Definition
A zombie agent is an AI agent that was deployed for a task, still has active credentials and system access, but is no longer actively managed, monitored, or accounted for by anyone in the organization. Most companies today lack basic identity controls to even know how many of these exist.
Why it matters
Every forgotten agent is a standing, unmonitored door into company systems — the same risk as an ex-employee's account that was never deactivated, but multiplied across potentially thousands of automated agents.