Cisco (CSCO.US) Releases AI security services aimed at addressing security risks posed by super-intelligent agents such as OpenClaw.

CryptoTimes App learns that Cisco (CSCO.US) has launched security services aimed at protecting the world from artificial intelligence agents and other parties. By establishing trusted identities, implementing strict zero-trust access controls, strengthening agents before deployment, enforcing security protections during operation, and providing tools for Security Operations Center (SOC) teams to stop threats at machine speed, Cisco is building security into the foundation of the emerging AI economy.

For example, the recently popular OpenClaw is a widely used AI agent platform that has gained attention in the tech community. Developed by Peter Steinberger, who later joined OpenAI, OpenClaw allows users to set up their own AI agents that can run on computers to perform various tasks, from checking emails and replying to messages to managing system files.

While these features are impressive, they also pose security risks. This is because users grant AI models control over their computers. Although this is great for automation—super automation—it can also lead to serious issues, such as permanently deleting important emails or entire programs in the system.

For companies testing OpenClaw on enterprise devices, this becomes an even bigger concern. As a result, many organizations are launching new security products designed to control OpenClaw and prevent its AI agents from causing more harm than good.

Last week, NVIDIA (NVDA.US) announced its own platform, NemoClaw, at the GTC conference in San Jose, California, while Cisco showcased its progress in this field on Monday.

“OpenClaw is what ChatGPT means for customer service—it’s essentially a catalyst that makes it easier for tech-savvy users to deploy customer service agents at work and at home,” said Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s President and Chief Product Officer.

Patel added, “The downside—and the challenge—is the trust and security risks of these agents. These agents… they’re a bit like teenagers. They’re extremely confident, inexperienced, unaware of the consequences, and don’t know where the rules are.”

To address these concerns, Cisco states it is taking a multi-pronged approach to protect the world from rogue AI agents, safeguard AI agents from harm, and use AI to detect potential threats from malicious actors and hackers.

Describing this effort as “defending the world from AI threats” might sound exaggerated, but Patel believes it’s not. Like any other software, AI can be exploited to attack infrastructure or steal sensitive data.

Patel said, “The risks of these AI customer service agents are far higher than chatbots. The worst case for chatbots is giving wrong answers. But for human customer service agents, the worst case is taking wrong actions—some of which could have disastrous consequences, like draining your bank account or deleting your emails, and these actions can’t be undone.”

Cisco, like other companies, believes the best approach is to treat AI agents like human employees—assign them verifiable identities, manage them properly, and grant them appropriate access to the right systems and services.

Meanwhile, protecting AI agents from external interference aims to prevent hackers from cracking AI systems and forcing them to perform tasks they shouldn’t.

Cisco states that to achieve this, it is launching a service that allows customers to test their AI agents’ performance under simulated attacks to understand where they excel and where they fall short.

Finally, the company says it is relying on agents to respond to other AI threats, ensuring customers can react to various situations at the same speed as attackers.

OpenClaw is just the latest result of the explosive growth of AI and is likely to drive more changes in the near future. After all, it first appeared in November last year and has already begun influencing major companies’ business decisions. Of course, this will require more types of cybersecurity technologies and methods to help defenders keep up with attackers.