Don't Get Hacked by AI Agents The Practical Security Guide to Prompt Injection, Malicious Skills, and Unsafe AI Automation

AI agents can read your files, run commands, browse the web, and act on your behalf - and that is exactly why attackers want to steer them. This is the practical security guide for everyone putting autonomous AI to work: it shows how agents get manipulated, what a compromised assistant can do with your permissions, and how to set up your tools so the damage stops before it starts.

You will learn how prompt injection really works - through malicious websites, poisoned documents, and booby-trapped instructions - and how excessive permissions turn small mistakes into stolen credentials, leaked data, or destructive actions. Realistic attack scenarios show each threat in action, followed by the exact defensive configuration that blocks it.

Inside, you will learn how to:
¿ Recognize prompt injection and untrusted instructions before an agent acts on them
¿ Apply least-privilege permissions to files, terminals, browsers, and connected apps
¿ Protect API keys and credentials from theft, leakage, and accidental exposure
¿ Vet skills, plugins, and MCP servers before trusting them with your workspace
¿ Restrict shell access and require human approval for sensitive actions
¿ Evaluate AI-generated code for hidden risks before you run it
¿ Monitor logs, spot suspicious behavior, and recover quickly with solid backups

The guidance applies to the tools people actually use - Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, ChatGPT agents, OpenCode, and common automation platforms - with safe Python demonstrations, permission checklists, and step-by-step tutorials for securing an AI workspace at home or at work.

The final section turns everything into a practical thirty-day improvement plan: one focused action at a time, building from quick wins like credential hygiene and environment isolation to the monitoring, response, and recovery routines that keep you protected as your agents grow more capable.

Written for individuals, developers, and business owners alike, the book is technically accurate without being academic, and entirely defensive: it teaches you to protect your own systems, never to attack anyone else's. Give your AI agents the security setup their power demands - before someone less friendly finds the gaps.