Yes. An air-gapped AI system can receive updates safely when each imported model, software, configuration, or supporting-artifact change is handled as a controlled release—not treated as safe merely because it crosses the network boundary offline. Verify what can be verified, inspect and test the exact release outside production, authorize and record the change, and keep a tested route back to a known-good version.
What an air gap does—and does not—protect
An air gap blocks ordinary network connectivity; it does not make imported files trustworthy or eliminate supply-chain risk. A model package, patch, dependency, or configuration can still introduce a vulnerability or an unintended change when it is carried across the boundary. Physical access and change control therefore remain part of the system’s security boundary. NIST recommends verifying vendor-supplied software update hashes or signatures where feasible, while NIST SP 800-171 Revision 3 addresses defining, documenting, approving, and enforcing physical and logical access restrictions associated with changes.
There is no single transfer medium or offline workflow prescribed for every air-gapped system. The transfer method, custody controls, approvals, and facility requirements must follow the organization’s security policy, the system’s authorization boundary, applicable contractual or regulatory obligations, and the vendor’s release instructions.
What belongs in an AI update review?
Define the complete change before acquiring or installing it. The scope may include model weights, tokenizer, inference runtime, libraries, drivers or firmware where applicable, configuration, and security patches. A model file is only one part of the deployed system, so review dependencies and related artifacts as well as the headline model version.
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Request the release package and its supporting information through an approved connected-side process. Useful materials include release notes, package and version identifiers, vendor signature or checksum, dependency information, and an SBOM when available. A software bill of materials can support transparency and risk-informed supply-chain decisions, but it is not a guarantee that components are safe. In a May 12, 2026 release, CISA and G7 partners described AI SBOM minimum-element guidance as supplemental and non-exhaustive, rather than mandatory: CISA’s AI SBOM guidance announcement.
How to move an update into the offline environment
- Authorize the change. Identify the components and versions in scope, the reason for the update, responsible personnel, and the required approval. Limit change access to qualified, authorized people, and document and enforce the relevant physical and logical restrictions. NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 describes these change-control expectations.
- Acquire release materials from an approved source. Keep the package, release notes, version identifiers, signature or checksum, and dependency or SBOM information together. Record where they came from and which release they represent.
- Verify and transfer under local controls. Check a signature or hash against a trusted reference obtained through an approved channel, and record the package identity and result. Use only organization-approved transfer media or another approved mechanism, with custody handled according to facility policy. NIST’s software supply-chain guidance recommends automatic verification of vendor-supplied update hashes or signatures where feasible.
- Inspect in a secure staging area. Do not run an imported pretrained model immediately in the enterprise production environment. The joint government publication Deploying AI Systems Securely recommends inspection in a secure development zone before deployment.
- Evaluate the exact release. Test the candidate package and its intended configuration against acceptance criteria before production. The evaluation should cover the system’s relevant security and operational requirements, with model-specific checks described below.
- Deploy in an authorized window and preserve recovery options. Keep the prior known-good version and configuration available, monitor post-deployment behavior, and use rollback if acceptance checks fail or the release proves problematic. The joint government AI guidance recommends rollback capability for problematic or compromised updates.
- Close the change record. Record package versions, source, validation evidence, test results, approver, deployment time, and recovery reference. Update the component inventory as part of the system update, as NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 calls for inventory updates associated with installations, removals, and updates.
How to evaluate a model change
Model updates can alter behavior even when the surrounding software remains unchanged. Test the specific released model after modification for the properties that matter to its intended use, including robustness, accuracy, and vulnerabilities. The joint government guidance also recommends adversarial testing where appropriate.
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For a substantial change, do not assume that evaluations of the previous model version still apply. The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Code of Practice for the Cyber Security of AI says major AI system updates should be treated like a new model version for security testing and evaluation; it also calls for communicating an intention to update models accessibly and re-running evaluations on released models intended for use.
How to choose a transfer workflow
A USB drive may be suitable only where local policy permits it; the medium itself does not make an update safe. Compare a proposed workflow against the controls and operational needs that apply to the system:
- Whether the release source and the signature or checksum reference are trustworthy.
- Whether media custody and handling can be controlled and audited.
- Whether the method complies with classification, facility, and system authorization rules.
- Whether artifacts can be inspected and tested before production access.
- How quickly the system can be restored to a known-good state if acceptance checks fail.
- The operational burden and update delay the method creates.
- Whether the vendor documents release provenance and supports the proposed process.
NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 discusses controls such as media libraries and access restrictions, but the appropriate implementation depends on the organization and environment. Organizations protecting release or archive keys may also consider secure vault or HSM protection, a practice named in the joint AI security guidance; an HSM is not a universal requirement. Keep relevant keys protected separately from release copies.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What makes the release traceable and recoverable?
Maintain version control for the model and related artifacts, retain hashes and encrypted release copies in a tamper-proof location, and protect relevant keys separately in a secure vault or HSM where appropriate. Preserve the prior known-good version and configuration so rollback is practical, not merely documented. The joint government guidance discusses these traceability, key-protection, and recovery practices.
A matching hash establishes that a package matches the trusted reference used for comparison; it does not establish that the source or software is benign. That is why provenance, staging inspection, evaluation, authorization, and recovery controls remain necessary alongside integrity checks.
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