# ASI01 - Agent Goal Hijack

> Attackers trick the agent into changing its main goal or following hidden malicious instructions.

- **Category**: Owasp Agentic Ai
- **Subcategory**: top10_2026
- **Canonical URL**: https://designpattern.fyi/owasp_agentic_ai/asi01_agent_goal_hijack/

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## Description
'**Intent**: Prevent adversaries from redirecting an autonomous agent away from its intended objectives.

**Context**: Agents operate with defined goals and autonomy. Attackers can inject instructions through various channels to override or subtly shift the agent primary objective, leading to unauthorized actions.

**Solution**: Implement goal validation and integrity checks. Use immutable goal definitions. Apply input sanitization at all agent interfaces. Monitor for goal drift. Implement behavioral anomaly detection.'



## Use Cases
Use when building autonomous agents that operate with defined goals and interact with external inputs.





## Trade-offs


### Advantages

- Maintains agent purpose integrity

- Prevents objective manipulation

- Enables goal compliance monitoring

- Supports safe autonomy




### Considerations & Drawbacks

- Goal drift detection can be subtle

- May limit agent flexibility

- Requires continuous behavioral monitoring







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**Reference**: [Original Source](https://genai.owasp.org/resource/owasp-top-10-for-agentic-applications-for-2026)