Generative AI Usage Gone Rogue? Cato Networks Mitigates Shadow AI Risk with Cato CASB 

Today during SASEfy 2025, Cato Networks announced its latest AI innovation. Cato CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker), a native feature in the Cato SASE Cloud Platform, is now enhanced with new capabilities for generative (GenAI) applications including a shadow AI dashboard and policy engine. With the shadow AI dashboard, enterprises can detect, analyze, and gain insights into the use of GenAI. With the policy engine, enterprises can take control of user activities in GenAI applications. Combined, Cato is enabling security and IT teams to balance innovation with risk management.

GenAI is rapidly transforming workplace productivity. Employees are leveraging AI-powered tools to automate tasks, streamline workflows, and boost efficiency. However, with this surge in adoption comes an unintended consequence, shadow AI, which is the unsanctioned and unmonitored use of GenAI applications within enterprises. 

Left unchecked, shadow AI introduces security, compliance, and governance risks that can threaten an organization’s intellectual property, data integrity, and regulatory standing. Without IT oversight, sensitive corporate data can be unknowingly shared with GenAI models, regulatory mandates may be violated, and businesses may fall victim to misinformation or biased AI-generated content. 

For security and IT leaders, the challenge is clear: How can organizations embrace GenAI’s potential while maintaining security, compliance, and governance?  

The Hidden Risks of Shadow AI 

While the rise of GenAI has empowered employees, many of these tools are adopted without IT oversight. As such, they become part of a growing shadow AI problem—a modern extension of shadow IT— that can lead to serious consequences:  

• Sensitive Data Exposure: Employees may unknowingly input confidential or sensitive data into GenAI chatbots or image generators, which could be stored, analyzed, or used in ways that violate security policies. 

• Regulatory Compliance Risks: Many GenAI tools process and store data outside an organization’s control, creating compliance risks under regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, etc. 

• Misinformation and Bias: AI-generated content may not always be accurate or unbiased, leading to potential misinterpretations and flawed decision-making. 

Without a clear governance strategy and enforcement mechanism, organizations risk falling behind in GenAI security while exposing themselves to serious compliance and operational pitfalls. 

Cato CASB’s GenAI Security Controls 

With Cato CASB’s GenAI security controls, enterprises gain deep visibility into GenAI applications with a shadow AI dashboard and can leverage the policy engine to govern their usage across the network—exposing and controlling both sanctioned and unsanctioned GenAI activity. 

Unlike traditional security tools that struggle to keep up with GenAI’s rapid evolution, Cato CASB provides real-time visibility into all GenAI applications in use—both sanctioned and unsanctioned. 

Key Capabilities include: 

✔ Comprehensive GenAI Usage Visibility: A shadow AI dashboard identifies all GenAI applications in use across the network, distinguishing between approved tools and shadow AI to give IT teams the full picture.

✔ Data Violation Insights: Security and IT teams can monitor what types of data that employees are uploading to AI tools, helping prevent sensitive data leaks in real time.

✔ Policy-Based Access Control: The policy engine now includes new criteria—such as GenAI application categories and user-specific tenant restrictions—to control detailed access to GenAI tools. These enhancements allow security and IT teams to define permitted user activities, prevent sensitive actions, and flag unauthorized usage for review.

✔ Data Protection: Data classifiers for Cato DLP now support additional predefined data types/profiles, including source code, and leverage pre-trained ML models. This ensures accurate detection and protection of sensitive information commonly shared with GenAI applications. 

Why Cato CASB’s GenAI Security Controls is a Game-Changer 

For security architects, IT managers, and CISOs, the ability to proactively manage GenAI risks without slowing down innovation is critical. Cato CASB provides the necessary insights and controls to strike this balance. 

• Risk Mitigation: Detect and manage unauthorized GenAI use before it leads to a data breach or compliance failure. 

• Stronger Security Posture: Maintain visibility into GenAI interactions to enforce governance policies and safeguard against misuse. 

• Regulatory Compliance Assurance: Ensure GenAI adoption aligns with corporate security policies and industry regulations. 

But perhaps the biggest advantage? It’s all managed within the Cato SASE Cloud Platform. Unlike standalone security tools that require complex integrations, Cato CASB is a native feature of the Cato SASE Cloud Platform. This means security and IT teams can monitor and control GenAI usage alongside networking and security functions—without juggling multiple consoles.  

Harnessing the Power of GenAI without Compromising on Security 

GenAI unlocks tremendous productivity potential, but unchecked adoption can expose organizations to critical security and compliance risks. The complexity of managing GenAI risks shouldn’t add more burden to IT operations. That’s why Cato CASB’s GenAI security controls are built to fit within your existing security ecosystem seamlessly—no extra deployments, no additional licenses, just instant visibility and control over AI usage.  

By converging security, networking, and GenAI governance in a SASE platform, Cato enables organizations to harness GenAI’s power without compromising on operational efficiency or business agility.  

Availability 

The GenAI security controls for Cato CASB are generally available for customers globally.   

Resources 

• Learn more about the new GenAI security controls in Cato CASB in the press release.  

• Learn more about Cato’s approach to AI safety and Cato’s AI/ML capabilities. 

• The GenAI security controls for Cato CASB are the latest AI innovation from Cato and announced during SASEfy 2025, Cato’s global virtual event. This year’s event focused on SASE and AI. If you missed SASEfy 2025, register to watch the recording on-demand.