Key Points
- F5 acquires SurePath AI to power network-based discovery of unauthorised AI usage
- Platform claims 98.2 per cent efficacy in blocking prompt injection attacks
- 88 per cent of organisations report at least one AI-related security challenge
F5, the American cybersecurity firm, has acquired SurePath AI and launched an AI security platform designed to give enterprises visibility over authorised and unauthorised artificial intelligence applications running across their networks.
The F5 AI Security Platform, announced on Wednesday (24 June), combines SurePath AI’s network-based discovery capabilities with F5’s existing application security tools.
The platform is designed to identify shadow AI, a term used for AI tools adopted by employees without organisational approval, and to enforce security policies across AI models, agents and the application programming interfaces that connect them.
By the numbers
- 88%
- Organisations reporting AI-related security challenges
- 98%
- Organisations preparing for agentic AI adoption
- 140,000
- Attack patterns in F5's AI threat database
The acquisition addresses a growing concern among chief information security officers (CISOs) about the proliferation of AI tools that operate outside sanctioned IT infrastructure.
According to company own ‘State of Application Strategy Report’, 88 per cent of organisations report at least one AI-related operational or security challenge.
Shadow AI detection without application changes
SurePath AI specialises in discovering AI usage across enterprise networks without requiring direct integration with individual applications. The technology uses network redirects and out-of-band analysis, meaning it monitors traffic patterns rather than requiring changes to existing software, to identify AI activity that security teams may not otherwise detect.
“Most AI security today is a wrapper around a chatbot. That is not security,” said Kunal Anand, chief product officer, F5. “Enterprises run AI inside regulated networks, behind APIs, and across agents that authenticate and act on their own. The F5 AI Security Platform gives CISOs and security leaders what they have been missing: continuous control over every model, agent, and API, wherever the AI runs.”
The platform tracks agent tool calls and connections to Model Context Protocol servers, which allow AI models to interact with external data sources and tools. This visibility is intended to help security teams understand not just which AI applications are running but what actions they are taking.
Four-pillar approach to AI governance
F5 has structured the platform around four integrated functions. AI governance translates organisational risk tolerances and regulatory requirements into enforceable rules for AI prompts, outputs and data access. AI discovery provides continuous visibility into all AI applications and agents, whether sanctioned or not, classifying each by use case and intent.
AI security testing allows organisations to stress-test AI systems against what F5 describes as more than 140,000 attack patterns before deployment to production environments. AI runtime protection deploys guardrails at the point of user interaction, with F5 claiming up to 98.2 per cent efficacy in independent testing against prompt injection, excessive agent autonomy and data leakage.
An observability layer provides audit trails across AI interactions for organisations in regulated industries that require detailed accountability records.
Deployment flexibility for regulated industries
The platform supports deployment across on-premises, air-gapped, private cloud, hybrid and public cloud environments. Air-gapped deployments are networks physically isolated from the internet, commonly used in defence, critical infrastructure and financial services where data cannot leave controlled environments.
F5 has positioned this flexibility as addressing data residency and sovereignty requirements that prevent some organisations from using cloud-only security tools. SurePath AI’s network-based deployment model requires no changes to existing application architectures, according to F5.
F5 is listed on the Nasdaq. The company has not disclosed the financial terms of the SurePath AI acquisition.
Your Questions, Answered
What is shadow AI and why is it a security concern?
Shadow AI refers to artificial intelligence tools adopted by employees without organisational approval. It creates security risks because IT and security teams cannot monitor, govern or protect systems they do not know exist, potentially exposing sensitive data or creating compliance gaps.
What does F5's acquisition of SurePath AI enable?
SurePath AI provides network-based discovery of AI applications without requiring integration with individual systems. This allows security teams to identify all AI usage across an enterprise, including unauthorised tools, through passive network monitoring.
Can the F5 AI Security Platform work in air-gapped environments?
Yes. F5 has designed the platform to support on-premises, air-gapped, private cloud, hybrid and public cloud deployments, addressing requirements for organisations where data residency and sovereignty prevent cloud-only security tools.
How effective does F5 claim the platform is against AI attacks?
F5 claims the platform demonstrated up to 98.2 per cent security efficacy in independent testing against prompt injection, excessive agent autonomy and data leakage. The company has not disclosed which organisation conducted the testing.
