Unit 42 AI Security · September 18, 2026

AgentCore Harness: shell access can expose credentials after vault retrieval

Why it matters

Unit 42 demonstrates prompt injection reaching plaintext integration credentials through AgentCore Harness shell access in a permissive test configuration. AWS classified the report as informative under shared responsibility, pointing to tool scoping and egress controls.

My takeaway: Disable unnecessary shell tools, separate credential-bearing processes from agent-executed code, scope downstream identities, and test outbound controls. Encryption in a vault does not isolate credentials once a runtime can read them.
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