Security & Privacy
Data exfiltration
Unauthorized extraction of sensitive information from a system.
Example
A manipulated prompt causes an assistant to send confidential records to an outside server.
Why it matters
It helps security teams focus on information leaving an approved boundary.
You'll hear it
“Why is the assistant sending those details to an outside address?”
Can you control it?
Set by the team
The people building or running the AI choose this setup. An everyday user generally needs their help to change how this part works.
Common questions
- Does exfiltration require copying a whole file?
- No. Small extracts or repeated fragments can still reveal sensitive information.
- Can an ordinary allowed feature be used for exfiltration?
- Yes. Sending messages or making requests can become an exit route if access is misused.
- Does encryption alone prevent it?
- No. Someone with access to readable information may still send it somewhere they should not.