AI-powered browsers are vulnerable to a new class of attack called indirect prompt injection. Malicious instructions hidden within webpage content can be unknowingly executed by the browser's LLM, which treats them as legitimate user commands. This represents a systemic security flaw that could allow websites to manipulate user actions without their consent.

The ecosystem of downloadable "skills" for AI agents is a major security risk. A recent Cisco study found that many skills contain vulnerabilities or are pure malware, designed to trick users into giving the agent access to sensitive data and systems.

AI 'agents' that can take actions on your computer—clicking links, copying text—create new security vulnerabilities. These tools, even from major labs, are not fully tested and can be exploited to inject malicious code or perform unauthorized actions, requiring vigilance from IT departments.

Despite their sophistication, AI agents often read their core instructions from a simple, editable text file. This makes them the most privileged yet most vulnerable "user" on a system, as anyone who learns to manipulate that file can control the agent.

Powerful local AI agents require deep, root-level access to a user's computer to be effective. This creates a security nightmare, as granting these permissions essentially creates a backdoor to all personal data and applications, making the user's system highly vulnerable.

Beyond direct malicious user input, AI agents are vulnerable to indirect prompt injection. An attack payload can be hidden within a seemingly harmless data source, like a webpage, which the agent processes at a legitimate user's request, causing unintended actions.

The CEO of WorkOS describes AI agents as 'crazy hyperactive interns' that can access all systems and wreak havoc at machine speed. This makes agent-specific security—focusing on authentication, permissions, and safeguards against prompt injection—a massive and urgent challenge for the industry.

Research shows that text invisible to humans can be embedded on websites to give malicious commands to AI browsers. This "prompt injection" vulnerability could allow bad actors to hijack the browser to perform unauthorized actions like transferring funds, posing a major security and trust issue for the entire category.

AI researcher Simon Willis identifies a 'lethal trifecta' that makes AI systems vulnerable: access to insecure outside content, access to private information, and the ability to communicate externally. Combining these three permissions—each valuable for functionality—creates an inherently exploitable system that can be used to steal data.