The adoption of AI agents has accelerated.
More data. Faster hardware. More delegated tasks.
AI agents thrive in hidden corners of corporate IT.
They wait for work in silence – as privileged users.
What happens when an outsider gains access to such an agent?
Its privileges become the outsider’s access.
Artificial Assistants – Employees On Steroids
They perform task sequences like human employees.
The difference?
- Speed.
- Accuracy.
- Endless energy.
The AI agent requires privileges to modify systems.
For example, to perform employee onboarding and offboarding – an AI agent needs permissions to:
- Change user data.
- Modify the corporate mail system.
- File storage privileges.
- Identity and Access Management.
- Firewalls.
- Switches.
Critical: usually the agent has only one technical user for these tasks.
Convenience Opens The Door
One agent.
One technical user.
Mapped to multiple systems.
The agent has broad privileges to critical systems.
Masked as a single technical user.
When an attacker gains access to the AI agent – its privileges are granted for the malicious actor.
Every log will blend in – like the agent’s daily operations.
No alerts.
The traces exist – but they are indistinguishable from normal agent activity.
Protect Your System – Repair The Cracks
AI agents are installed rapidly.
Systems must adapt. Architects and Operators must converge.
The new terrain requires new paths:
- Treat AI agents as other human employees.
- Use multiple technical users for separate high-security systems.
- Use separate AI agents per task.
- Monitor the access to agents.
- Monitor the access to technical users.
- Audit every change the agents do.
The cracks on the wall are here.
Repair and watch them closely.
Final Words
AI agents are already integral parts of corporate systems.
Architects. Operators.
It’s our responsibility to adapt.
To learn.
Otherwise, we fail to protect our assets.
Tom's IT Cafe 