AI Agents Attempted to Hack My Vibe-Coded Website
â–Ľ Summary
– A team of AI agents from RunSybil tested a new vibe-coded website for vulnerabilities, demonstrating advanced probing capabilities beyond conventional scanners.
– RunSybil’s AI system, Sybil, uses artificial intuition to identify unconventional weaknesses, such as guest users with privileged access, which traditional scanners might miss.
– RunSybil’s CEO predicts AI will transform cybersecurity, enabling both attackers and defenders to leverage rapidly advancing capabilities for offensive and defensive purposes.
– The author’s basic website, Arxiv Slurper, had no vulnerabilities, but Sybil successfully hacked a more complex dummy ecommerce site by mapping and exploiting weaknesses systematically.
– Researchers, including those from CMU and Anthropic, found AI can perform high-level penetration testing by setting objectives like network scanning, though current models lack full attack capabilities.
Artificial intelligence agents recently attempted to breach a custom-built website designed to filter AI research papers, showcasing how emerging technologies are reshaping cybersecurity. The experiment involved a team of AI-powered agents from startup RunSybil, which spent roughly ten minutes probing the site for vulnerabilities. Unlike traditional scanners that follow predefined patterns, these agents employed artificial intuition to identify potential weaknesses, a capability that could transform both offensive and defensive security strategies.
The system, named Sybil, operates under the guidance of an orchestrator agent that coordinates specialized sub-agents. These sub-agents leverage a mix of proprietary language models and existing APIs to simulate sophisticated hacking techniques. While conventional tools might overlook subtle flaws, like unintended privileged access for guest users, Sybil’s adaptive approach allows it to piece together complex attack chains.
Ariel Herbert-Voss, RunSybil’s CEO and cofounder, believes AI-driven security testing represents a major leap forward. “We’re on the brink of a technological shift where both attackers and defenders will harness increasingly powerful AI tools,” Herbert-Voss explained. The company’s goal is to develop advanced offensive testing methods to help organizations stay ahead of evolving threats.
The targeted website, dubbed Arxiv Slurper, was built using Claude Code to sift through AI research papers. It scans platforms like Arxiv for keywords such as “novel” or “first,” compiling relevant abstracts. Though functional, the site’s ad-hoc development process left potential security gaps, a common issue with informally coded projects. Fortunately, Sybil found no exploitable flaws, likely due to the site’s simplicity.
To demonstrate Sybil’s capabilities, Herbert-Voss directed the agents toward a deliberately vulnerable e-commerce test site. The AI systematically mapped the application, manipulated parameters, and tested edge cases, eventually uncovering multiple attack vectors. Unlike human testers, Sybil executes thousands of parallel processes with relentless precision, mimicking the persistence of a skilled hacker while operating at machine speed.
Experts in the field see promise in AI-powered penetration testing. Lujo Bauer, a Carnegie Mellon University researcher specializing in AI and security, coauthored a study exploring the potential of AI in this space. The research revealed that while current commercial models struggle with direct network attacks, they excel at high-level tasks like network scanning and host infiltration, capabilities that could redefine automated security assessments.
As AI continues to advance, its role in cybersecurity will likely expand, forcing defenders to adapt just as quickly as potential attackers. Tools like Sybil highlight both the risks and opportunities of this new era, where artificial intuition could become as critical as traditional code analysis.
(Source: Wired)
