Akamai Firewall for AI Enables Secure AI Applications with Advanced Threat Protection

Rhea-AI Summary

Akamai Technologies has unveiled Firewall for AI, a groundbreaking security solution designed to protect AI applications from emerging cyberthreats. The new product offers multilayered protection against unauthorized queries, adversarial inputs, and data-scraping attempts.

Key features include:

• Real-time AI threat detection with adaptive security rules
• Protection against prompt injection and model exploitation
• Compliance and data protection measures
• Flexible deployment options via Akamai edge, REST API, or reverse proxy
• Proactive filtering of AI outputs to prevent toxic content and data leaks

Additionally, Akamai introduced API LLM Discovery, an enhancement to their API Security platform that automatically discovers and protects GenAI and LLM API endpoints. This comprehensive security approach aims to safeguard enterprise models, data, and intellectual property as organizations increasingly adopt AI technologies.

Positive

• Launch of new Firewall for AI product expands Akamai's cybersecurity portfolio
• First-mover advantage in AI security market with purpose-built solution
• Multiple deployment options (edge, REST API, reverse proxy) increase product accessibility
• New API LLM Discovery feature strengthens existing API Security platform offering

Negative

• None.

Insights

Cybersecurity Analyst

Akamai's new AI Firewall addresses critical security gaps in enterprise AI deployments with comprehensive protection against emerging threats.

Akamai's Firewall for AI represents a strategic expansion of their security portfolio, addressing emerging vulnerabilities in AI applications that traditional web application firewalls aren't designed to handle. As enterprises rapidly adopt large language models and generative AI, they face new security challenges including adversarial attacks, model extraction, and unauthorized data access.

The product's technical architecture employs a multilayered approach, protecting both inbound AI queries and outbound AI responses - a comprehensive strategy that addresses the full threat spectrum. Key capabilities include blocking adversarial inputs and unauthorized queries while providing real-time threat detection specifically calibrated for AI-based attacks.

Particularly noteworthy is the flexible deployment model offering implementation via Akamai edge, REST API, or reverse proxy, allowing integration into various security frameworks. This adaptability reflects an understanding of diverse enterprise environments and deployment requirements.

The complementary API LLM Discovery enhancement further strengthens the offering by automatically identifying GenAI and LLM API endpoints and continuously updating security policies to prevent unauthorized access - addressing a key vulnerability in many AI implementations.

This launch positions Akamai to address growing enterprise concerns about AI security, compliance, and data protection as organizations work to safely deploy AI technologies while protecting their models and intellectual property.

Financial Analyst

Akamai targets emerging AI security market, expanding addressable market and demonstrating strategic product evolution capabilities.

Akamai's introduction of Firewall for AI represents timely market expansion into the growing AI security segment. As organizations rapidly adopt generative AI technologies, they face new security vulnerabilities that create demand for specialized protection solutions beyond traditional security tools.

This product launch leverages Akamai's established strengths in edge computing and cybersecurity to address emerging enterprise needs. By positioning this product as essential infrastructure for secure AI deployment, Akamai is creating a value proposition aligned with growing enterprise concerns about AI security, compliance, and intellectual property protection.

From a strategic perspective, this expansion demonstrates Akamai's ability to evolve its product portfolio to address emerging market opportunities - an essential capability for maintaining competitive positioning in the dynamic cybersecurity landscape.

The timing aligns with accelerating enterprise AI adoption trends, suggesting market readiness for specialized security solutions. While the press release doesn't include specific revenue projections or pricing details, this product expands Akamai's addressable market and potential use cases within existing customer accounts.

This launch appears to be part of a broader AI security strategy, with the complementary API LLM Discovery enhancement suggesting Akamai is building an integrated AI security suite rather than just offering point solutions.

Akamai's latest solutions use AI to strengthen security while also protecting businesses from AI-driven threats

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online, today announced Firewall for AI, a new solution that provides multilayered protection for AI applications against unauthorized queries, adversarial inputs, and large-scale data-scraping attempts.

As AI rapidly transforms industries, organizations are quickly deploying large language models (LLMs), agentic AI, and other emerging tools. However, these innovations introduce new security vulnerabilities, including adversarial attacks, model extraction, API abuse, and large-scale data scraping — threats that existing web application firewalls (WAFs) are not designed to mitigate. Combined with other new enhancements such as API LLM Discovery, Akamai Firewall for AI provides customers with a holistic set of AI-driven capabilities.

"Traditional security solutions do not stop AI threats," said Rupesh Chokshi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Application Security, Akamai. "As enterprises embrace the AI era to unlock new levels of productivity, AI security must be a key enabler. Firewall for AI is a game changer for any enterprise adopting AI. Securing AI applications isn't just about blocking attacks, it's about enabling innovation without compromising security or performance. With Firewall for AI, enterprise models, data, and intellectual property are protected from evolving threats."

Introducing Firewall for AI: Defending AI models from emerging threats

AI models contain valuable proprietary knowledge and sensitive datasets, making them prime targets for attackers. Akamai Firewall for AI addresses this as a purpose-built security solution designed to protect AI-powered applications, LLMs, and AI-driven APIs from emerging cyberthreats. By securing inbound AI queries and outbound AI responses, the firewall closes security gaps that generative AI technologies introduce. 

Key features of Firewall for AI include:

• Multilayered protection: Blocks adversarial inputs, unauthorized queries, and large-scale data scraping to prevent model manipulation and data exfiltration.
• Real-time AI threat detection: Uses adaptive security rules to dynamically respond to evolving AI-based attacks, including prompt injection and model exploitation.
• Compliance and data protection: Helps ensure AI-generated outputs remain safe and align with regulatory and industry standards.
• Flexible deployment options: Deploys via Akamai edge, REST API, or reverse proxy, enabling seamless integration into existing security frameworks.
• Proactive risk mitigation: Filters AI outputs to prevent toxic content, hallucinations, and unauthorized data leaks.

Expanding AI-driven security capabilities

To further protect customer AI deployments and empower secure AI adoption, Akamai is also announcing API LLM Discovery, an enhancement to the Akamai API Security platform, that automatically discovers GenAI and LLM API endpoints, categorizes them, and continuously updates security policies to prevent unauthorized access and abuse.

To learn more about these products, please visit our Firewall for AI page or stop by Akamai's booth N-6245 at this year's RSA Conference.

About Akamai

Akamai is the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. Our market-leading security solutions, superior threat intelligence, and global operations team provide defense in depth to safeguard enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai's full-stack cloud computing solutions deliver performance and affordability on the world's most distributed platform. Global enterprises trust Akamai to provide the industry-leading reliability, scale, and expertise they need to grow their business with confidence. Learn more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on X and LinkedIn.

CONTACT:
Akamai PR
akamaiPR@akamai.com

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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.

FAQ

What is Akamai's (AKAM) new Firewall for AI product announced in April 2025?

Akamai's Firewall for AI is a security solution that protects AI applications with multilayered protection against unauthorized queries, adversarial inputs, and data-scraping attempts. It specifically defends AI models, large language models (LLMs), and AI-driven APIs from emerging cyberthreats.

How does Akamai (AKAM) Firewall for AI protect against AI security threats?

Akamai's Firewall for AI provides real-time AI threat detection, blocks adversarial inputs and unauthorized queries, filters AI outputs to prevent toxic content and hallucinations, and helps ensure compliance with regulatory standards. It can be deployed via Akamai edge, REST API, or reverse proxy.

What is API LLM Discovery in Akamai's (AKAM) new security platform?

API LLM Discovery is an enhancement to Akamai's API Security platform that automatically discovers GenAI and LLM API endpoints, categorizes them, and continuously updates security policies to prevent unauthorized access and abuse.

Why is Akamai (AKAM) launching AI security products in 2025?

Akamai is launching AI security products because existing web application firewalls (WAFs) are not designed to handle new security vulnerabilities introduced by AI technologies, including adversarial attacks, model extraction, API abuse, and large-scale data scraping.

What deployment options does Akamai (AKAM) offer for its new AI Firewall?

Akamai's Firewall for AI offers flexible deployment options through three methods: via Akamai edge, REST API, or reverse proxy, allowing seamless integration into existing security frameworks.