AI Security / 2026 Essentials
Your AI Search Must Respect Document Permissions
A shared vector index must not turn private documents into public answers.
Retrieval can expose information even when the final answer sounds harmless. OWASP highlights unauthorised access and cross-context leakage in vector and embedding systems. The application must preserve document permissions throughout indexing, retrieval, and answer construction, especially when several teams share infrastructure.
What matters
- Apply user and tenant authorisation when selecting retrieved documents.
- Test with users who should not be able to view sensitive material.
- Keep access rules current when documents move, change owners, or are deleted.
Practical example: An employee assistant searches company policies but excludes HR case files from users without the corresponding access.
One action today: Ask a restricted test account a question that only a confidential document could answer.