# ASI03 - Identity & Privilege Abuse

> Agent assumes or escalates high-privilege credentials for unauthorized actions.

- **Category**: Owasp Agentic Ai
- **Subcategory**: top10_2026
- **Canonical URL**: https://designpattern.fyi/owasp_agentic_ai/asi03_identity_privilege_abuse/

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## Description
'**Intent**: Prevent agents from escalating privileges or assuming identities beyond their authorized scope.

**Context**: Agents may be granted credentials or assume identities to perform tasks. Without proper controls, they can escalate privileges or impersonate higher-authority entities.

**Solution**: Apply least privilege principle. Use short-lived, scoped tokens. Implement identity verification at each action. Monitor for privilege escalation attempts. Use role-based access controls. Audit all identity assumptions.'



## Use Cases
Use when agents operate with credentials, service accounts, or delegated authority in any system.





## Trade-offs


### Advantages

- Prevents privilege escalation

- Limits blast radius of compromise

- Enables access auditing

- Supports zero-trust principles




### Considerations & Drawbacks

- Token management adds complexity

- Least privilege requires careful scoping

- May break legitimate workflows







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