---
name: Computer-Using Agent Risk Assessment
description: Inventories Computer-Using Agents (CUAs) built in Copilot Studio, assesses which desktop and web applications each agent can drive via UI automation, checks whether human approval gates are configured, and evaluates audit log coverage for CUA actions.
---

# Computer-Using Agent Risk Assessment

> **TL;DR:** This skill inventories Computer-Using Agents in Copilot Studio, identifies which applications each agent can control via UI automation, verifies whether approval gates are in place, and flags CUAs whose UI actions are not captured in the Purview audit log.

## What does the computer-using agent risk assessment cover?

Computer-Using Agents (CUAs) reached general availability in Copilot Studio in May 2026. A CUA is an agent that drives websites, desktop applications, and legacy systems by interacting directly with the user interface — navigating pages, clicking buttons, entering data — rather than through APIs. This capability dramatically expands automation reach but introduces a risk profile unlike other agent types: CUAs can operate on applications that have no API governance, no access log, and no sensitivity-aware data handling. A CUA with access to a financial management system, payroll portal, or clinical records application can take consequential actions that may not be visible to the standard Microsoft Purview audit log. This skill inventories all CUAs in Copilot Studio environments, assesses the applications they can access, and produces a risk-tiered report.

## When should you run this skill?

- "Inventory all Computer-Using Agents in our Copilot Studio environments"
- "Assess the risk of agents that can interact with desktop or web applications"
- "Check whether CUAs require human approval before taking actions"
- "Verify CUA actions are being captured in our audit log"
- "Identify CUAs accessing regulated applications (payroll, clinical, financial)"
- "Produce CUA governance evidence for IRAP or APRA review"

## How this skill works, step by step

1. Open the Copilot Studio admin portal at `admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com` → Copilot Studio → Agents
2. Filter agents by type: Computer Use; export the agent list with environment, maker, status, and last modified date
3. For each CUA: open the agent configuration and record the target applications configured (websites, desktop apps, legacy systems)
4. Classify each target application by sensitivity tier:
   - **Critical**: financial management, payroll, clinical or health records, government identity systems, legal matter management
   - **High**: HR systems, CRM with PII, file servers, cloud storage with sensitive content
   - **Medium**: internal productivity tools, intranet portals, project management systems
   - **Low**: publicly accessible websites, internal knowledge bases without sensitive content
5. Check the approval gate configuration for each CUA: is a human approval step required before the agent executes a UI action sequence? Note whether approval is required per action, per session, or not at all
6. Check screenshot and keystroke capture policies: does the Copilot Studio environment policy permit the agent to capture screen content? What data retention policy applies to captured screenshots?
7. Check the Purview unified audit log: search for `CopilotInteraction` and `AgentActionTaken` events for the CUA's service principal ID. Note: CUA UI actions on non-Microsoft applications may not generate audit events in Purview — flag this explicitly as a visibility gap
8. For each CUA with a Critical or High application scope: verify whether the agent uses a dedicated service account identity or runs as the triggering user; service account use on critical applications is a significant privilege escalation risk
9. Assess whether network egress controls prevent the CUA from operating outside authorised application scopes
10. Produce the risk-tiered inventory and summary below

## Output format

### CUA inventory and risk tiers

| Agent name | Environment | Target applications | App sensitivity | Approval gate | Purview audit coverage | Auth model | Risk tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Payroll-Processor | Production | Payroll portal (MYOB) | Critical | None | Not covered — non-Microsoft app | Service account | Critical |
| Travel-Booking | Production | Company travel portal | Medium | Per session | Partial — login events only | User delegated | Medium |
| Intranet-Updater | Dev | Internal wiki | Low | Per action | Full — SharePoint events | User delegated | Low |

### Risk summary

- Total CUAs in scope: N
- Critical-tier (Critical app + no approval gate): N
- High-tier: N
- CUAs with no Purview audit coverage for UI actions: N (highest visibility risk)
- CUAs using service account identity on sensitive applications: N
- CUAs with no approval gate of any kind: N
- Recommended actions: require human approval for all Critical and High-tier CUAs; implement compensating controls (SIEM alerting, session recording) for CUAs that target non-Microsoft applications not covered by Purview; review service account usage on sensitive targets

## Risk tier definitions

| Risk tier | Criteria |
| --- | --- |
| Critical | Targets Critical-sensitivity application AND has no approval gate AND uses service account identity |
| High | Targets Critical or High-sensitivity application; may have partial controls |
| Medium | Targets Medium-sensitivity application or has partial approval controls |
| Low | Targets Low-sensitivity application with full audit coverage and approval gates |

## Scope and safety

Read-only — this skill does NOT:

- Disable or modify CUA agents
- Change approval gate configurations
- Alter screenshot or data capture policies
- Access application data on target systems

## Licensing and permissions

### Licences and add-ons

| Capability used | Minimum licence |
| --- | --- |
| Computer-Using Agents in Copilot Studio | Copilot Studio (Computer Use is a premium capability requiring Copilot Studio capacity) |
| Copilot Studio admin portal — agent enumeration | Power Platform Administrator role |
| Purview unified audit log — agent action events | Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance or Microsoft Purview add-on |

### Least-privilege roles

- Power Platform Administrator (enumerate all CUAs across Copilot Studio environments)
- Compliance Administrator (query Purview audit log for CUA action events)

### Microsoft Graph permissions (read-only)

- `AuditLog.Read.All` — query unified audit log for CUA action events
- No direct Graph API covers Copilot Studio agent configuration; inventory is via the admin portal or PAC CLI

## Sources and compliance

- [What's new in Copilot Studio: May 2026 — Computer-Using Agents GA](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/blog/copilot-studio/new-and-improved-computer-using-agents-a-new-workflows-experience-and-real-time-voice-experiences/)
- [Copilot Studio overview — Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot-studio/fundamentals-what-is-copilot-studio)
- Supports APRA CPS 234 — automated processes (agents) with access to information assets must be identified, managed, and governed
- Aligns with ISM Control 0445 (privileged access management) — service account use on critical applications by automated agents requires explicit authorisation
- Supports the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) — automated processing of personal information by CUAs must have a lawful basis and audit capability
- Pair with Agent Audit Trail and Forensics Investigation for incident response when CUA actions require retrospective analysis
- Output in Australian English