Data breaches surged by 51% in France in 2025, according to ANSSI. At the same time, 20,150 complaints were filed with the CNIL, a 10% increase over the past year. These figures are not inevitable: they reflect a growing gap between the speed at which AI is being adopted by businesses and organizations’ ability to manage the resultingAI and cybersecurity challenges.
For CIOs and CISO who need to oversee AI usage without stifling innovation. For senior management who need to reassure customers, auditors, and partners. AI is already present in your organization: the NIS2 Directive, the GDPR, and the AI Act already apply to data and the systems that rely on it.
—Why Is the Risk Skyrocketing for French SMEs and Mid-Sized Companies?
Traditional cybersecurity solutions were designed for known threats and defined perimeters. AI structurally circumvents them by multiplying entry points and making data flows unreadable to your existing tools.
Shadow AI: Data Leaving Your Network Without Your Knowledge
“Shadow AI” refers to all the artificial intelligence tools used by your employees without approval from your IT team. These tools are used extensively, often without malicious intent, and sometimes with customer, financial, or confidential data included in the prompts.
Without AI governance, these invisible data flows become a source of regulatory and contractual risk: requirements from major clients, bid proposals, and internal audits. The challengesof artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are now closely intertwined within organizations.
Without visibility into these data flows, you cannot measure your exposure or respond before an incident occurs—whether it’s a data breach, a compliance issue, or an incident related tothe useof artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
AI Applications: An Attack Surface Your Defenses Are Unaware Of
Your business applications also incorporate AI through APIs, third-party models, and autonomous agents capable of acting on your behalf.
These systems introduce specific vulnerabilities: manipulating an agent’s instructions to make it perform unintended actions, bypassing a model’s protections to extract sensitive data, or compromising a third-party component integrated into your applications. Neither your antivirus software nor your EDR is designed to detect them.
In light of these new risks, companies must now implement managed cybersecurity solutions capable of monitoring AI usage, detecting abnormal behavior, and securing hybrid environments that combine IT infrastructure, the cloud, and artificial intelligence.
Autonomous AI Agents: A New Category of Risk
AI agents no longer just answer questions. They schedule meetings, send emails, access files, and perform tasks on your behalf.
Every action taken by an agent is a decision made without direct human supervision. Without appropriate governance, these agents can access unintended resources, be manipulated into acting outside their scope, or spread an error at high speed before it is detected.
AI, Cybersecurity, and Compliance: How Does Elit-Technologies Support You?
We support every stage of the AI lifecycle within your organization, from how your employees use AI to the applications and agents you deploy. We can either supplement your existing teams or take full responsibility, depending on your organization’s needs, using an approach that combines information system security with AI usage governance.
You know which AI tools are used in your organization, by whom, and with what data. Blind spots disappear. You have an actionable AI map for your internal audits and client files.
Your AI usage is governed by an AI policy tailored to your specific context and regulatory obligations (GDPR, NIS2, AI Act). Every data flow is tracked. Your cybersecurity maturity is documented and can be defended before your auditors and key accounts.
Your AI applications and autonomous agents are secured before they go live and monitored continuously. AI-specific threats are neutralized before they reach your users, systems, or data
Your AI agents act on your behalf: they access files, send messages, and trigger processes. We give you visibility and control over what they do, who they interact with, and how far they can go.
Your AI policy is documented and auditable. You meet the requirements of the CNIL, NIS2, and the AI Act, and you can demonstrate this to your clients, partners, and auditors.
Integrated monitoring, 24 hours a day
Securing AI is not a project with a fixed timeline. Tools evolve, and so do threats. We integrate these protections into our managed SOC, which operates 24/7, is ISO 27001-certified, and bears the ExpertCyber label—a methodology validated by France’s national cybersecurity authority.
An industrial mid-sized company subject to NIS2 entrusted us with the governance of its AI usage after detecting uncontrolled data flows to third-party platforms. Within a few weeks, the company had a comprehensive mapping of its systems, an AI policy approved by its legal department, and a SOC that continuously monitors its critical applications.
Frequently Asked Questions About AI and Cybersecurity
Are my current cybersecurity tools not enough to protect me from AI risks?
No. Traditional firewalls, antivirus software, and EDR solutions do not detect AI-specific threats, such as data leaks in a prompt, agent manipulation, or the compromise of a third-party model integrated into your applications.
These vectors require a dedicated protective layer capable of monitoring AI traffic and the behavior of intelligent systems. That is exactly what our managed SOC provides, 24 hours a day, as part of our managed cybersecurity services.
Could I face disciplinary action if my teams use ChatGPT without guidelines?
Yes, on several fronts at once. The CNIL received 20,150 complaints in 2025—a 10% increase from the previous year—and has now been designated as the supervisory authority for high-risk AI systems under the AI Act.
The GDPR applies to all personal data entered into a third-party tool. NIS2 imposes enhanced security requirements. Achieving compliance involves three steps: mapping existing uses, defining an access policy, and logging data flows. We support this process as part of our exposure assessments, with no initial commitment required.
How can I ensure the secure use of generative AI in my information system?
Ensuring the security of generative AI uses relies on three levels: visibility (which tools are used and by whom), governance (a clear AI policy, controlled access, and traceability of data flows), and technical protection (detection of abnormal behavior and control of sensitive data).
Our solutions address these three levels in an integrated manner. You’ll have a comprehensive assessment of your AI exposure and a prioritized action plan tailored to your specific context.
Are our teams mature enough to benefit from your services?
We work with French small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and mid-sized companies, whether or not they have an in-house IT team. Our services are tailored to your organization: we can either supplement your existing teams or take over operations entirely. Our initial assessment allows us to precisely tailor a solution to your specific context and level of cybersecurity maturity, with no obligation.