2026-01-15 · Authensor

AI Agent Security Checklist 2026

This is the definitive AI agent security checklist for 2026, covering every layer from action gating to audit compliance. SafeClaw by Authensor provides the deny-by-default policy engine, hash-chained audit trail, and simulation mode referenced throughout this checklist. Install with npx @authensor/safeclaw and work through each item below.

Phase 1: Foundation

✅ 1. Install a deny-by-default action gating tool. Run npx @authensor/safeclaw in your project. Every agent action is blocked until you explicitly permit it.

✅ 2. Define your agent's minimum required permissions. List every action your agent legitimately needs: file reads, file writes, shell commands, network requests. Nothing else gets allowed.

✅ 3. Write a YAML policy file. Create your initial SafeClaw policy with defaultAction: deny and explicit allow rules for each required action.

defaultAction: deny
rules:
  - action: file.read
    path: "/app/src/**"
    decision: allow
  - action: file.write
    path: "/app/output/**"
    decision: allow
  - action: shell.exec
    command: "npm test"
    decision: allow

✅ 4. Enable the hash-chained audit trail. Verify that every action attempt (allowed and denied) is logged with cryptographic chaining.

✅ 5. Run simulation mode for 48-72 hours. Log all actions without blocking to identify what your agent actually does before enforcing.

Phase 2: Policy Hardening

✅ 6. Review simulation logs. Identify every action type, file path, command, and network target your agent attempted. Remove any unexpected actions from your allow list.

✅ 7. Apply least-privilege rules. Narrow file paths to specific directories, commands to specific binaries, and network access to specific domains.

✅ 8. Add escalation rules for high-risk actions. Database writes, production deploys, credential access, and config changes should require human approval.

✅ 9. Set timeout defaults for escalations. Configure deny-on-timeout so unanswered escalations default to blocking the action.

✅ 10. Enable enforcement mode. Switch from simulation to enforcement. The policy now actively blocks unauthorized actions.

Phase 3: Runtime Protection

✅ 11. Block credential file access. Deny read access to .env, .ssh/, AWS credentials, and API key files.

  - action: file.read
    path: "**/.env"
    decision: deny
  - action: file.read
    path: "/.ssh/"
    decision: deny
  - action: file.read
    path: "/.aws/"
    decision: deny

✅ 12. Block destructive shell commands. Explicitly deny rm -rf, mkfs, dd, chmod 777, and other system-level commands.

✅ 13. Restrict network egress. Allow only the specific domains your agent needs. Deny all other outbound network requests.

✅ 14. Prevent privilege escalation. Deny sudo, su, chown, and other privilege-escalation commands.

✅ 15. Isolate agent processes. Run agents in containers or sandboxed environments as an additional defense layer.

Phase 4: Monitoring and Response

✅ 16. Set up alerts for denied actions. A spike in denied actions indicates either a misconfigured policy or a compromised agent.

✅ 17. Review audit logs weekly. Look for patterns: repeated denied actions, new action types, unusual file paths or domains.

✅ 18. Validate audit trail integrity. Periodically verify the hash chain to confirm no entries have been tampered with.

✅ 19. Test incident response procedures. Simulate an agent security event and verify your team can identify, contain, and recover.

✅ 20. Document and version your policies. Store policies in git. Review changes through pull requests. Tag releases.

Phase 5: Compliance

✅ 21. Export audit trails for compliance. Generate compliance-ready reports from SafeClaw's audit log for SOC 2, GDPR, or ISO 27001 audits.

✅ 22. Map policies to compliance controls. Document which SafeClaw rules satisfy which compliance requirements.

✅ 23. Schedule quarterly policy reviews. Agent capabilities evolve — policies must evolve with them.

✅ 24. Maintain a policy change log. Record every policy change with rationale, reviewer, and approval date.

✅ 25. Train team members on agent safety. Ensure every developer understands the deny-by-default model and can write SafeClaw policies.

Cross-References

Try SafeClaw

Action-level gating for AI agents. Set it up in your browser in 60 seconds.

$ npx @authensor/safeclaw