AI agents are being integrated into production environments at a pace that outstrips the ability of security teams to govern them effectively. These agents are interacting with applications, managing data, and executing API calls across business systems, often without the rigorous controls applied to human users. This rapid deployment raises significant security concerns.
According to the 2026 Global CISO Insights report by Okta, only 47% of CISOs express confidence in their ability to identify every AI agent within their environment. Even among those who claim confidence, approximately 80% remain concerned about unchecked excessive access.
Challenges with Traditional Controls
The main challenge lies in visibility without control. Recognizing an AI agent’s presence does not equate to regulating its potential actions. Matt Immler, Regional CSO at Okta, will lead a session to discuss strategies for implementing stronger identity governance for AI agents, aiming to prevent excessive access from spiraling out of control.
Despite the evolving landscape of AI, many organizations continue to use outdated controls designed for traditional service accounts. A mere 25% of organizations have embraced frameworks specifically crafted for securing AI agents. Meanwhile, 21% still depend on shared credentials or broadly-permissioned service accounts.
AI Agents as First-Class Identities
This reliance on traditional controls complicates fundamental questions such as determining which agents have access, who authorized their permissions, and whether these permissions are still necessary. As AI adoption surges, these management gaps grow increasingly unmanageable.
Organizations are encouraged to treat AI agents as first-class identities, each with a dedicated owner, defined permissions, lifecycle management, and regular access reviews. The upcoming webinar will discuss bridging the gap between visibility and authorization, minimizing excessive permissions, and applying identity governance principles to AI agents within business operations.
Addressing Shadow AI
Security teams also face the challenge of managing AI tools that bypass standard approval processes. Simply blocking these tools may hinder adoption but fails to address the core governance issue. A strategic approach involves discovering AI agents, assessing their access, assigning ownership, and bringing them under consistent controls.
Okta’s research indicates that organizations with mature identity governance practices are better equipped to tackle these risks, reporting less shadow AI, quicker response times to unauthorized agents, and reduced concerns about AI-driven breaches. The key takeaway is the growing need for comprehensive identity governance to manage AI agent security effectively.
Security teams must establish a thorough understanding of existing AI agents, assess their access rights, justify these permissions, and ensure quick revocation when risk levels change. To gain deeper insights into these strategies, register for the webinar and learn how to govern AI agents as first-class identities while preventing excessive access issues.
