OWASP Releases Top 10 Risks for Agentic AI Applications

This week marks a pivotal moment in AI cybersecurity with the release of the OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications 2026, highlighting the most critical vulnerabilities unique to autonomous AI systems capable of independent planning, decision-making, and execution with minimal human intervention. This inaugural list addresses emerging threats in agentic AI, urging organizations to adopt specialized mitigation strategies amid rapid adoption in enterprise environments.

Understanding Agentic AI and Its Unique Attack Surface

Agentic AI refers to advanced autonomous agents that integrate large language models with tool-calling capabilities, memory persistence, and multi-step reasoning to perform complex tasks such as workflow automation, data analysis, and system interactions. Unlike traditional AI, these systems operate with goal-oriented autonomy, exposing them to novel risks like indirect prompt injection where attackers manipulate external data sources to alter agent behavior without direct access to the model. The OWASP list prioritizes these threats based on prevalence, detectability, and exploitability, drawing from real-world incidents and expert analysis.

Breakdown of the Top 10 Risks

At the forefront is Goal Hijacking (AI1:2026), where adversaries redefine an agent’s objectives through subtle manipulations in system prompts or external inputs, leading to unintended actions such as data exfiltration or resource exhaustion. Tool Misuse (AI2:2026) follows, exploiting excessive permissions granted to agents, allowing them to invoke dangerous APIs like email servers or cloud consoles in harmful ways. Other entries include Memory Poisoning, where persistent state is tampered with to influence future decisions, and Excessive Agency, which occurs when agents escalate privileges beyond intended scopes. The list also covers prompt injection variants, overreliance on untrusted tools, and supply chain compromises in agent frameworks.

Technical Mitigation Strategies

Organizations should implement sandboxed execution environments using containerization technologies like Docker with seccomp profiles to restrict syscalls and network access. Principle of least privilege applies to tool permissions, enforced via dynamic access controls that revoke capabilities post-task. Input validation pipelines must sanitize external data with techniques such as context-aware filtering and anomaly detection models trained on benign agent interactions. Regular auditing via behavioral monitoring tools can detect deviations, while human-in-the-loop approvals for high-risk actions prevent autonomous escalation. Adopting standardized frameworks like the OWASP list enables prioritized patching and secure-by-design development.

Implications for Enterprise Adoption

As agentic AI integrates into sectors like finance and healthcare, failure to address these risks could amplify breach impacts through automated propagation of compromises. Security teams are advised to conduct threat modeling specific to agent architectures, incorporating red-teaming exercises that simulate top-listed attacks to validate defenses.

CISA and MITRE Publish 2025 Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses

CISA and MITRE have unveiled the 2025 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses, revealing shifts in vulnerability rankings driven by a refined methodology that emphasizes granular risk assessment and real-world exploit data, equipping developers and defenders with actionable insights for 2026 prioritization.

Evolution of the Ranking Methodology

The updated approach leverages historical CWE data, Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog entries, and temporal scoring to weigh weaknesses by prevalence, exploitability, and impact. This year’s list shows upward movements for stalwarts like Cross-Site Scripting (CWE-79, rank 1) and Out-of-Bounds Write (CWE-787, rank 2), reflecting their persistence in modern codebases despite mitigations. New entrants include Improper Neutralization of Special Elements (CWE-89, SQL Injection) climbing due to legacy system exposures.

Key Weaknesses and Exploit Patterns

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CWE-352) rose to rank 3, enabling attackers to force authenticated users into unauthorized actions via malicious sites. Missing Authorization (CWE-862) at rank 5 underscores API endpoint flaws where role checks are bypassed. The list correlates weaknesses to CVEs, noting 89 KEV instances for top entries, with technical details on memory corruption via buffer overflows and deserialization gadgets in languages like Java and Python.

Remediation Best Practices

Defensive coding mandates input sanitization using parameterized queries and web application firewalls tuned for OWASP CRS rulesets. Static analysis tools like SonarQube integrated into CI/CD pipelines flag CWE instances pre-deployment. Runtime protections via Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and stack canaries mitigate memory issues, while zero-trust architecture enforces authorization at every layer. Organizations should map their portfolios against the Top 25 for targeted patching campaigns.

Strategic Impact on Risk Management

This publication shifts focus from broad vulnerability classes to precise weakness enumeration, enabling precise resource allocation in vulnerability management programs and fostering cross-industry collaboration on common defenses.

Joint Advisory Warns of Pro-Russia Hacktivists Targeting Critical Infrastructure

A multinational advisory from CISA and allies details aggressive campaigns by pro-Russia hacktivist groups like Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR) and NoName057(16) against global critical infrastructure, employing opportunistic tactics on OT systems to cause disruptions in energy, water, and agriculture sectors.

Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures

Attackers exploit internet-exposed VNC services with default credentials, scanning for weak RDP and SSH endpoints using tools like Shodan. Once inside, they deploy wipers, DDoS amplifiers, and ransomware precursors, targeting ICS protocols such as Modbus and DNP3. No advanced persistence is observed; instead, hit-and-run operations leverage script kiddie tools for maximum disruption with minimal sophistication.

Technical Defenses for OT Environments

Implement network segmentation with air-gapped DMZs and data diodes to isolate OT from IT. Deploy EDR agents hardened for industrial control systems, monitoring for anomalous PLC ladder logic changes. Enforce multi-factor authentication on all remote access, coupled with just-in-time privileges. Vulnerability scanning tailored for OT avoids disruptive tests, prioritizing patch baselines for common SCADA software.

Geopolitical Context and Response

These operations align with hybrid warfare, aiming to erode confidence in infrastructure resilience. Defenders should enhance threat hunting with Sigma rules for hacktivist IOCs and participate in information-sharing via ISACs.

CISA Adds Actively Exploited GeoServer XXE Vulnerability to KEV Catalog

CISA has flagged CVE-2025-58360, a critical XML External Entity (XXE) injection flaw in GeoServer, as actively exploited in the wild, mandating immediate patching for exposed instances used in geospatial data services.

Vulnerability Mechanics

The flaw resides in improper XML parsing within GeoServer’s REST endpoints, allowing attackers to read arbitrary files via entity expansion, including /etc/passwd and application configs. Chained with path traversal, it enables server-side request forgery to internal metadata services.

Exploitation in the Wild and Indicators

Observed scans probe /geoserver/web capabilities for vulnerable versions < 2.25.2, followed by SSRF payloads exfiltrating AWS metadata tokens. Mitigation involves upgrading to patched releases and disabling XXE processing via libxml2 flags.

Broader Implications for Geospatial Platforms

GeoServer’s prevalence in government and critical infrastructure amplifies risk; defenders should audit deployments with NVD mappings and deploy WAF rules blocking XML bombs.