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Use different access patterns for people and software. Give a contractor a named account or delegated access where possible; if a shared credential is unavoidable, deliver it through a controlled credential-sharing system. Give an AI agent its own workload identity and only the task-specific permissions it needs, with credentials supplied at runtime rather than placed in prompts or code. In both cases, set an end point for access, monitor use, and revoke it when the work ends or exposure is suspected.
Why contractors and agents need different access
A contractor is a person whose access should be attributable to that individual and removable without disrupting other users. An AI agent is software: it should have a distinct identity and entitlements tied to the person or system operating it, rather than borrowing a human’s account. NIST authors Bill Fisher and Ryan Galluzzo put the accountability risk plainly in their August 27, 2026 article: “Sharing credentials – between humans or agents – creates accountability gaps that can result in any number of security, privacy, and legal issues.”
A secret might be a password, API token, private key, recovery code, or another credential. The safer goal is not simply to transmit it more carefully; it is to avoid sharing a reusable credential when the service can instead grant the recipient their own identity or a narrowly scoped credential.
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Prefer an individual account or delegated access
Invite the contractor under a named account or use the service’s delegation feature. This keeps actions attributable to the contractor and lets you end that person’s access without changing a credential still used by your team. For access to GitHub on behalf of an organization or another user, GitHub recommends a GitHub App rather than sharing a personal access token.
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If a shared credential cannot be avoided
Put the credential in an approved password manager or other controlled sharing system, and grant access only to the contractor who needs it. Make sure the system supports a defined membership and an offboarding action. GitHub’s documentation likewise recommends a dedicated password manager when a secret must be shared.
Do not send passwords, tokens, private keys, or recovery codes through ordinary email, chat, tickets, source code, or command-line text. For API access, issue a credential intended for that integration, restrict its scopes and reachable resources, and set an expiry where the platform supports one.
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- Secure Entry - Data cannot be accessed without the correct high-strength alphanumeric 8-16 character password. A password hint option is available. The password hint cannot match the password
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How to give an AI agent access
Create a separate workload identity
Do not hand an agent a person’s primary account, developer token, SSH key, cloud CLI profile, or production credential for convenience. Give the agent its own identity, with permissions bound to the user or system responsible for it. Where available, use workload identity or dynamic, short-lived credentials restricted to the intended audience and task.
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Do not paste a secret into a prompt, persistent memory, source file, or debug trace. Prompts and tool arguments may be retained or exposed in ways that differ from a purpose-built credential store. Instead, retrieve or inject the credential at runtime through a secrets manager or the platform’s native secret-delivery mechanism, and give each tool or server only the credential it needs.
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- Durable dual-layer waterproof design* — Protects the crypto reader from bumps, drops, run-in and immersion in water. The electronics are protected by a hardened internal case. Rubberized silicone outer case provides a final layer of protection.
- Auto-Lock —The cryptographic key automatically encrypts all data and locks when removed from a PC/Mac or when screen protection or "computer lock" is enabled.
- Secure Entry —Data on these flash drives cannot be accessed without the correct alphanumeric password of 8 to 16 characters. A password indication option is available for this flash drive. The hint cannot match the password.
Constrain what the agent can do
Limit the agent to the tools, resources, and actions required for its current task. Restrict its filesystem and network access and sandbox code execution. Require explicit human approval before destructive, financial, or externally visible actions. For Model Context Protocol (MCP) deployments, OWASP advises scoped per-server credentials and short-lived tokens; it also recommends reviewing tool descriptions and schemas. A local transport such as stdio is not, by itself, a process sandbox.
A handoff and offboarding sequence
- Identify the recipient. Decide whether access is for a person, an agent, or a tool server; do not reuse one credential across them.
- Choose the identity and scope. Create a separate identity or credential with the smallest useful set of resources and actions.
- Set the end point. Use an expiry or short lease when supported. For dynamic credentials, arrange revocation when the task no longer needs them.
- Deliver through the right channel. Use an approved credential-sharing system for an unavoidable human-shared password. For an agent, retrieve credentials at runtime from a secrets manager rather than embedding them in prompts, code, or logs.
- Monitor use. Keep enough audit information to connect activity to the contractor, workload, or agent that performed it.
- Close access. When the engagement or task ends—or exposure is suspected—revoke access, rotate the affected secret, and inspect activity logs.
Choosing a sharing or secrets tool
These categories can overlap in some platforms, but they serve different default needs. A password manager can support a controlled handoff to a person; secrets-management, workload-identity, or IAM systems can provide credentials to software at runtime. Assess the approach against the following criteria before choosing one:
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- Multi-Password Option with Complex/Passphrase modes: Offers flexible password configuration options to meet various security requirements and user preferences
- New Passphrase Mode: Enhanced security feature allowing users to create longer, more memorable password phrases for easier access without compromising protection
- Dual Read-Only (Write-Protect) Settings: Enables write protection functionality to prevent accidental data modification or deletion when needed
| What to assess | For contractor access | For agent access |
|---|---|---|
| Identity and accountability | Named user or delegated access; activity should be attributable to the contractor. | Distinct workload identity and entitlements tied to the operating user or system. |
| Permission boundaries | Limit the account or shared credential to the required service, resources, and actions. | Limit access by task, tool or server, resource, and action; avoid broad human credentials. |
| Duration and revocation | Prefer an expiry and a clear way to remove the individual’s access. | Prefer short-lived credentials or leases, with revocation when the task ends. |
| Credential delivery | Use service-native delegation or an approved credential-sharing system if sharing is unavoidable. | Use runtime delivery from a secrets manager or platform-native mechanism. |
| Exposure and isolation | Check that the credential is not distributed through ordinary messages or copied into shared records. | Check for exposure in prompts, logs, memory, source files, tool calls, and debug traces; isolate execution and control network and filesystem access. |
| Auditability | Confirm you can identify the person who used the access and remove that person independently. | Confirm logs identify the workload or agent and preserve enough context to review its actions. |
What to do if a secret may have leaked
Revoke the exposed credential and issue a replacement with the narrowest required scope and a defined lifetime. Then review the relevant activity logs for use you cannot account for. If the credential was shared among multiple people or systems, identify every place that depends on it before replacing it, and remove access that is no longer required.
NIST, OWASP, and GitHub guidance supports the principles above; service labels and implementation details can change. GitHub and OWASP pages were accessed October 7, 2026, so check the selected platform’s current official documentation when configuring its specific controls.
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