ShadowLock

ShadowLock is a comprehensive shadow AI detection and governance platform purpose-built for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and internal IT teams who need to regain control over unauthorized AI tool usage across their endpoints. The platform addresses a critical and growing blind spot in modern cybersecurity: employees using personal AI accounts, browser extensions, desktop applications, and local large language models (LLMs) to process sensitive company data without oversight or approval. Unlike traditional managed-device controls that only monitor approved software, ShadowLock provides real-time visibility into the full spectrum of AI activity, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Ollama, LM Studio, AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot and Cursor, meeting transcription tools like Otter.ai and Fireflies, and embedded AI features inside SaaS applications. The platform operates through three integrated layers: a lightweight Windows endpoint agent that deploys silently via existing RMM tools, a self-configuring browser enforcement extension that intercepts and classifies risky pastes, file uploads, and typed data before it reaches AI sites, and a multi-tenant dashboard that lets MSPs audit, block, or report on every control across all client environments from a single pane of glass. ShadowLock is private by design, with no keystroke logging and zero transmission of actual content to external servers, ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations while delivering the forensic evidence needed for audit-ready reports. For MSPs, this closes the liability gap between endpoint management and AI governance, providing defensible proof of control and reducing exposure to HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, IP theft, and contractual breach risks.

Multi-Layered AI Detection and Enforcement

ShadowLock deploys three integrated protection layers that cover the entire AI attack surface without requiring dedicated security engineering or complex enterprise deployments. The endpoint agent silently installs on Windows machines via your existing RMM tool, monitoring for AI activity, scanning installed browser extensions, detecting local AI applications like Ollama and LM Studio, and locking down AI features built into Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox. The browser extension self-configures once the agent is present, intercepting pastes, file uploads, and sensitive data typed directly into prompts, enforcing data-sharing opt-outs on each AI tool, and displaying clear policy messages to users. The Microsoft 365 AI App Detection scanner connects to each customer tenant to identify unauthorized AI tool integrations within approved SaaS applications. This three-layer approach ensures no AI tool can operate undetected.

Real-Time Paste and Upload Interception

The browser extension provides granular, real-time control over what data leaves the endpoint for AI services. When a user attempts to paste customer records, credentials, confidential documents, or proprietary code into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any of the 100+ detected AI tools, the extension instantly classifies the content based on configurable policies and either blocks the action, warns the user, or logs it for audit. This interception happens before any data reaches the AI provider's servers, preventing exposure at the source. The system uses content classification rules rather than keystroke logging, ensuring complete privacy while maintaining effective governance. Users see clear, branded messages explaining why their action was blocked or flagged, which reduces friction and encourages compliant behavior over time.

Silent RMM-Based Deployment and Management

ShadowLock is built for the operational realities of MSP environments, where deployment must be frictionless and scalable. The Windows endpoint agent deploys silently through any major RMM platform, including ConnectWise, Datto, NinjaRMM, Kaseya, and others, with zero user interaction required. Once installed, the agent self-configures the browser extension and applies the tenant-specific policies defined in the multi-tenant dashboard. This means MSPs can roll out AI governance to hundreds or thousands of endpoints across dozens of clients in hours, not weeks. The agent operates with minimal system impact and requires no ongoing maintenance, automatically updating its detection rules as new AI tools emerge. For clients with existing endpoint management, ShadowLock complements rather than replaces those controls.

Multi-Tenant Dashboard with Audit-Ready Reporting

The centralized dashboard gives MSPs a single pane of glass to govern AI usage across every client environment. From this interface, administrators can view real-time AI activity summaries, drill down into specific incidents, configure per-client policies for blocking or logging specific AI tools and content types, and generate audit-ready reports that provide defensible evidence of governance controls. The reporting engine captures all relevant metadata, including which tool was used, what account was involved, what type of data was attempted, and whether the action was blocked or allowed, without storing the actual content. This forensic trail is critical for incident response, compliance audits, and demonstrating due diligence to regulators or insurers. The dashboard also provides trend analysis to identify emerging risks and measure policy effectiveness over time.

HIPAA Compliance for Healthcare Clients

Healthcare organizations face severe regulatory exposure when employees paste protected health information (ePHI) into public AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude without a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) in place. ShadowLock addresses this by automatically detecting and blocking pastes containing patient data, medical record numbers, or clinical notes before they reach any unapproved AI service. The platform provides audit trails that demonstrate HIPAA compliance efforts, including which endpoints attempted to transmit ePHI, which AI tools were targeted, and the policy action taken. For MSPs managing healthcare clients, this closes a critical compliance gap that could otherwise result in HIPAA fines, breach notifications, and reputational damage. The system also detects AI transcription tools like Otter.ai and Fireflies being used during clinical discussions or telehealth sessions.

Preventing IP and Trade Secret Leakage

When employees use personal AI accounts to process source code, product roadmaps, financial models, or legal contracts, they risk weakening trade secret protections and exposing intellectual property to public AI training data. ShadowLock intercepts these submissions in real time, blocking proprietary content from leaving the endpoint. For organizations with R&D teams, software developers using AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot or Cursor, or legal departments handling sensitive contracts, this protection is essential. The platform provides granular controls that allow IT teams to permit certain AI tools for approved use cases while blocking others, and to require specific data handling policies for different departments. Audit logs provide the forensic evidence needed to investigate potential IP exposure incidents and demonstrate reasonable security measures in litigation.

MSP Liability Mitigation Across Client Portfolios

MSPs face a growing liability gap: when a client experiences an AI-related data breach, the question becomes whether the MSP had reasonable visibility and controls in place. ShadowLock directly addresses this by providing MSPs with documented, auditable AI governance across every managed endpoint. The multi-tenant dashboard enables MSPs to demonstrate proactive security measures to clients, insurers, and regulators. In the event of an incident, the platform provides the forensic data needed to determine which AI tool was used, what account was involved, and what type of data was exposed, enabling rapid triage and defensible incident response. This reduces the MSP's legal exposure and strengthens client relationships by providing a service that most competitors cannot offer.

GDPR and CCPA Compliance for Multi-National Clients

Organizations subject to GDPR, CCPA, or other privacy frameworks must ensure that personal data is only processed through approved vendors with valid Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) and lawful bases. When employees use personal AI accounts, they bypass these protections entirely, creating significant regulatory risk. ShadowLock detects and blocks the submission of personally identifiable information (PII) to unapproved AI services, providing the controls needed to maintain compliance. The platform also helps organizations respond to data subject access requests (DSARs) by providing audit trails of AI tool usage. For MSPs serving clients with European or California operations, this capability is increasingly critical as regulators focus on AI governance and data protection.

How does ShadowLock detect AI usage without violating employee privacy?

ShadowLock is private by design and does not perform keystroke logging or transmit the actual content of user interactions to any external server. Instead, the browser extension uses content classification rules that analyze data locally on the endpoint to determine if it matches sensitive patterns like PII, credentials, or confidential documents. Only metadata about the action, such as which AI tool was targeted, the policy action taken, and the type of data detected, is sent to the dashboard for reporting. This approach provides effective governance while respecting employee privacy and complying with data protection regulations. No actual prompts, responses, or document contents are ever stored or transmitted.

Can ShadowLock be deployed alongside existing endpoint security tools?

Yes, ShadowLock is designed to complement existing endpoint security, EDR, and RMM solutions, not replace them. The Windows agent deploys silently via your existing RMM platform and operates with minimal system impact, typically using less than 50MB of RAM. It does not interfere with antivirus, EDR agents, or other security tools. The browser extension works alongside existing browser security extensions without conflict. ShadowLock fills the specific gap that traditional endpoint controls miss: visibility and governance over AI tool usage, browser extensions, and local LLMs. For MSPs, this means adding a critical layer of protection without disrupting existing workflows or requiring infrastructure changes.

What AI tools and applications does ShadowLock currently detect and govern?

ShadowLock currently detects and governs over 100 AI tools, services, and desktop applications, and the list grows continuously. This includes public AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot; AI browser extensions such as sidebar assistants and email rewriters; desktop AI applications like Claude Desktop, ChatGPT app, Ollama, and LM Studio; AI coding assistants including GitHub Copilot and Cursor; meeting transcription tools like Otter.ai and Fireflies; and embedded AI features within approved SaaS applications. The platform also detects AI features built into browsers like Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox. The detection rules update automatically, so new AI tools are added without requiring manual intervention or agent updates.

How does ShadowLock handle incident response and audit reporting?

When an AI-related incident occurs, ShadowLock provides the forensic data needed to determine exactly what happened. The dashboard logs include which AI tool was used, what account was involved, what type of data was attempted (e.g., PII, credentials, source code), whether the action was blocked or allowed, and the timestamp of the event. This metadata is sufficient for incident triage, breach notification assessments, and regulatory reporting, without storing the actual content. The platform generates audit-ready reports that can be exported for compliance audits, insurance claims, or legal proceedings. For MSPs, this defensible evidence is critical for demonstrating due diligence and reducing liability exposure.