Agent security6 MIN READ
The permission boundary behind every agent action
An agent can only be evaluated in the context of what its tools allow. Examine identity, delegated authority and action boundaries before you put a workflow in motion.
THE SOFTLANDER BLOG
Agent security
Threats, controls and review methods for systems that read untrusted content and act through tools.
In Agent security
21 articlesAgent security6 MIN READ
Computer-use agents bring the interface back into the threat model
A computer-use agent treats pixels, accessibility data and interface state as both evidence and an action surface. Security must bind intent to effects beyond the screen.
Governance & privacy6 MIN READ
AI agents in legal operations: assistance without invented authority
Legal agents can organize evidence and prepare work, but professional judgement, client authority and verified legal positions cannot be delegated by interface.
Agent security6 MIN READ
Designing credentials that expire before trust does
Agent credentials should be shorter-lived than the assumptions that justify them. Bind them to a workload, audience, task and action, then prove renewal and revocation work.
Agent security6 MIN READ
What evidence should survive an AI security incident?
Investigators need more than chat transcripts. Preserve identity, instructions, retrieved context, model and tool versions, policy decisions, credentials, network events and actual state changes.
Agent security6 MIN READ
Running an AI-agent incident tabletop exercise
A useful tabletop follows one plausible agent failure through detection, containment, evidence, business recovery and accountable return to service.
Agent security6 MIN READ
Testing an agent’s network-egress boundary
“Internet access” is too broad a permission for an agent. Define destinations, protocols, data-release rules and failure behaviour, then test bypasses against the deployed network path.
Architecture & engineering6 MIN READ
Agentic AI in manufacturing maintenance
Maintenance agents can turn condition signals into coordinated work, but plant safety and control demand bounded action and field verification.
Agent security6 MIN READ
What least privilege means for an AI agent
Least privilege for agents is not a smaller role assigned once. It is authority narrowed by identity, task, resource, action, time and consequence at every tool call.
Evaluation & assurance6 MIN READ
How to evaluate a software-engineering agent on real repository work
A passing patch is only the start. Repository evaluation should test understanding, change quality, security, reviewability and recovery.
Agent security6 MIN READ
Agent protocols are creating a new control surface
Protocols make tools and agents interoperable, but they also standardise discovery, delegation and context exchange. Those interfaces need explicit trust and policy controls.
Agent security6 MIN READ
A practical security review for an MCP server
Review an MCP server as a privileged protocol adapter: verify tool semantics, OAuth boundaries, token audience, downstream delegation, input handling, isolation, logging and consent.
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Take the thinking
into your next discussion.
Read the method, assumptions and questions to ask.
A little more clarity
Questions worth asking.
Start with the questions that shape a better decision.
Which enterprise agent questions does the Softlander blog examine?
The blog examines where agents create business value, how teams define release evidence, how authority and tool access should be bounded, and how engineering, security and governance owners can make a shared decision.
Who are the articles written for?
They are written for product, engineering, AI platform, security, governance and transformation leaders responsible for moving an agent workflow from idea or pilot towards accountable operation.
How do the articles relate to Softlander’s services?
Articles explain the problems and decision methods behind the consultancy’s service direction. They are educational material and do not replace a scoped review of an organisation’s actual system.