Agentic AI Security Risks and Mitigation Strategies

Introduction

Agentic AI is reshaping industries by enhancing efficiency, automating processes, and enabling personalized interactions. However, this transformation comes with significant security risks that organizations must address. According to the 2025 Identity Security Landscape report, 68% of organizations lack identity security controls for AI, highlighting the urgent need for proactive measures.

What is Agentic AI?

Agentic AI refers to autonomous systems designed to perform actions or make decisions on behalf of users. These AI agents can:

• Sense their environment
• Process information
• Act to achieve predefined goals

Powered by advanced algorithms and machine learning, AI agents adapt and improve over time, making them invaluable for productivity. While not yet widespread in large-scale production, their adoption is expected to grow rapidly.

Key Security Risks

1. Compromised User Accounts

   • AI agents amplify the risk profile of business users. Compromised accounts can cause far greater harm when leveraged by malicious actors.

2. Shadow AI Agents

   • Unsupervised AI agents, or "Shadow AI agents," operate without visibility or authorization, introducing vulnerabilities.

3. Developer Privileges

   • Developers using AI tools become one-person R&D and operations teams, making their accounts high-value targets for attackers.

4. Human-in-the-Loop Vulnerabilities

   • While necessary for oversight, human approval processes can be exploited to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized access.

5. Scalability Challenges

   • The proliferation of machine identities (outpacing human identities by 80-to-1) demands advanced management tools.

Mitigation Strategies

To ensure safe and scalable Agentic AI deployment, organizations must:

• Implement full visibility into agent activities
• Enforce strong authentication protocols
• Apply least privilege access and just-in-time (JIT) access controls
• Conduct detailed session auditing to link actions to identities

Conclusion

As Agentic AI becomes integral to enterprise operations, prioritizing security measures is critical. By addressing these risks proactively, organizations can harness the benefits of AI while minimizing potential threats.

The author is Yuval Moss, VP Solutions, Global Strategic Partners, CyberArk.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETCISO does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETCISO shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organization directly or indirectly.