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Sometimes—but an AI agent can act only within the access its app connection grants, and the emails, documents, or web pages it reads may contain malicious instructions. Before connecting one, check what it can access and do, limit permissions to the task, and require independent approval for consequential actions.
Start by defining the task and its minimum access
Write down which app, information, and actions the agent actually needs for the specific job. For example, an agent that summarizes selected emails may need permission to read those messages, but not to send or delete email, access unrelated folders, or administer the account.
OWASP recommends limiting agents to the minimum necessary tools and permissions, including permissions by action and resource. That principle—often called least privilege—reduces what an agent can do if it behaves unexpectedly or is manipulated.
Read the consent screen as a list of capabilities
Before approving a connection, identify whether it allows the agent to read, create, edit, send, delete, share, or administer anything. Check which accounts, folders, workspaces, or records those permissions cover. A permission that sounds narrow may still apply across an entire account or workspace.
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Scope names and consent screens vary by app and integration. If the screen is vague, bundles broad access, or does not explain what the agent can do, pause and look for a narrower option or clearer documentation rather than assuming the access is limited.
Choose read-only access when the task only involves reading
If the agent only needs to summarize or find information, prefer read-only access where the integration offers it. OWASP’s excessive-agency guidance uses an email assistant that summarizes incoming messages as an example: read-only OAuth access can remove unnecessary write permissions.
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Read-only is not risk-free. An agent could still expose sensitive information in its response or in service records, so consider what data it can read and where its output may go.
Assume emails and documents may contain hostile instructions
An agent may treat instructions embedded in material it reads as directions to follow. NIST describes this kind of agent hijacking: malicious instructions can be inserted into ingested data and lead to unintended actions when the system fails to keep trusted instructions separate from untrusted content. An email, shared document, web page, or tool result should not be treated as trustworthy merely because the agent is reading it for you.
A system prompt or a benign user request is not a complete safeguard against this risk. The more dependable controls are limits enforced outside the model’s reasoning: restrict its tools and permissions, and put independent authorization in front of sensitive actions. OWASP also identifies risks such as tool abuse, data exfiltration, memory poisoning, excessive autonomy, and sensitive-data exposure in its AI Agent Security Cheat Sheet.
Require separate approval for consequential actions
Look for a confirmation step before the agent can take actions that are externally visible, difficult to reverse, financial, or administrative. Examples include sending a message, sharing a file, deleting data, making a purchase, changing account settings, or altering access for other people.
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Approval should identify the action and its target—for example, the specific message and recipients—not simply grant open-ended permission to act. The check should come from a person or a separate policy control, not from the agent approving its own proposed action. OWASP recommends explicit authorization for sensitive operations and warns about risks from excessive autonomy.
Find out how credentials are protected and revoked
Ask what the integration uses to connect: a delegated account, API key, bearer token, or another credential. Check who or what can access that credential, what permissions it carries, how long it remains valid, and how to revoke or rotate it. These details depend on the service; do not assume every connection handles credentials in the same way.
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NIST warns that API keys and bearer tokens carried between tools and networks can be exposed or used without authorization. Its agent identity guidance points to established identity practices as a starting point, but the right implementation depends on the service and how the agent is deployed.
Before approving access, locate both the provider’s authorized-apps or integrations settings and the agent’s disconnect control. After a trial or task, remove access if the connection is no longer needed. Periodically review active permissions so an old connection does not retain access by default.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check for oversight and records
For higher-impact uses, find out whether a person must approve actions and whether the service records what the agent accessed and did. Logs can help with review, but their presence does not establish that every action is recorded or that the records are complete. If the service does not explain its oversight or logging, treat that as an unresolved limitation before entrusting it with consequential work.
Compare integrations using the same questions
When evaluating an agent or app connection, use these criteria rather than assuming that a familiar brand or a polished consent screen makes access safe:
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute- Permission granularity: Can you limit access by action—such as read, write, send, or delete—and by resource, such as a specific folder or workspace?
- Credential controls: Are credentials scoped and manageable, and can you revoke access?
- Action oversight: Is there separate confirmation for sensitive actions, and can an administrator enforce that boundary?
- Input and tool boundaries: Can the service limit which tools the agent can call and constrain how external content can trigger actions?
These are security criteria, not a tested ranking of products. The right answer depends on the particular agent, app, account type, and current permission screen. For government guidance on adoption prerequisites, the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s AI agent adoption prerequisites also recommend least privilege, secure protocols, safe defaults, and threat modelling.
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