AI Agents vs. My Vibe‑Coded Site: A Cybersecurity Test by RunSybil
A New Kind of Penetration Testing
-
A startup called RunSybil, founded by OpenAI’s first security researcher, launched a group of autonomous AI agents tasked with hacking a “vibe-coded” website created by a WIRED reporter. The goal: scan for vulnerabilities and exploit them intelligently.
-
The orchestrator agent, Sybil, coordinates several specialist agents powered by custom language models and standard APIs to probe weaknesses beyond what traditional scanners can detect. Sybil uses a kind of “artificial intuition” to uncover hidden flaws like privilege elevation attacks.WIRED+10WIRED+10LinkedIn+10
Speed and Scalability in Seconds
-
In the controlled test, Sybil mapped the application structure, manipulated input parameters, and chained exploits—performing thousands of tests in parallel over roughly 10 minutes. On the reporter’s simple site, no vulnerabilities were found; on a more complex dummy e‑commerce site, Sybil successfully exploited security flaws.WIRED+1WIRED+1
Why It Matters
-
While existing tools like Xbow already find bugs in codebases, agentic systems like Sybil take cybersecurity to the next level with automated reasoning and autonomous operation. Experts warn this could democratize hacking by reducing the technical barriers required for complex attacks.WIRED+1WebProNews+1
-
White-hat experts from Carnegie Mellon and security investors alike highlight agentic AI as both the next frontier in defense—and in offense.WebProNews+1WIRED+1
Summary Table
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Target Tested | Reporter’s simple “vibe‑coded” site (no vulnerabilities found) |
| Test Duration | ~10 minutes |
| Core Exploit Technique | Mapping, parameter probing, exploit chaining in parallel |
| Outcome | Success on dummy site; failure (safe) on basic site |
| Advanced Capabilities | Reasoning-based vulnerability discovery, beyond rule-based scanners |
| Security Implication | AI agents may automate real-world hacking, requiring new defense layers |
Final Takeaway
RunSybil’s experiment underscores a rising cybersecurity challenge: independent AI agents can now autonomously find and exploit vulnerabilities—acting like machine-precise hackers operating at human-like scale. To defend against such risks, organizations must invest in automated, AI-driven security testing and tighter guardrails for deployed agents.
Would you like this formatted for a newsletter, a security report, or translated into another language?
