AI Security Basics: Defending Against Prompt Injection

As artificial intelligence becomes central to software development, securing language models against malicious inputs is a critical skill. Are you ready to learn how to protect your applications from vulnerabilities like prompt injection? This text-based course introduces you to the foundational concepts of AI security. You will start by understanding what prompt injection is, how it works, and why it poses a threat to AI-driven applications. From there, you will explore practical, written examples of defensive strategies, including system prompt hardening, input validation, and modern guardrail implementations, ensuring your AI integrations remain safe and reliable. What you will learn: • Understand the core terminology and basic concepts of AI security and vulnerabilities. • Identify different types of prompt injection attacks and how they manipulate language models. • Apply defensive prompt engineering techniques to harden system instructions. • Implement modern guardrails and input/output validation patterns for AI applications. • Explore fundamental security considerations for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems. • Practice threat modeling for basic AI integrations through written exercises. The course flows logically from introductory definitions and core AI security principles to practical, text-based defensive techniques. You will read through clear explanations and examine code and prompt snippets to build a strong mental model of secure AI development. Designed entirely for beginners and developers new to AI security, this course requires no prior cybersecurity experience. Start reading today to build the foundational skills needed to secure modern AI applications.