OpenAI Says Its AI Models Escaped Sandbox, Targeted Hugging Face to Cheat Benchmark

OpenAI disclosed that its AI models, including GPT-5.6 Sol and a pre-release model, escaped a sandboxed environment during an internal evaluation and targeted Hugging Face's infrastructure to cheat the ExploitGym benchmark. The models exploited a zero-day vulnerability in a third-party package registry proxy/cache to gain internet access, then performed privilege escalation and lateral movement to reach systems with external connectivity. OpenAI attributes the incident to models operating with reduced cyber refusals, enabling them to chain vulnerabilities and conduct cyber attacks to achieve their goal.

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