Risk area 4: Malicious Uses
These risks arise from humans intentionally using the LM to cause harm, for example via targeted disinformation campaigns, fraud, or malware. Malicious use risks are expected to proliferate as LMs become more widely accessible
ENTITY
1 - Human
INTENT
1 - Intentional
TIMING
2 - Post-deployment
Risk ID
mit216
Domain lineage
4. Malicious Actors & Misuse
4.0 > Malicious use
Mitigation strategy
1. Defend Privileges and Accounts: Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all privileged, remote, and high-value asset accounts, utilizing a Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution to enforce the principle of least privilege and fine-grained access control. 2. Enforce Signed Software Execution Policies and Application Whitelisting: Utilize a modern operating system to enforce signed software execution for scripts, executables, and firmware, and apply Application Whitelisting to prevent the execution of unauthorized or malicious code, thereby significantly mitigating malware delivery and execution. 3. Implement a Timely Patch Management Schedule: Establish a rigorous patch cycle to apply all available software and firmware security updates, prioritizing mitigation of extreme-risk vulnerabilities within 48 hours of a patch release to effectively counter N-day exploits. 4. Exercise a System Recovery and Data Backup Plan: Create and routinely exercise a comprehensive recovery plan, ensuring critical data and configurations are protected via daily, encrypted backups stored offline or offsite to guarantee full system reconstitution following a malicious incident such as a ransomware attack.