Tag: penetration testing
41 articles

AI-Driven Attacks Target Japan with Automated Hacking Tools
In a chilling October 2026 campaign, 44 AI agents were unleashed to automate a sophisticated hacking operation, complete with fake login pages and standardized reports in Japanese. This cutting-edge attack used the open-source tool CyberStrikeAI to streamline every step of the intrusion process.

Kali Linux Release Bolsters Hacking Toolkit with 6 New Tools
The latest Kali Linux release just dropped, packing a punch with six brand-new tools to supercharge your hacking toolkit, plus a fresh kernel and 126 package updates for a smoother experience. This update brings consistency across platforms, with unified build-scripts, features, and a sleek new look that feels like home.

AI Pentesting Matches Human Skill in Vulnerability Detection
Meet Daniel Thatcher, a seasoned security research engineer with 12 years of pentesting experience, who's shaking up the game with Intruder's AI-powered pentester that's giving human skills a run for their money in vulnerability detection. He shares his insights on what works - and what doesn't - in the world of AI-driven pentesting.

Agentic Pentesting Exposes Coverage Gaps
Imagine having a powerful tool that can scan for vulnerabilities at incredible speed, but sometimes struggles to reach every corner of your system - that's what happened when agentic pentesting uncovered a major nginx-ui authentication bypass, missing 360 instances that were left without a clear verdict. By combining AI-driven dynamism with human insight, agentic pentesting offers a potent solution to bridge the gap between vulnerability discovery and exploitation.

AI-Powered Pentesting Tool Exploited in South Korean Financial Data Heists
Meet ARTEX, an AI-powered pentesting tool that was originally designed for learning and research, but was repurposed by hackers to steal sensitive data from South Korean financial organizations. In a shocking campaign, attackers used ARTEX to breach security and get away with valuable information.

Anthropic Expands AI Access for Cyber Teams After Finding 129,000 Flaws
Anthropic is supercharging cyber teams with expanded access to its AI models, following a staggering discovery of 129,000 flaws - with over 33,000 rated critical or high-severity. The company's Cyber Verification Program now offers tiered access to advanced models like Claude Opus 5.5, empowering teams to tackle vulnerabilities head-on.

Law Firm's CISO Exposes Weakness with Laughable Password
A law firm's chief information security officer inadvertently exposed a shocking security gap when he loudly questioned why his password, "r3@lg00dp@$$w0rd", was displayed on the screen. The incident revealed a larger problem that started with unpatched Windows servers and ended with a laughable password.

Pentesting Evolves as AI Agents Close Vulnerability Gap
The vulnerability gap is widening as attackers speed up exploitation, with new vulnerabilities being weaponized in just five days, while defenders take a median of 43 days to patch - and 80% coverage is no longer enough to keep you safe.

CISA Deploys Cyber Decoys to Disrupt Attackers
CISA is shaking things up in the cybersecurity world with a clever tactic: deploying cyber decoys to lure in and expose attackers, making it easier to detect and respond to threats. By using these low-cost, high-impact decoys, critical infrastructure owners and operators can stay one step ahead of intruders.

Autonomous Penetration Testing Gains Traction in Continuous Security Validation
Autonomous penetration testing is revolutionizing continuous security validation, with Breach360 by BreachLock leading the charge, leveraging intel from over 40,000 real-world engagements to simulate real-life attacks. Traditional severity scores have limitations, and it's time to look beyond them to get a true picture of your security risk.

CISA Red Team Tests Expose Organizational Vulnerabilities
CISA's red team tests revealed some eye-opening vulnerabilities, with the team slipping past security operations centers undetected, gaining access to workstations, escalating privileges, and moving freely between systems. This simulated cyber attack exposed weaknesses in critical infrastructure organizations, highlighting areas for improvement in detecting and responding to threats.

OpenAI Unveils GPT-5.6-Cyber, Model With Reduced Safeguards
Meet GPT-5.6-Cyber, a game-changing AI model that supercharges cybersecurity tasks like vulnerability research and penetration testing with unprecedented success rates. This powerhouse model crushes 95% of advanced exploit-chain and privilege-escalation requests, leaving its predecessor in the dust.

OpenAI Unveils ChatGPT 5.6 Cyber for Select Security Partners
OpenAI is supercharging cybersecurity with the launch of GPT 5.6 Cyber, a cutting-edge model designed to help defenders detect and fix vulnerabilities faster than ever before. This game-changing tool is being rolled out to select security partners, empowering them to identify and tackle serious threats with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

AI Applications Expose Widespread Security Vulnerabilities
A shocking 100% of AI applications tested harbored security vulnerabilities, with prompt injection flaws being the most common and damaging threat. This critical weakness, found in 28% of tested apps, highlights a glaring vulnerability that attackers are exploiting to manipulate model inputs.

Pentera Injects Validation into AI-Driven Security Workflows
Pentera is revolutionizing AI-driven security by injecting validation into workflows, empowering teams to turn disconnected risk signals into decisive action against real attack paths. By safely emulating attacker techniques, Pentera provides the evidence needed to transform guesswork into effective security measures.

QuimaRAT Exposes Cross-Platform Threat Capabilities
Meet QuimaRAT, a commercialized remote access trojan package that's being sold as a malware-as-a-service, threatening security across multiple platforms with its flexible subscription tiers. This Java-based tool is marketed for a surprisingly low price, ranging from $150 for a month to $1,200 for lifetime access.

NCSC Offers Guidance on Thwarting Penetration Testers
Want to make life harder for hackers? The National Cyber Security Centre teamed up with penetration testers to share practical tips on building secure systems from the ground up.

Infosec Pros Ditch Automated Pentesting Tools Amid AI Vulnerability Failures
Infosec pros are ditching automated pentesting tools as they fail to detect AI-driven vulnerabilities, with 78% of practitioners experiencing critical false negatives. Humans are needed to outsmart AI-era flaws that automated scanners miss.

Kali Linux Release Bolsters Cybersecurity Arsenal with 9 New Tools
Kali Linux just got a major boost with its latest release, packing 9 new tools to supercharge your cybersecurity arsenal. This update slashes boot time by nearly 3x and trims down the initrd to just 60 MB for VM users.

Cybersecurity Language Excludes Talent
The language used in cybersecurity can be a major turn-off, as one panelist discovered when a high school student sniggered at the term "penetration tester" - a reaction that sparked a thought-provoking question about who this language invites into the field, and who it inadvertently shuts out. This moment highlights a broader cultural issue in cybersecurity's approach to attracting new talent.

Banks' Annual Testing Model Leaves 345 Days of Unvalidated Exposure
Imagine having 345 days of potential vulnerability, with hackers free to exploit your defenses while you wait for your annual security test. That's the harsh reality of the traditional annual testing model, which leaves your business exposed for nearly 11 months of the year.

Social Engineering Exposes Vulnerability in Corporate Networks
A clever phone call can be all it takes to breach a corporate network - just ask Brandon Dixon, a former penetration tester who convinced an IT security team to hand over root access by pretending to be their boss. With a simple social engineering trick, Dixon was able to reset his "password" and gain unrestricted access to the network.

AI Drives Shift to Continuous Penetration Testing in Cloud Environments
The AI revolution is transforming technology like never before, and Evinova is at the forefront, shifting from annual penetration testing to continuous security validation to safeguard its cloud-native healthcare software. This bold move replaces traditional point-in-time assessments with ongoing validation, ensuring rock-solid security for its customers.

Frontier AI Exposes Gaps in Traditional Security Programs
Imagine having the power to replicate a full year’s worth of manual penetration testing in just three weeks - that's the reality with frontier AI, which has exposed significant gaps in traditional security programs. Palo Alto Networks and Unit 42 have revealed that advanced models like Anthropic Mythos can autonomously identify software vulnerabilities and adapt to defensive controls in near-real-time.