Broken Authorization: How Authentication Passing Exacerbates the Issue

Cisco’s Chief Security and Trust Officer on Rogue Agent Incidents

In a recent interview with VentureBeat at RSAC 2026, Anthony Grieco, Cisco’s SVP and chief security and trust officer, discussed the prevalence of rogue agent incidents affecting Cisco’s customer base. Grieco acknowledged that such incidents occur regularly, with authentication and identity checks often passing without issues. However, the problem arises when agents access data beyond their authorized scope or take unauthorized actions, highlighting a failure in authorization rather than identity.

Grieco emphasized the importance of securely managing the increasing number of agents in businesses, where the focus is on deploying agentic capabilities while facing challenges in ensuring adequate security measures.

A report by Cisco in 2026 revealed that while 83% of organizations planned to implement agentic capabilities, only 29% felt prepared to secure them. Despite the introduction of agent identity frameworks by various vendors at RSAC 2026, including Cisco’s own solutions, none have been able to address all the identified gaps.

The Unresolved Authorization Gap

Grieco, drawing from his experience in Cisco’s engineering and threat research divisions, highlighted a specific operational authorization gap relating to agent access control. He emphasized the need for granular control over agent permissions, ensuring that agents only access relevant data within specific parameters, such as individual expense reports at particular times.

Independent experts at RSAC 2026 echoed this sentiment, noting that organizations often replicate human user profiles for agents, leading to excessive permissions from the outset. The lack of scoped, time-bound permissions for non-human identities poses a significant challenge in maintaining control over agent activities.

Industry Response to Authorization Challenges

The industry has recognized the pressing need to address authorization and identity gaps in agentic applications. Standards bodies such as NIST, OWASP, and the Cloud Security Alliance have underscored the risks associated with over-privileged access and unsafe delegation in autonomous agents. These bodies advocate for the adoption of existing identity standards and frameworks tailored to agentic applications.

Securing MCP Environments

Grieco discussed the growing prevalence of Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers across environments and the challenges associated with monitoring and controlling these connections. He emphasized the importance of implementing MCP discovery, proxying, and inspection capabilities to enhance security measures and avoid unauthorized access.

Security experts highlighted the need for comprehensive inventory management of MCP servers to prevent shadow deployments and potential security breaches. By prioritizing MCP server discovery and governance, organizations can mitigate risks associated with unmonitored connections.

Addressing Infrastructure Vulnerabilities

Cisco’s analysis revealed that a significant portion of critical network infrastructure is aging or obsolete, posing security risks due to the lack of vendor support and security patches. Grieco emphasized the importance of proactive measures, such as disabling insecure defaults and phasing out legacy protocols, to enhance infrastructure resilience.

Organizations are urged to conduct thorough audits of network assets, prioritize replacing end-of-life systems, and incorporate security considerations into future budget cycles to address infrastructure vulnerabilities effectively.

Actionable Steps for Enhancing Enterprise Security

Security directors can take immediate action to address critical gaps in agentic enterprise security. By focusing on infrastructure aging, MCP discovery, agent over-permissioning, and agent behavioral visibility, organizations can strengthen their security posture and mitigate risks associated with unauthorized access and data breaches.

Grieco emphasized the need for continuous evolution and adaptation in security measures to stay ahead of potential threats and adversaries. While the industry is making strides in addressing authorization gaps, collaborative efforts and proactive security practices are essential to safeguarding agentic applications and data.