OpenAI disclosed that its newly deployed GPT-6 Astra model is the first widely released system to hit the 'Critical' threshold in the company's Preparedness Framework for cybersecurity, meaning it can autonomously find and exploit zero-day vulnerabilities in hardened systems. In testing, Astra reportedly uncovered two previously unknown real-world vulnerabilities, which OpenAI says it is now disclosing to the affected software maintainers. The company added new safeguards including stronger jailbreak resistance and monitoring, and says Astra shows fewer safety violations than its predecessor, GPT-5.6 Sol.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-09-08
OpenAI tested its new Astra model on new benchmarks measuring exploit development and binary reverse engineering, finding it far outperformed the prior GPT-5.6 Sol model. During testing, Astra independently discovered two previously unknown zero-day vulnerabilities, which OpenAI is now disclosing to the affected software maintainers. Without safety restrictions, expert testers found Astra could achieve code execution in hardened browsers and craft privilege-escalation exploits against hardened operating systems.
openai.com
· 2026-09-03
OpenAI announced its upcoming Astra model has crossed what the company calls a critical cybersecurity threshold, meaning it can independently discover and exploit unknown software vulnerabilities without human guidance. The model reportedly scored perfectly on ExploitBench and found two zero-day flaws in an internal test, prompting OpenAI to limit access to its most advanced capabilities and add extra monitoring before release.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-01
GoKawiil