Question 1

What is shadow AI?

Accepted Answer

Shadow AI is the use of AI tools, agents, MCP servers, integrations, or credentials without clear security visibility, approval, ownership, or governance.

Question 2

What is the difference between shadow AI and shadow IT?

Accepted Answer

Shadow IT covers unsanctioned technology generally. Shadow AI adds risks from prompts, model outputs, autonomous agents, connected tools, persistent memory, and credentials that can act across enterprise systems.

Question 3

Why is shadow AI a security risk?

Accepted Answer

Unsanctioned AI can expose sensitive data, reuse personal or unmanaged credentials, create unreviewed access paths, and take actions without an accountable owner or audit record.

Question 4

What types of shadow AI should organizations discover?

Accepted Answer

A useful inventory includes local and cloud AI applications, agents, browser extensions, MCP servers, connected tools, service accounts, OAuth grants, API keys, and credential files associated with AI use.

Question 5

How does C1 discover shadow AI tools and agents?

Accepted Answer

C1 endpoint discovery finds supported local AI tools, MCP servers, integrations, and credential files. C1 Connectors find supported cloud agents and service accounts across configured systems.

Question 6

How does C1 discover unauthorized MCP servers?

Accepted Answer

C1 can inspect supported endpoint configurations for MCP servers and tools that may not appear in a traditional SaaS inventory. Findings can then be connected to identity, ownership, credentials, and access context.

Question 7

Does C1 collect exposed secret values during discovery?

Accepted Answer

No. Discovery records that a supported credential exists and where it was found without collecting the raw secret value. Teams can move the credential into C1 Vault or revoke it.

Question 8

How does C1 assign ownership to shadow AI?

Accepted Answer

C1 adds supported findings to the shared identity inventory with available identity relationships, access, credential context, and source evidence. Teams can then assign the responsible owner.

Question 9

How should organizations govern discovered shadow AI?

Accepted Answer

Teams can sanction an approved tool or agent through request, policy, access review, credential, and runtime controls, or retire unauthorized access through a supported deprovisioning path.

Question 10

How is C1 shadow AI discovery different from CASB, DLP, or EDR?

Accepted Answer

CASB, DLP, and EDR tools can provide traffic, data, process, or application findings. C1 connects supported findings to identity, ownership, credentials, and access, then carries the decision into an existing governance path.

Question 11

How can teams reduce shadow AI without blocking adoption?

Accepted Answer

Pair discovery with a fast governed path: publish approved AI tools and MCP servers, make access self-service, apply policy before use, and provide secure credential and runtime controls for sanctioned agents.

Shadow AI Discovery

How do we find AI risks, and bring the MCPs, agents, and secrets onto the governed path?

Find unsanctioned AI tools, agents, MCP servers, and credentials.

Discover endpoint AI usage

Explore AI risks

Vault endpoint credentials

Promote MCPs to managed and offer self service

The C1.ai products you'll use:

Discover shadow AI and put it on the governed path.

FAQs

Read the solution brief

C1 for Shadow AI Discovery

Agentic AI Security Risks: The OWASP Top 10 and How to Fix Them

How Qualtrics Unified Identity, Streamlined FedRAMP Compliance, and Transformed Employee Access with C1