Agent security6 MIN READ
How to map an AI agent’s attack surface
A useful agent threat model follows data, instructions, identity, tools and state across trust boundaries. This method turns the map into test cases and control decisions.
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
The dangerous combination of private data, untrusted content and external actions
An agent becomes especially risky when it can read secrets, ingest attacker-controlled material and communicate or act outside the boundary. Design the workflow to break that combination.
Evaluation & assurance6 MIN READ
Turning red-team findings into release criteria
A dramatic exploit is a discovery, not a decision rule. Translate it into a threat condition, required control, repeatable regression and release consequence.
Agent security6 MIN READ
What CISOs need to know about tool-using AI agents
Tool-using agents join untrusted input, probabilistic decisions and privileged action. CISOs should govern that path as a security system, not a chatbot feature.
Governance & privacy6 MIN READ
Authority boundaries for procurement agents
A procurement agent may discover, compare and prepare, but supplier commitments require explicit mandates, separation and evidence.
Agent security6 MIN READ
Sandboxing and authorisation solve different problems
A sandbox limits what compromised execution can reach. Authorisation decides what an authenticated actor may do. Secure agents need both, tested independently and together.
Agent security6 MIN READ
Can you trust an agent kill switch you have never tested?
Stopping one process may leave tools, queued actions, delegated agents and credentials active. Define the safe state, control every action path and rehearse the stop under load.
Agent security6 MIN READ
Prompt injection is a workflow-security problem
Prompt injection becomes consequential when untrusted content can steer a model towards privileged tools. Reduce the blast radius by redesigning the workflow around trust and authority.
Evaluation & assurance6 MIN READ
Why financial-services agents require more than model testing
Financial agents combine models, data, tools, people and third parties, so assurance has to follow the complete regulated workflow.
KEEP EXPLORING
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.