Forrester: AI Agents Pose New Cybersecurity Risks for CISOs

https://www.govinfosecurity.com/forrester-ai-agents-pose-new-cybersecurity-risks-for-cisos-a-32078

Publish Date: 2026-06-25 13:12:00

Source Domain: www.govinfosecurity.com

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Forrester’s Jitin Shabadu Says Visibility and Identity Must Top Security Priorities

Anna Delaney (annamadeline) •
June 25, 2026

Jitin Shabadu, analyst, Forrester

Artificial intelligence innovation is reshaping enterprise cyber risk. To protect the enterprise, CISOs need to ensure better agent visibility, strengthen identity governance and maintain human oversight as cyberattackers improve their AI capabilities, said Jitin Shabadu, analyst at Forrester.See Also: Beat the Breach: Outsmart Attackers and Secure the Cloud

Shabadu, co-author of Forrester’s Top Cybersecurity Threats in 2026 report, said AI agents are expanding enterprise attack surfaces while creating new challenges for machine identities, software supply chains and detection. He urges security leaders to understand where AI is deployed across their environments before investing in new controls, noting that defensive AI capabilities have not yet reached the maturity of offensive use cases.
“Everything agent is an identity problem… You cannot just govern AI agents like it’s another human identity. It’s not how AI agents work,” Shabadu said.
Visibility should be the top priority for security teams as AI adoption accelerates to ensure security teams put “the right guardrails and controls in place,” he said.
In this video interview with ISMG, Shabadu discussed:

How AI is accelerating nation-state cyber operations and autonomous attacks;
Why AI agent visibility and identity governance should be immediate CISO priorities;
How security leaders can reduce AI software supply chain risk while improving cyber resilience.

Shabadu, an analyst supporting security and risk professionals, focuses on zero trust, threat intelligence, network analysis and visibility, and automation. He works with Forrester clients to enhance their security posture through zero trust and counter cyberthreats through automation and orchestration strategies. His expertise spans numerous industries, including energy, finance, aviation, education and government, enabling him to deliver tailored solutions for complex security challenges.