UK intelligence warns AI ‘prompt injection’ attacks might never go away

Summary

The U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warns that “prompt injection” — attacks that manipulate large language models into treating user-supplied text as commands — is likely to remain a persistent risk. NCSC technical director David C explains the vulnerability is rooted in how LLMs predict token sequences, meaning they do not inherently distinguish instructions from data. Real-world examples already include exposures in Microsoft’s New Bing and issues with GitHub Copilot, and the technique could be used to game automated résumé screening.

Key Points

Prompt injection arises because LLMs treat all text as tokens to predict, making them susceptible to manipulated inputs.
NCSC cautions that prompt injection is not the same as SQL injection and requires different mitigation strategies.
Known incidents include attackers discovering hidden instructions in New Bing and stealing secrets via Copilot; other vectors include CV evaluation manipulation.
Research on detection and training-based defences is underway, but LLMs fundamentally do not separate instruction from data.
NCSC suggests reframing the issue as a “Confused Deputy” problem and managing residual risk via careful design, limited use and operational controls rather than expecting a single product fix.
Widespread embedding of generative AI without such design considerations could produce a wave of breaches similar to the SQL injection era.

Context and relevance

The warning arrives as organisations rapidly integrate generative AI into applications. For security teams, developers and decision-makers, this guidance highlights that technical patches alone are unlikely to fully remove the risk; instead, deployment choices, scope limiting and operational processes will matter. The NCSC’s stance feeds into larger conversations on safe AI deployment, supply-chain risk and realistic expectations about mitigation.

Why should I read this?

Look, this isn’t just another niche vuln. Prompt injection is baked into how LLMs work, so if you’re using AI in products, recruitment tools or automation, you need to know this now — or risk awkward (and costly) surprises. We’ve cut the waffle: read this to avoid dumb mistakes that could lead to real breaches.

Author style

Punchy: the NCSC message is blunt and urgent. If you’re close to deploying AI features, this is essential reading; if not, we’ve saved you the time.

Source

Source: https://therecord.media/prompt-injection-attacks-uk-intelligence-warning