MITRE ATLAS 2026.09 / technique reference
AML.T0081
Modify AI Agent Configuration
MITRE source definition
Adversaries may modify the configuration files for AI agents on a system. This allows malicious changes to persist beyond the life of a single agent and affects any agents that share the configuration.
Configuration changes may include modifications to the system prompt, tampering with or replacing knowledge sources, modification to settings of connected tools, and more. Through those changes, an attacker could redirect outputs or tools to malicious services, embed covert instructions that exfiltrate data, or weaken security controls that normally restrict agent behavior.
Adversaries may modify or disable a configuration setting related to security controls, such as those that would prevent the AI Agent from taking actions that may be harmful to the user's system without human-in-the-loop oversight. Disabling AI agent security features may allow adversaries to achieve their malicious goals and maintain long-term corruption of the AI agent.
Source modified 2026-05-27. Reproduced from the pinned ATLAS release; inline technique links resolve to local reference pages.
Parent, sub-techniques and ATT&CK references
No explicit relationship in this pinned source.
Source-backed defensive context
MITRE mitigations
MITRE case studies
- AML.CS0041 Rules File Backdoor: Supply Chain Attack on AI Coding Assistants · Exercise
- AML.CS0050 OpenClaw 1-Click Remote Code Execution · Exercise
- AML.CS0051 OpenClaw Command & Control via Prompt Injection · Exercise
These are explicit source relationships, not independently reproduced incidents or validated detection coverage.
Simulation and telemetry boundary
This is a technique reference page, not a runnable simulation. No ATLAS-specific telemetry mapping, local attack execution or detector validation is asserted. MITRE maturity describes its source evidence, not a 1200km lab result.
For broader context—not technique-specific control mappings—see AI Security, AI Security Course, and detection-validation methodology.
Provenance and attribution
Immutable MITRE ATLAS source · Import provenance · Attribution and transformation notice · Apache License 2.0
Copyright 2021-2026 MITRE. Source text and explicit relationships are retained; navigation, formatting and local links are provided by 1200km.
No explicit relationship in this pinned source.