OpenAI says its AI agents built working root exploits for 948 Linux kernel bugs

OpenAI says an unreleased AI model for cyber security built working root exploits for 948 different Linux kernel bugs. It did so in a single automated run in October that cost a little over one million dollars in compute. That is roughly 1,300 dollars per exploit. The company says the agents also found at least ten new attack techniques.

The pipeline first flagged about 2,300 possible bugs and confirmed about 1,700 of them. Security staff review every exploit and proposed patch before it goes to the kernel maintainers. OpenAI says hundreds of reports and fixes have gone out so far, starting with the most serious, and partners in its Patch the Planet programme are sending the rest. Its warning for operators is blunt. On an unpatched Linux system, any low-privilege access should be treated as close to full control for a capable attacker. The work shows how cheap exploit finding has become, for defenders and attackers alike.