CHS-Parasar-MC1

Authors

Nilesh Parasar (Cupertino High School)

Abstract

With the rise of AI agents and the increase in their capabilities, organizations more frequently utilize them to carry out core background tasks. These systems, often tasked with handling sensitive information, require extensive security measures to prevent mishandling. Mini Challenge 1 of the 2026 VAST Challenge tasked participants with determining the cause of the leak of sensitive information of a property tech company which had been utilizing AI agents to carry out tasks involving social communications. The agents' behavior was analyzed through their message logs, which were used to create several visualizations displaying the change in their behavior over time and highlighting key discrepancies or sensitive events. The data analysis ultimately showed that the leak was neither deliberate nor sudden, but rather the result of gradual errors in the system that hindered security measures, allowing sensitive information to bypass checks and be leaked.