Proofpoint introduces Agentic Data and AI Security system

Proofpoint, Inc. said it released a Proofpoint Agentic Data and AI Security system that connects AI intent with data access while translating business policies into runtime controls. The update targets the security gap that results when AI behavior is observed without seeing how agents access data, or when data controls do not account for agent intent.

In its description, Proofpoint said point security tools have focused on either AI behavior or data risk rather than both. The company also cited a reported 87% of organizations moving AI assistants beyond pilot and a reported 52% not confident their controls could detect a compromise, adding that security teams need to define and enforce AI behavior in real time.

Proofpoint described the system as reasoning at the agent level using the same identity, access, and data context that it said secures more than 14,000 enterprises’ data. It said the system builds on the Proofpoint Knowledge Graph, connecting AI activity with data sensitivity, identity, access, behavior, and intent through Nexus models, and it said three new agents work from one shared understanding of risk.

For detection, Proofpoint said the Zero-Touch Detection agent treats intent and access as a single signal. For response, it said the Instant Investigation agent reconstructs what happened across data, identity and behavior, and the Remediation agent turns that understanding into action, including access remediation and DLP policy optimization with a human in the loop for governance. It also said Proofpoint Semantic Business Policies translate existing governance requirements into continuously enforced AI controls, and Agentic Insights use autonomous reasoning agents to analyze AI interactions, tool usage, policy decisions, and behavioral patterns to uncover emerging risks.

“You cannot secure AI without securing the data it acts on, and you cannot secure data without understanding how AI is using it,” said Mayank Choudhary, executive vice president and general manager, Data Security and Governance Group, Proofpoint. “Intent and access are two sides of the same coin. Securing them separately leaves critical context behind. Bringing AI run-time protections and AI data governance together gives organizations that context, and the ability to act on risk at the speed AI now moves.” “Organizations have spent decades defining how their businesses should operate,” said Ryan Kalember, chief strategy officer, Proofpoint. “The challenge now is making those rules enforceable as AI takes on more consequential work. Business intent needs to become part of the security control itself, with the ability to identify new risks and adapt as AI behavior evolves.”

Press release, provided by Globe Newswire on behalf of Proofpoint. Read the original.