Forgotten AI agents may still access sensitive company data
Forgotten AI agents retain credentials and connections to company systems, posing security risks.
A report by Arrakis Security reveals that a significant majority of AI agents, approximately 76%, have not run in 60 days, yet still retain credentials and access to sensitive company data. These dormant agents, some with unsecured triggers, can be activated to perform actions, potentially leading to data exfiltration or unauthorized access. The analysis also found that many agents connect to sensitive services without adequate data loss prevention coverage and possess excessive permissions or never-expiring API keys.
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The lesson from this incident
Full lessonOrganizations are deploying AI agents with broad permissions and long-lived API keys, then forgetting about them — leaving 76% idle for over 60 days while still holding valid credentials to sensitive systems. This 'ghost agent' problem mirrors the classic challenge of orphaned service accounts, but with the added risk of unsecured triggers that allow external actors to reactivate dormant agents and initiate actions like data exfiltration. The lack of data loss prevention coverage over these agent connections compounds the exposure. This matters because attackers increasingly target non-human identities, which are often overlooked in access reviews and lack the same scrutiny as human user accounts.
What helps against this
How we list vendors- Identity governance and single sign-on
People who leave or change roles lose access everywhere at once, and forgotten accounts stop piling up.
- Secrets management
API keys, tokens and passwords stop leaking from code, chat and configuration files.
- Data loss prevention (DLP)
Sensitive data cannot quietly leave by email, upload, USB stick or AI tool.