Solutions · Emerging
Agents are identities with tools. Model them like it.
For teams deploying agents against real systems: model how an agent can be hijacked, what it can reach, and how its authority is bounded.
Context
What is actually happening.
Agents are being given API keys and tool access faster than they are being given a threat model. OWASP names goal hijack, tool misuse, and identity and privilege abuse at the top of its Top 10 for Agentic Applications 2026. Prompt injection is not a solved problem, so the design has to limit impact rather than assume prevention.
Obligations
What you will be asked for.
Summarized for orientation. Confirm applicability with your counsel, auditor, or contracting officer.
- A threat model for each agent: tools, data, permissions, and delegation chain
- Evidence of least agency and human approval for consequential actions
- Identity, attribution, and revocation that hold under incident conditions
- Monitoring for tool misuse and unexpected action sequences
Approach
What we do about it.
Three workstreams that produce evidence, not just activity.
Model the agent
Architecture, tools, data, and delegation mapped into a threat model that tracks change.
Bound the authority
Scoped, short-lived credentials and explicit delegation, so a hijacked agent has less to misuse.
Prove the control
Abuse cases, test cases, and audit evidence that show the limits are actually enforced.
Outcomes
What changes for you.
- A threat model per agent, re-modeled when the system changes
- Tool and data permissions reduced to what the task requires
- Attribution and revocation that hold when something goes wrong
Where to start
A six-week readiness sprint scoped to this obligation.
One business unit, one CBOM, one prioritized roadmap, and a board memo that explains the exposure in business terms.
Next step
Find out what you are actually running.
Cipher Posture finds and fixes quantum-vulnerable cryptography. Threat Model Agent models the whole system. Start with the readiness assessment.