AGENT IDENTITY ARCHITECTURES: DELEGATED, BOUNDED, AND AUTONOMOUS

Summary from the TLDR InfoSec newsletter

1Password classifies agent architectures as either local or remote and operating in a delegated, bounded, or autonomous mode. Delegated agents, such as coding agents or browser copilots, operate as an extension of a human identity and can use a workload identity broker when running locally or leverage platform attestation combined with protocols like WIMSE and CAEP when running remotely. Bounded authority agents, such as CI/CD pipelines, run without human intervention on behalf of a system or workflow and can use a workload identity broker when running locally or, when running remotely, leverage OIDC where available and SPIFFE where it isn't to issue short-lived credentials. Autonomous agents run for long periods with limited restrictions and are complex to secure whether running locally or remotely. This article provides some preliminary suggestions for controls.