- AI agents pose insider risks due to unsupervised access and lack of visibility controls, report claims
- 66% of major data loss incidents stem from careless employees or third-party vendors
- Proofpoint encourages behavior-aware, adaptive security to protect both human and AI activity
As companies rush to implement Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) and AI agents, they face the same issues that come with trying to quickly implement any new technology: risks of data spills, leaks, and breaches.
A new Proofpoint report has argued that “agentic workspaces” are a new class of insider risk that rivals in severity even human error. Two in five respondent organizations said data loss via public or enterprise GenAI tools is a major concern, while over a third said they worry about sensitive data being used in AI training.
AI agents often act as privileged superusers, the report further explains, which only makes matters worse. More than a third (38%) flagged unmonitored data access by AI agents as a “critical threat” and 54% said they lacked sufficient visibility and control over Gen AI tools – so in other words, AI agents are left to their own devices, and that’s causing problems.
Testing limits
“We have entered a new era of data security where insider threats, relentless data growth and AI-driven change are testing the limits of traditional defenses,” said Ryan Kalember, Chief Strategy Officer, Proofpoint.
“Fragmented tools and limited visibility leave organizations exposed. The future of data protection depends on unified, AI-powered solutions that understand content and context, adapt in real-time, and secure information across both human and agent activity.”
Despite AI being a problem, humans remain the weakest link in this cyber security chain. Two-thirds (66%) of organizations attributed their main data loss incidents to “careless employees” and third-party vendors, while 31% cited compromised users. A third (33%) pointed to malicious insiders.
To mitigate the threats posed by both humans and AI agents, Proofpoint advises turning to behavioral cybersecurity and analytics: “just 1% of users are responsible for 76% of data loss incidents, underscoring the importance of behaviorally aware, adaptive security strategies,” it said.
Apparently, two-thirds (65%) have already implemented AI-enhanced data security features.
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