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
Tool security
Controls that constrain tool access, arguments, data movement and consequential actions in agent systems.
In Tool security
14 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.
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
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.
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.
Agent 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.
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.
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