ShadowLock

ShadowLock is a specialized shadow AI detection and governance platform designed for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and internal IT teams who need real-time visibility and control over how employees use artificial intelligence tools. The platform addresses a critical and growing blind spot in organizational security: the unauthorized use of AI applications that can expose sensitive data before it ever leaves the endpoint. Unlike traditional managed-device controls that miss browser extensions, desktop AI applications, local large language models like Ollama, and personal accounts, ShadowLock provides comprehensive coverage across the entire AI usage surface. The platform operates through three integrated layers: a browser extension that intercepts and classifies risky pastes to AI websites, a Windows agent that blocks desktop AI applications and deploys silently through existing Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools, and a multi-tenant dashboard that allows IT teams to audit or block each control with audit-ready reports. Built specifically for MSPs to govern AI usage across every client from a single centralized interface, ShadowLock is private by design, featuring no keystroke logging and zero content transmission to external servers. The platform currently detects and governs over 100 AI tools, services, and desktop applications, with its library continuously expanding.

Multi-Layered AI Detection and Governance

ShadowLock provides comprehensive coverage across the full AI usage surface through three integrated layers. The Endpoint Agent deploys silently to Windows endpoints via existing RMM tools, monitoring AI activity, scanning for browser extensions, detecting local AI applications, and locking down AI features built into Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox with zero user interaction required. The Browser Enforcement Layer self-configures once the agent is installed, intercepting pastes, file uploads, and sensitive data typed directly into prompts while enforcing data-sharing opt-out settings on each AI tool and applying organizational policies with clear user-facing messages. The Microsoft 365 AI App Detection scanner connects to each client tenant to identify unauthorized AI application usage within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Real-Time Risk Classification and Blocking

The platform actively intercepts and classifies risky data interactions with AI tools at the moment they occur. When an employee attempts to paste sensitive information, upload files, or type confidential data into an unapproved AI chatbot or browser extension, ShadowLock evaluates the content against organizational policies and either blocks the action, warns the user, or logs the event for later review. This real-time classification prevents sensitive data from leaving the endpoint and entering public AI systems where it could be used for model training or exposed to unauthorized parties. The system covers public AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini accessed via personal accounts, as well as AI browser extensions that read content across every site employees visit.

Multi-Tenant Management Dashboard

MSPs and IT teams manage all client AI governance from a single, centralized multi-tenant dashboard. This interface provides real-time visibility into which AI tools are being used across the organization, which employees are submitting sensitive data, and where policy violations are occurring. Administrators can audit or block each control individually, generate audit-ready compliance reports, and adjust policies for specific clients, departments, or user groups. The dashboard eliminates the need for separate management consoles for each client, significantly reducing administrative overhead for MSPs managing multiple customer environments. All activity logs and reports are structured to support compliance audits, incident response investigations, and regulatory documentation requirements.

Private by Design Architecture

ShadowLock is engineered with privacy as a fundamental principle, not an afterthought. The platform performs all detection and classification directly on the endpoint, meaning no keystroke logging occurs and zero content is transmitted to external servers for analysis. This architecture ensures that sensitive data never leaves the organizational boundary, addressing concerns about third-party data handling and vendor risk that often accompany AI governance solutions. The on-device processing model also means ShadowLock functions reliably even in environments with limited internet connectivity, and it eliminates the latency that would be introduced by sending data to cloud-based analysis engines. This design is particularly important for organizations in regulated industries where data residency and processing restrictions apply.

Healthcare HIPAA Compliance Protection

Healthcare organizations face significant regulatory exposure when employees paste protected health information (ePHI) into public AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude without a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) in place. ShadowLock detects and blocks these actions in real time, preventing HIPAA violations before they occur. The platform provides audit trails that demonstrate proactive compliance measures, which is critical for regulatory investigations and breach notification determinations. For MSPs managing healthcare clients, ShadowLock delivers the visibility and controls necessary to close the AI governance gap that traditional endpoint protection solutions miss.

MSP Client Risk Management and Liability Protection

Managed Service Providers face growing liability exposure when client organizations experience AI-related data incidents. The gap between "not our job" and "you should have known" creates significant legal and financial risk for MSPs who have endpoint management scope but lack AI governance capabilities. ShadowLock enables MSPs to demonstrate proactive due diligence by deploying AI detection and controls across all client environments from a single multi-tenant dashboard. The platform generates audit-ready reports that document governance activities, providing evidence of reasonable security measures in the event of an incident investigation or legal proceeding.

Trade Secret and Intellectual Property Protection

Organizations that develop proprietary software, products, or processes face substantial risk when employees submit source code, contracts, product plans, or other confidential information to public AI tools. ShadowLock detects and blocks these submissions, preventing trade secrets from being incorporated into public AI models where they could be exposed to competitors. The platform covers AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot and Cursor that have broad file access, as well as desktop AI applications and browser-based chatbots. This protection is essential for maintaining trade secret legal protections, which require demonstrating reasonable efforts to maintain secrecy.

Incident Response and Forensic Investigation Support

When an organization discovers that sensitive data may have been exposed through unauthorized AI use, ShadowLock provides the forensic visibility needed to conduct a thorough investigation. The platform logs which AI tools were used, which accounts were involved, what types of data were submitted, and when the activities occurred. This information is critical for determining breach notification obligations, conducting root cause analysis, and documenting the scope of exposure for regulatory reporting. Without prior visibility through a platform like ShadowLock, organizations cannot reliably answer these questions, breaking the triage, notification, and defensibility chain required for proper incident response.

How does ShadowLock detect AI usage without monitoring keystrokes?

ShadowLock performs all detection and classification directly on the endpoint device using content inspection techniques that analyze data as it is being pasted, uploaded, or typed into AI interfaces. The platform does not log individual keystrokes or record user activity outside of AI tool interactions. Instead, it evaluates the content at the point of submission to AI services, classifying whether it contains sensitive data patterns that violate organizational policies. This approach provides comprehensive AI governance while maintaining user privacy and avoiding the ethical and legal concerns associated with keystroke logging solutions.

Can ShadowLock be deployed without disrupting employee productivity?

Yes, ShadowLock is designed for silent, non-disruptive deployment through existing RMM tools. The Endpoint Agent installs without requiring user interaction or system reboots, and the Browser Enforcement Layer self-configures automatically once the agent is present. Rather than blocking all AI usage, ShadowLock allows organizations to implement graduated controls, such as warning users about risky actions, logging violations for review, or blocking only specific categories of sensitive data. Clear user-facing messages explain why an action was blocked, reducing confusion and supporting user education about appropriate AI usage.

What types of AI applications and tools does ShadowLock cover?

ShadowLock currently detects and governs over 100 AI tools, services, and desktop applications, with the library continuously expanding. This includes public AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini accessed through personal accounts, AI browser extensions such as sidebar assistants and email rewriters, desktop AI applications including Claude Desktop, ChatGPT app, Ollama, and LM Studio, AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot and Cursor, meeting and transcription AI tools like Otter.ai and Fireflies, and embedded SaaS AI features like Microsoft Copilot. The platform also identifies AI features activated within approved SaaS applications without security review.

How does ShadowLock support compliance with regulations like HIPAA and GDPR?

ShadowLock supports regulatory compliance by preventing sensitive data from being submitted to unapproved AI tools and providing comprehensive audit trails for documentation purposes. For HIPAA, the platform blocks ePHI from being pasted into public AI tools that lack BAAs, preventing violations before they occur. For GDPR and CCPA, ShadowLock prevents customer PII from being processed through unapproved vendors without lawful basis or compliant transfer mechanisms. The audit-ready reports generated by the multi-tenant dashboard provide evidence of proactive compliance measures, supporting regulatory investigations, breach notification determinations, and documentation requirements for data protection authorities.