Horizon Catalog is Snowflake’s governance layer for defining and enforcing controls across data, metadata, and AI-enabled workflows. It is where policy rules, lineage information, and access controls are managed so organizations can decide who may use a dataset, which actions are allowed, and how activity is recorded.
In cyber security, this matters because AI agents and automated workflows can move quickly across systems once they are granted permissions. A governance layer like Horizon Catalog helps defenders apply consistent authorization, limit overreach, and preserve audit trails for investigations and compliance. It can also support detection of risky behavior, such as unusual access paths, excessive privilege use, or data movement outside approved workflows. If misconfigured, however, the same layer can become a blind spot that attackers may exploit through weak policies or abused credentials.