An AI agent’s memory can become an attack surface, Cisco researcher warns | iTWire

Cisco’s Amy Chang says businesses need to examine the instructions, dependencies and permissions surrounding AI agents, then assess their behaviour across complete tasks.

A coding assistant can be steered towards insecure advice through the files and dependencies it trusts, according to Cisco’s head of AI threat intelligence and security research, Amy Chang (pictured).

Speaking with iTWire at Cisco Live in Melbourne, Chang argued that businesses need to examine the environment around an AI agent: its instructions, connected tools, access to information, and ability to act.

Chang knows; she leads Cisco’s AI threat intelligence and security research and has served a distinguished career as a security expert for many organisations, including as a US intelligence officer. However, she’s committed to using her great skills and strengths for good, which includes putting open source tools onto GitHub for the betterment of the world as we all strive to protect ourselves and our…