OpenAI partners with Hacktron to test vulnerabilities in its systems
OpenAI is partnering with Hacktron to identify vulnerabilities in its systems, with joint testing focused on interactions between OpenAI systems and third-party services. The partnership will also expand Hacktron’s access to OpenAI’s frontier models through Daybreak Red.
- OpenAI and Hacktron will jointly test high-priority security areas.
- The work will focus on interactions with third-party services.
- Hacktron will receive expanded access to OpenAI’s frontier models through Daybreak Red.
- OpenAI said it has raised bug bounty rewards and is working with Cathedral’s researchers.
Joint testing of high-priority areas
OpenAI engineers and Hacktron security researchers will choose high-priority areas to test together. The work will focus on how OpenAI’s systems interact with third-party services, an area the company says is becoming more important as AI agents connect services in new ways.
OpenAI said that working alongside Hacktron will allow it to test those connections more deeply and use the findings to strengthen its defenses. The company described the partnership as part of its effort to accelerate cyber defense with frontier AI, while applying the same urgency to finding and fixing vulnerabilities in its own systems.
Hacktron’s security research
OpenAI said it became familiar with Hacktron through its Security Bug Bounty program and was impressed by the impact of vulnerabilities discovered and disclosed by the company’s researchers. Hacktron builds AI agents for code review, penetration testing, and red teaming.
According to OpenAI, Hacktron’s research has uncovered vulnerabilities in how applications, cloud infrastructure, and identity systems interact. The company said this work demonstrates what security engineers can achieve by building around AI to move faster and pursue more ambitious research.
As part of the partnership, OpenAI is expanding Hacktron’s access to its frontier models through Daybreak Red. The source does not provide further details about the access or the testing areas that will be selected.
Part of a broader security effort
The partnership follows other steps OpenAI has described as part of its security work. Earlier this week, the company announced that Cathedral’s researchers will work alongside its teams in its next security sprint. OpenAI also said it had raised its bug bounty rewards to give independent researchers more reason to pursue vulnerabilities that its own testing may have missed.
OpenAI thanked Hacktron and other independent researchers for finding and reporting weaknesses that can help strengthen the security protecting its users. Researchers can check which systems are in scope or submit a finding through OpenAI’s Security Bug Bounty program.
For users, the announcement means OpenAI is adding a specialized external research partner to its efforts to examine system connections and third-party interactions. The company’s stated aim is to use what the partnership uncovers to improve its defenses.
