KnowBe4 Launches Defense System for Autonomous AI Agents
KnowBe4 announced Agent Risk Manager on April 15, a new product designed to monitor and control the behavior of AI agents deployed across organizations. The system addresses a growing security gap as companies shift from AI-assisted workflows to agent-managed operations.
The product solves what KnowBe4 calls the "agentic paradox": giving AI agents enough autonomy to be productive without letting them become security liabilities. Managers face a new problem - AI agents can access networks, execute commands, and handle data just like employees, but they operate without human judgment.
What the system does
Agent Risk Manager monitors agent actions in real time to prevent unauthorized data theft or compromised execution. It tracks which tools and permissions each agent has access to, tests agents against prompt injection attacks, and flags when agents deviate from normal behavior patterns.
The system includes several operational features:
- Detects prompt injections and jailbreak attempts across user messages and tool outputs
- Scans for personally identifiable information and credentials before they enter audit logs
- Monitors for resource abuse and "runaway" agents consuming excessive API calls or compute resources
- Automatically catalogs all agents and tools across the organization without manual input
- Maintains a compliance-ready audit log for incident response and forensic review
Greg Kras, chief product officer at KnowBe4, said the industry has focused on securing human behavior for years but overlooked the risks that autonomous agents introduce. "Securing the prompt is only half the battle," Kras said. "Our Agent Risk Manager focuses on the output and actions of these agents."
Why managers should care
Managers oversee both human and AI resources. Agent Risk Manager lets them govern AI behavior the same way they manage employee access - by setting boundaries, monitoring activity, and detecting anomalies.
The product draws on 15 years of behavioral data to identify when agents operate outside safe parameters. It uses 20+ classifiers to detect sensitive data and prevents agents from becoming shadow IT or entry points for sophisticated attacks.
KnowBe4 serves more than 70,000 organizations worldwide. The Agent Risk Manager integrates with the company's broader HRM+ platform, which includes awareness training, email security, and AI defense agents.
Learn more about AI for Management and AI Agents & Automation to understand how autonomous systems fit into organizational governance.
For details, visit KnowBe4's Agent Risk Manager page.
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