Access-Control Risks in Enterprise RAG

Retrieval needs its own access tests

Retrieval-augmented generation, or RAG, supplies source material to a model before it answers. If retrieval includes material a user should not see, the answer may expose restricted information. This is a design risk to evaluate in both custom and packaged systems, not a claim that every product leaks data.

Map permissions end to end

Follow a document from its source through ingestion, indexing, retrieval, and answer generation. Establish how source identities and access rules are represented at each stage. Test group membership changes, deleted documents, and shared access.

Test failure cases

Try questions that refer indirectly to restricted material as well as direct requests. Check citations, previews, cached answers, logs, and exports. Where permission information is unavailable or stale, define a safe fallback rather than silently widening access.

Treat changes as new risk

Run regression tests when connectors, models, identity integrations, or source permissions change. Keep an incident process for withdrawing incorrect or exposed content. Document residual limitations so administrators understand what the system does and does not protect.