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Google says it likely thwarted effort by hacker group to use AI for 'mass exploitation event'

Cnbc · · 295 words · By Samantha Subin
AI Cybersecurity Risks Corporate Threat Intelligence State-Sponsored Cyber Activity
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/11/google-thwarts-effort-hacker-group-use-ai-mass-e…

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8 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
verified Verified By Reference 2
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“Google's Threat Intelligence Group said in a report on Monday that it thwarted an effort by hackers to use artificial intelligence models to "plan a mass vulnerability exploitation operation."”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Google's Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) reported on hackers using AI to plan mass vulnerability exploitation and zero-day bypasses.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An AI boom is a period of rapid growth in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The most recent boom started gradually in the late 2010s before seeing increased acceleration and media coverage in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_boom
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gemini (also known as Google Gemini and formerly known as Bard) is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot and virtual assistant developed by Google. It is powered by the family of large language…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Gemini
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Scale AI, Inc. is an American artificial intelligence infrastructure and software company based in San Francisco, California. Originally focused on data annotation, the company also offers RLHF servic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_AI
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The group, known by the acronym GTIG, said it has "high confidence" that it recorded hackers using an AI model to find and exploit a zero-day vulnerability... creating a way to bypass two-factor authentication.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results explicitly state that GTIG recorded hackers using an AI model to identify a zero-day vulnerability to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) in an open-source admin tool.
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web search NEUTRAL — GTIG says AI-powered hacking has moved well beyond phishing emails and chatbot tricks.GTIG said that the attackers appear to have used an AI model to both identify the flaw and help turn it into a usa…
https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/05/11/google-says…
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web search NEUTRAL — The exploit could be leveraged to bypass the two-factor authentication (2FA) protection in a popular open-source, web-based system administration tool that remains unnamed. Although the attack was foi…
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-hacker…
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web search NEUTRAL — ...zero-day vulnerability implemented in a Python script that enables the user to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) on a popular open-source, web-based system administration tool," Google Threat …
https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/hackers-used-ai-to-develop…
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“Google said it does not believe that its homegrown Gemini model was used.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While evidence confirms the GTIG report and the existence of the Gemini model, none of the provided evidence snippets explicitly state whether Google believes Gemini was or was not used in this specific attack.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gemini (also known as Google Gemini and formerly known as Bard) is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot and virtual assistant developed by Google. It is powered by the family of large language…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Gemini
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gemini is a family of multimodal large language models (LLMs) developed by Google DeepMind, and the successor to LaMDA and PaLM 2. Comprising Gemini Pro, Gemini Deep Think, Gemini Flash, and Gemini Fl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_(language_model)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Google AI Studio is a web-based integrated development environment developed by Google for prototyping applications using generative AI models. Released in December 2023 alongside the Gemini API, the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_AI_Studio
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“hackers are using available AI tools like OpenClaw to exploit software flaws”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence mentions hackers using AI and mentions 'Ollama' and 'Moltbook', but there is no mention of a tool called 'OpenClaw' in any of the search results or Wikipedia entries.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hacker – someone …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Moltbook is an internet forum for artificial intelligence agents, launched on January 28, 2026, by entrepreneur Matt Schlicht. It claims to limit posting, commenting, and voting to AI agents authentic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moltbook
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ollama is a software platform for running and managing large language models on local computers and through hosted cloud models. It provides a command-line interface, a local REST API, model-managemen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollama
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“In April, Anthropic delayed the rollout of its Mythos model, citing worries that criminals and adversaries could use the tool to identify and prey on decades-old software vulnerabilities.”
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Web search results confirm that Anthropic's 'Mythos' model was delayed/limited due to security risks and concerns that it could be used to identify software vulnerabilities.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of events of the year 2026 in artificial intelligence, as well as predicted and scheduled events that have not yet occurred.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_artificial_intelligenc…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Claude is a series of large language models developed by Anthropic and first released in 2023. Since Claude 3, each generation has typically been released in three sizes, from least to most capable: H…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_(language_model)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — GPT-5.5 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 5.5) is a large language model (LLM) released by OpenAI on April 23, 2026. The model is also known by its codename "Spud". OpenAI reports improvements on be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPT-5.5
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Anthropic has since released the model to a select group of testers, including Apple, CrowdStrike, Microsoft and Palo Alto Networks.”
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Multiple sources list the specific group of testers for the Mythos model, including Apple, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and Palo Alto Networks.
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web search NEUTRAL — Currently, organizations participating in the Mythos trial include dozens of institutions such as Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Linux Foundation, Microsoft, and Palo Alto Networks.
https://www.aibase.com/news/26910
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web search NEUTRAL — The partner organizations previewing Mythos include Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, the Linux Foundation, Microsoft, and Palo Alto Networks.
https://theoutpost.ai/news-story/anthropic-debuts-powerful-a…
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web search NEUTRAL — What Anthropic Just Told Us Without Saying It. Anthropic built a model so capable that they chose not to release it publicly. Claude Mythos Preview entered public awareness through a draft blog post d…
https://www.cyderes.com/howler-cell/why-mythos-release-matte…
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“Last week, OpenAI announced that GPT-5.5-Cyber, a variation of its latest model, is rolling out in a limited preview capacity to vetted cybersecurity teams.”
CORROBORATED
Confirmed by OpenAI's own announcement and CNBC reporting that GPT-5.5-Cyber is rolling out in limited preview to vetted cybersecurity teams.
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web search NEUTRAL — OpenAI said GPT-5.5-Cyber, a variation of its latest AI model, is rolling out in a limited preview capacity to vetted cybersecurity teams.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/07/openai-rolls-out-new-gpt-5po…
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web search NEUTRAL — OpenAI has begun the rollout of GPT-5.5-Cyber, an AI model focused on cybersecurity, aiming to deliver it to "critical cyber defenders" within days. This initiative follows Anthropic's announcement of…
https://dataconomy.com/2026/04/30/openai-expands-trusted-acc…
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web search NEUTRAL — Today, we are rolling out GPT‑5.5‑Cyber in limited preview to defenders responsible for securing critical infrastructure to support specialized cybersecurity workflows that help protect the broader ec…
https://openai.com/index/gpt-5-5-with-trusted-access-for-cyb…
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“Groups linked to China and North Korea "demonstrated significant interest in capitalizing on AI for vulnerability discovery," the report said.”
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Web search results specifically mention that state-backed actors from China, North Korea, and Iran have demonstrated interest in using AI for vulnerability discovery and cyber operations.
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web search NEUTRAL — North Korean state-backed APTs used Gemini for many of the same tasks as Iran and China but also appeared to be attempting to exploit the service in its efforts to place “clandestine IT workers” in We…
https://www.voanews.com/a/generative-ai-makes-chinese-irania…
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web search NEUTRAL — Criminal groups and state-linked actors appear to be using commercial models to refine and scale up attacks.‘There’s a misconception that the AI vulnerability race is imminent. The reality is it’s alr…
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/11/ai-powere…
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web search NEUTRAL — Explore GTIG's 2026 report on how adversaries leverage AI for zero-day exploits, autonomous malware, and industrial-scale cyber operations.
https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/ai-…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.