Securing AI Agents: Protect Your eCommerce Business from Unseen Threats

AI agents and machine-controlled processes (MCP servers) are transforming eCommerce, powering everything from chatbots to automated inventory and personalised recommendations. But without strong access controls, these powerful tools can become liabilities—exposing sensitive data, enabling unintended actions, and opening the door to cyber threats.

Below, we break down what you need to know about these risks, and how to protect your online business.

Why Unchecked AI Agents Are a Growing Concern

Explosion of Machine Identities

Every AI agent, API, script, and automated service represents a machine identity: a digital credential that grants access to data, applications, and infrastructure. According to recent research, machine identities now outnumber human identities in most Australian organisations, with some firms managing 70–80 machine identities for every human user. This explosion is fuelled by the integration of AI, cloud-native architectures, and the need for real-time digital services. Yet, most security strategies still focus on human users, leaving AI agents with privileged access under-protected—a major oversight.

Emerging Risks Include:

• Data Exposure: Unrestricted AI agents can access and leak sensitive customer data, including personally identifiable information (PII) and payment details.
• Unauthorised Actions: AI agents may perform unintended or malicious actions if hijacked or misconfigured, such as changing prices, deleting records, or making unauthorised purchases.
• System Resource Abuse: Unchecked agents can overload your systems, causing outages or excessive costs.
• Compliance Gaps: Failing to secure AI agents can breach Australian privacy laws and data protection regulations, risking fines and reputational damage.

What You Need to Be Aware Of

1. Data Privacy and Compliance

In Australia and globally, data privacy laws and insurers are ramping up requirements for privileged access controls and identity management. Failing to secure AI agents and machine identities can result in regulatory fines. It is therefore essential to understand the privacy regulations that apply to you and stay updated as laws continue to evolve.

2. Over-Privileged Access

Many AI agents are given broad permissions “just in case,” rather than the minimum they need. Left unchecked, these over-privileged agents become prime targets for cybercriminals—or can inadvertently trigger data leaks, unauthorised transactions, and compliance violations.

3. Shadow AI, Lack of Visibility and Auditability

Shadow AI refers to the use of AI tools or agents by employees or departments without formal approval or oversight from IT or security teams. These unmonitored tools can access sensitive customer data, connect with third-party services, or make decisions that affect pricing, inventory, or customer service—often without any visibility or audit trail. This lack of control creates significant data governance and security risks, especially in regulated environments.

Ways You Can Protect Your Online Business

1. Implement Strong Authentication and Access Controls

• Use role-based access control (RBAC) to assign user access based on their roles within an organisation, rather than individual permissions.
• Use context-based access control (CBAC) to assign precise permissions based on contextual factors such as time, location, and device status/health.
• Leverage tools like ReShield to automate and enforce these policies.
• Require strong authentication using standards like OAuth or OpenID Connect for agent identity verification.
• Follow the principle of least privilege—only grant what’s necessary to do their job, nothing more.
• Periodically review and revoke outdated permissions.

2. Secure Communication Channels

• Ensure all data exchanged between AI agents, APIs, and backend systems is encrypted using strong protocols (e.g. TLS/mTLS).
• Use digital certificates and PKI to authenticate machine identities and build trusted, secure connections.

3. Monitor, Log and Respond

• Continuously monitor AI agent activity to detect unusual behaviour or unauthorised actions.
• Maintain comprehensive logs for every agent action to support audits and investigations.
• Set up alerts for suspicious behaviours (e.g. unexpected transactions or API requests) and have a response plan in place.

4. Secure Third-Party Integrations

• Thoroughly vet and monitor any third-party plugins, libraries, or APIs your AI agents interact with.
• Limit access to APIs by IP address or geo-restrictions.
• Watch for signs of supply chain risk, outdated dependencies, or malware injection.

5. Govern Shadow AI and Stay Compliant

• Implement a policy for AI tool usage.
• Educate staff and establish a simple approval or registration process for any new tools.
• Ensure compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
• Use automated policy enforcement tools to help maintain compliance and simplify reporting.

Final Thoughts

Unchecked AI agents and the explosion of machine identities represent one of the most urgent cybersecurity challenges facing eCommerce and digital businesses in 2025. By adopting role-based access controls, context-based access controls, fine-grained authorisation, and robust monitoring, you can harness the power of AI while keeping your data, operations, and reputation secure.