 GHz processor or higher
- RAM: 16GB+
- Hard Drive Space: 100 GB+ Free
You can technically get by with the main host having just a couple of cores and 8 GB of RAM, but allocating additional resources to your VMs will make the process run much more smoothly.
Prerequisites
Students should complete of AI Fundamentals: 100 and AI Hacking 101 courses before beginning this course.
It’s also recommended that students have basic knowledge of ethical hacking/pentesting and some programming knowledge. The Practical Ethical Hacking and Programming Fundamentals: 100 courses from TCM are recommended.
Recommended For
- Developers working on AI-based applications
- AppSec and DevSecOps practitioners securing AI-based applications
- Pentesters testing AI applications
Course Curriculum
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Course Intro
- Course Intro
- Entering a Defensive Mindset
- Lab Setup
- Code Tour
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AI Threat Landscape
- Defense-In-Depth for AI Applications
- OWASP Top 10 – The Defender’s Perspective
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Secure Model Parameters
- Model and Application Baseline
- How Model Parameters Affect Security
- Updating Model Configurations for Security
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System Prompt Hardening
- Investigating Baseline System Prompt
- Hardening the System Prompt
- Testing Hardened System Prompt
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Input Filtering and Classifiers
- Pattern-Based Input Filtering
- Classifiers and Llama-Guard
- Implementing Input Classifiers
- Testing Input Controls
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Rate Limiting
- Investigating and Setting Rate Limits
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Output Moderation and Filtering
- Output Moderation Strategy
- Implementing LLM Judge
- Integrating LLM Judge
- PII Redaction
- Testing Output Moderation
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Adding Access Controls
- Reviewing RAG, Ticket, and Conversation
- Adding RAG Access Controls
- Chatbot Ticket Ownership Checks
- Chatbot Conversation ID Ownership Checks
- Automating Testing with Garak
- Garak Installation
- Garak Probes
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Course Outro
This Course Is Included in Your All-Access Membership
One membership gives you ongoing access to Securing AI Applications, every other paid Academy course, and an active community of learners and mentors in Discord.
INSTRUCTORS
Meet Your Instructor
Learn from industry experts with real-world cybersecurity experience.
Andrew Bellini
Welcome Everyone! My name is Andrew Bellini and I sometimes go as DigitalAndrew on social media. I’m an electrical engineer by trade with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and am a licensed Professional Engineer (P. Eng) in Ontario, Canada. While my background and the majority of my career has been in electrical engineering, I am also an avid and passionate ethical hacker. In addition to being an instructor I am also a longtime student of TCM, and their courses helped me transition my career to working as a technical trainer for a cybersecurity company.
In addition to my love for all things ethical hacking, cybersecurity, CTFs and tech I also am a dad, play guitar and am passionate about the outdoors and fishing.
FAQS
Common Questions
Here are a couple of our most commonly asked questions, contact us if you don’t find an answer!
Can I get a refund if I'm unhappy with my purchase?
Yes. All courses come with a 24-hour money-back guarantee.
Will I receive a certificate of completion when I finish a course?
Yes. All courses come with a certificate of completion.
Do the courses count as Continuing Education Units (CEUs)?
Yes. Every certificate of completion comes with the total CEUs earned listed on the certificate.
What is the All-Access Membership?
As of July 1st, 2023 TCM Academy transitioned to a monthly subscription model, where you now receive full access to all of the courses on our platform for as long as your subscription remains active.
What if you already own courses on TCM Academy?
If you already own a course on our platform, you will continue to own that course. Previously owned courses will not be affected by this change.
I can see the course, but it won’t load or play. What should I do?
We use Cloudflare to protect our course platform and unfortunately, it does not play nice with VPNs. If you are experiencing issues, turn off your VPN and try again. If that does not solve the issue, please contact our support team at support@tcm-sec.com and we will help you out.
This course is included in our All-Access Membership, starting at $29.99/month.
Get full access to this course and our full course catalog when you enroll in our All-Access Membership.
RELATED COURSES
Continue Your Learning Path
Explore related courses that expand on the skills covered here.
AI Hacking 101
Beginner’s Guide to IoT and Hardware Hacking
External Pentest Playbook
Ready to level up your Cybersecurity Career?
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