In this interview, Joel de la Garza from a16z speaks with Ian Webster, the founder and CEO of PromptFu, an AI agent security testing company, about the rise of AI agents in enterprise applications and the associated security challenges. Webster defines an agent as an LLM that can take actions via API integrations, noting that companies are rapidly deploying them but often neglect security. He introduces the concept of the "lethal trifecta," where untrusted user input, access to sensitive data, and outbound communication channels create significant vulnerabilities. They discuss the shift from deterministic security measures like SQL injection to more complex, conversation-based attacks that require AI-driven red teaming and social engineering to uncover data leaks and access control issues. Webster shares his background from Discord, where he encountered these security challenges firsthand, leading to the creation of PromptFu, which uses AI to simulate adversarial conversations and test agent security at scale.
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