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AI assistants are not inherently malicious, but an assistant that reads untrusted content or can use connected tools may be manipulated. A malicious instruction can arrive inside a webpage, email, or document—not just in a prompt you type. The practical defense is to limit what the assistant can access and do, and to review consequential actions before they happen. NIST defines prompt injection as an attack that exploits untrusted input entering a prompt context built by a higher-trust party; OpenAI also explains how attackers can place instructions in content an AI processes.
Why an AI assistant can create a security risk
Prompt injection is a way to manipulate an AI system through instructions embedded in content it processes. The risk is not limited to a person deliberately typing a hostile prompt: an assistant might encounter malicious instructions while summarizing a webpage or handling other untrusted material. Whether those instructions can cause harm depends in part on the assistant’s connected tools, permissions, and freedom to act.
OWASP calls the risk of an AI system taking damaging actions in response to unexpected, ambiguous, or manipulated outputs “excessive agency.” It identifies excessive functionality, permissions, and autonomy as common causes. An assistant that can only summarize text has fewer ways to cause direct damage than one that can access sensitive files, send messages, or make changes without approval.
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A September 26, 2026 article in The Tech Edvocate reported claims about an incident it called “BragJack.” The cited page does not link to a technical report, advisory, CVE, or primary disclosure establishing those claims, so the incident details should not be treated as verified. The broader risks of prompt injection and excessive agency are independently addressed by NIST, OpenAI, and OWASP.
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10 practical tools and controls to reduce risk
These are controls, not ten products to install. Some are settings for individual users; others apply to organizations that deploy AI agents. Together, they reduce unnecessary access and create opportunities to catch consequential actions.
1. Review browser extensions and their permissions
Check which extensions are installed, whether you still need them, and what permissions they request. Remove extensions you do not recognize or no longer use. Extensions have special browser privileges, so an unnecessary one can create risk beyond the assistant itself. Chrome’s developer guidance recommends requesting only the permissions an extension requires; exact controls and labels vary by browser.
2. Keep only extensions from publishers you trust
Before installing an extension, consider whether its publisher is identifiable and whether the requested access makes sense for its stated purpose. Trust is not a guarantee that an extension is safe, but minimizing the number of extensions and their permissions reduces unnecessary exposure. Chrome’s guidance is written for extension developers; the permission-review principle is useful to browser users too.
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3. Disconnect integrations you do not need
Review the services and tools connected to your assistant, then disconnect anything that is not needed for your usual tasks. A connection can give the assistant a path to data or actions beyond the conversation. Keep access scoped to the work at hand rather than connecting services “just in case.”
4. Limit access to sensitive data
Do not give an assistant broader access to files, accounts, or information than a task requires. For example, provide only the relevant document instead of granting access to an entire storage account when the task is to summarize one file. This follows OWASP’s recommendation to minimize an AI system’s functionality and permissions.
5. Reduce the assistant’s ability to act autonomously
Where settings permit, avoid open-ended access or workflows that let an assistant decide and act across multiple services without supervision. Prefer a narrow task with a defined scope over broad authority to operate independently. OWASP identifies excessive autonomy as one cause of excessive agency.
6. Require approval before consequential actions
Configure the assistant or workflow to ask before sending content, changing records, or performing another high-impact operation. Read what it proposes to do and check the recipient, content, and target before approving. OWASP recommends human approval for consequential actions; approval is useful only if the person can inspect the proposed action rather than confirm it blindly.
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7. Use strong identity controls for organizational deployments
For an organization using agentic AI, apply strong identity management so access is tied to authorized users and appropriately scoped accounts. Avoid treating a broadly privileged account as a convenient default for an AI workflow. CISA’s May 1, 2026 guidance on adopting agentic AI services recommends strong identity management as part of a broader risk-management approach.
8. Add oversight and monitoring
Organizations should assign people to oversee agentic deployments and monitor their activity for unexpected behavior. Monitoring can help identify actions that merit investigation, but it does not prevent every attack or replace limits on access. CISA frames oversight and monitoring as organizational controls, not as a universal consumer checklist.
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9. Threat-model and regularly assess AI workflows
Before deploying an agent, identify what untrusted content it will read, what data it can access, and what actions its tools allow. Consider how a manipulated output could affect each connection, then assess the workflow regularly as its tools and permissions change. CISA recommends threat modeling and regular security assessments for organizational adoption of agentic AI services.
10. Consider a security key for compatible accounts
A FIDO2 security key can be an optional authentication factor for accounts and devices that support it. Chrome recommends a security key as a preferred two-factor method for protecting browser-extension developer accounts. That recommendation does not establish compatibility with every personal account or device; check the service’s supported methods and keep an account recovery option available. A security key protects account sign-in, not against every prompt-injection attack.
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| Control area | Useful for | What it limits or improves | What still needs attention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extension and integration hygiene | Individual browser users and organizations | Unnecessary browser privileges and connected-service access | Review permissions and proposed actions; browser settings differ. |
| Least privilege and action approval | Anyone using an assistant with tools; especially important for agentic workflows | Available functionality, permissions, autonomy, and unsupervised consequential actions | A person must inspect high-impact actions before approving them. |
| Identity, oversight, monitoring, threat modeling, and assessments | Organizations adopting agentic AI services | Access governance and the ability to oversee and assess deployments | These are ongoing organizational controls, not a one-time consumer setting. |
| FIDO2 security key | Users with a compatible account and device | Authentication for account sign-in | Confirm service compatibility and retain a recovery method; it does not block prompt injection. |
CISA’s May 1, 2026 recommendations are specifically framed for organizations adopting agentic AI services. They include limiting autonomy and sensitive-data access, using layered defenses and identity controls, and maintaining oversight, threat modeling, monitoring, and security assessments. Do not treat enterprise governance measures as a substitute for basic personal account and browser hygiene.
What these protections can—and cannot—do
Limiting permissions and requiring approval reduce the potential impact if an assistant is manipulated; they do not prove an assistant is immune to prompt injection. No single filter, security product, or authentication factor is established by these sources as a complete fix. The guidance emphasizes layered controls, restricted access, and human oversight.
For AI used in operational technology, the stakes and safeguards may differ from ordinary consumer assistants. NSA, CISA, and partners issued separate guidance on integrating AI in operational technology on December 3, 2025; organizations managing critical or operational systems should use guidance relevant to that environment rather than assume consumer advice is sufficient.
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