Building EDR for AI: Controlling Autonomous Agents Before They Go Rogue with Ron Eddings

AI agents aren't just reacting anymore, they're thinking, learning, and sometimes deleting your entire production database without asking. The real question isn't if your AI agent will be hacked, it's when, and whether you'll have the right hooks in place to stop it before it happens.

In this episode, Ron breaks down the ChatGPT Atlas vulnerability that shocked researchers, revealing how malicious prompts can turn AI assistants against their own users by bypassing safeguards and accessing file systems. He presents his new talk "Hooking Before Hacking," introducing a framework for applying EDR principles, prevention, detection, and response, to AI agents before they execute unauthorized commands. From pre-tool use hooks that catch malicious intent to one-time passwords that put humans back in the loop, this episode shares practical security controls you can implement today to prevent your AI agents from going rogue.

Impactful Moments:

00:00 - Introduction 02:00 - ChatGPT Atlas vulnerability exposed 04:00 - AI technology outpacing security guardrails 05:00 - Guardrail jailbreaks and prompt injection 06:00 - AI agents deleting production databases 07:00 - EDR principles for AI agents 09:00 - Pre-tool use hooks catch intention 11:00 - User prompt sanitization prevents leaks 14:00 - One-time passwords for agent workflows 16:00 - Automation mistakes across 10 years

Links:

Connect with Ron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronaldeddings/

Check out the entire article here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/cybersecurity-experts-warn-openai-chatgpt-101658986.html

GitHub Repository: https://hackervalley.com/hooking-before-hacking

See Ron's "Hooking Before Hacking" presentation slides here: http://hackervalley.com/hooking-before-hacking-presentation

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