OWASP GenAI Security Training Course

Day 1: Foundations and Core Threats

Module 1: Introduction to OWASP GenAI Security Project (1 hour)

Learning Objectives:

• Grasp the evolution from the OWASP Top 10 to security challenges specific to Generative AI.
• Explore the ecosystem and resources of the OWASP GenAI Security Project.
• Distinguish between traditional application security and AI security.

Topics Covered:

• An overview of the OWASP GenAI Security Project's mission and scope.
• Introduction to the Threat Defense COMPASS framework.
• Understanding the AI security landscape and regulatory requirements.
• Comparison of AI attack surfaces versus traditional web application vulnerabilities.

Practical Exercise: Setting up the OWASP Threat Defense COMPASS tool and conducting an initial threat assessment.

Module 2: OWASP Top 10 for LLMs - Part 1 (2.5 hours)

Learning Objectives:

• Master the first five critical LLM vulnerabilities.
• Understand attack vectors and exploitation techniques.
• Apply practical mitigation strategies.

Topics Covered:

LLM01: Prompt Injection

• Direct and indirect prompt injection techniques.
• Hidden instruction attacks and cross-prompt contamination.
• Practical examples: Jailbreaking chatbots and bypassing safety measures.
• Defense strategies: Input sanitization, prompt filtering, and differential privacy.

LLM02: Sensitive Information Disclosure

• Training data extraction and system prompt leakage.
• Model behavior analysis for sensitive information exposure.
• Privacy implications and regulatory compliance considerations.
• Mitigation: Output filtering, access controls, and data anonymization.

LLM03: Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

• Third-party model dependencies and plugin security.
• Compromised training datasets and model poisoning.
• Vendor risk assessment for AI components.
• Secure model deployment and verification practices.

Practical Exercise: A hands-on lab demonstrating prompt injection attacks against vulnerable LLM applications and implementing defensive measures.

Module 3: OWASP Top 10 for LLMs - Part 2 (2 hours)

Topics Covered:

LLM04: Data and Model Poisoning

• Techniques for manipulating training data.
• Modifying model behavior through poisoned inputs.
• Backdoor attacks and verifying data integrity.
• Prevention: Data validation pipelines and provenance tracking.

LLM05: Improper Output Handling

• Insecure processing of content generated by LLMs.
• Code injection via AI-generated outputs.
• Cross-site scripting through AI responses.
• Frameworks for output validation and sanitization.

Practical Exercise: Simulating data poisoning attacks and implementing robust output validation mechanisms.

Module 4: Advanced LLM Threats (1.5 hours)

Topics Covered:

LLM06: Excessive Agency

• Risks of autonomous decision-making and boundary violations.
• Agent authority and permission management.
• Unintended system interactions and privilege escalation.
• Implementing guardrails and human oversight controls.

LLM07: System Prompt Leakage

• Vulnerabilities involving system instruction exposure.
• Credential and logic disclosure through prompts.
• Attack techniques for extracting system prompts.
• Securing system instructions and external configuration.

Practical Exercise: Designing secure agent architectures with appropriate access controls and monitoring.

Day 2: Advanced Threats and Implementation

Module 5: Emerging AI Threats (2 hours)

Learning Objectives:

• Understand cutting-edge AI security threats.
• Implement advanced detection and prevention techniques.
• Design resilient AI systems against sophisticated attacks.

Topics Covered:

LLM08: Vector and Embedding Weaknesses

• Vulnerabilities in RAG systems and vector database security.
• Embedding poisoning and similarity manipulation attacks.
• Adversarial examples in semantic search.
• Securing vector stores and implementing anomaly detection.

LLM09: Misinformation and Model Reliability

• Detection and mitigation of hallucinations.
• Bias amplification and fairness considerations.
• Mechanisms for fact-checking and source verification.
• Content validation and integration of human oversight.

LLM10: Unbounded Consumption

• Resource exhaustion and denial-of-service attacks.
• Rate limiting and resource management strategies.
• Cost optimization and budget controls.
• Performance monitoring and alerting systems.

Practical Exercise: Building a secure RAG pipeline with vector database protection and hallucination detection.

Module 6: Agentic AI Security (2 hours)

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the unique security challenges of autonomous AI agents.
• Apply the OWASP Agentic AI taxonomy to real-world systems.
• Implement security controls for multi-agent environments.

Topics Covered:

• Introduction to Agentic AI and autonomous systems.
• OWASP Agentic AI Threat Taxonomy: Agent Design, Memory, Planning, Tool Use, Deployment.
• Security and coordination risks in multi-agent systems.
• Attacks involving tool misuse, memory poisoning, and goal hijacking.
• Securing agent communication and decision-making processes.

Practical Exercise: Threat modeling exercise using the OWASP Agentic AI taxonomy on a multi-agent customer service system.

Module 7: OWASP Threat Defense COMPASS Implementation (2 hours)

Learning Objectives:

• Master the practical application of Threat Defense COMPASS.
• Integrate AI threat assessment into organizational security programs.
• Develop comprehensive AI risk management strategies.

Topics Covered:

• Deep dive into the Threat Defense COMPASS methodology.
• OODA Loop integration: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act.
• Mapping threats to MITRE ATT&CK and ATLAS frameworks.
• Building AI Threat Resilience Strategy Dashboards.
• Integration with existing security tools and processes.

Practical Exercise: Completing a threat assessment using COMPASS for a Microsoft Copilot deployment scenario.

Module 8: Practical Implementation and Best Practices (2.5 hours)

Learning Objectives:

• Design secure AI architectures from the ground up.
• Implement monitoring and incident response for AI systems.
• Create governance frameworks for AI security.

Topics Covered:

Secure AI Development Lifecycle:

• Security-by-design principles for AI applications.
• Code review practices for LLM integrations.
• Testing methodologies and vulnerability scanning.
• Deployment security and production hardening.

Monitoring and Detection:

• AI-specific logging and monitoring requirements.
• Anomaly detection for AI systems.
• Incident response procedures for AI security events.
• Forensics and investigation techniques.

Governance and Compliance:

• AI risk management frameworks and policies.
• Regulatory compliance considerations (GDPR, AI Act, etc.).
• Third-party risk assessment for AI vendors.
• Security awareness training for AI development teams.

Practical Exercise: Designing a complete security architecture for an enterprise AI chatbot, including monitoring, governance, and incident response procedures.

Module 9: Tools and Technologies (1 hour)

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate and implement AI security tools.
• Understand the current landscape of AI security solutions.
• Build practical detection and prevention capabilities.

Topics Covered:

• The AI security tool ecosystem and vendor landscape.
• Open-source security tools: Garak, PyRIT, Giskard.
• Commercial solutions for AI security and monitoring.
• Integration patterns and deployment strategies.
• Tool selection criteria and evaluation frameworks.

Practical Exercise: Hands-on demonstration of AI security testing tools and implementation planning.

Module 10: Future Trends and Wrap-up (1 hour)

Learning Objectives:

• Understand emerging threats and future security challenges.
• Develop continuous learning and improvement strategies.
• Create action plans for organizational AI security programs.

Topics Covered:

• Emerging threats: Deepfakes, advanced prompt injection, model inversion.
• Future developments and roadmap for the OWASP GenAI project.
• Building AI security communities and facilitating knowledge sharing.
• Continuous improvement and threat intelligence integration.

Action Planning Exercise: Developing a 90-day action plan for implementing OWASP GenAI security practices within participants' organizations.