**AI Hackers Are Coming Dangerously Close to Beating Humans**

The world of cybersecurity is on high alert as the latest experiment from Stanford researchers has left experts stunned. A cutting-edge AI bot called Artemis has proven itself to be a formidable force in network security, outperforming nine out of ten professional penetration testers in a simulated attack on the university's engineering network.

For months, a team led by Justin Lin, a Stanford cybersecurity researcher, has been working tirelessly to perfect Artemis. Their goal was clear: to create an AI-powered tool that could scan networks for software vulnerabilities at a fraction of the cost and time it takes human hackers. The results are nothing short of remarkable.

When pitted against ten experienced penetration testers on Stanford's own network, Artemis discovered bugs with ease, finding some in mere minutes. Its performance was so impressive that researchers initially thought it would be below average. Instead, the AI bot found bugs at a rate of $60 per hour – a far cry from the $2,000 to $2,500 per day charged by professional pen testers.

While Artemis's success is a testament to the rapid advancements in AI hacking tools, it's not without its limitations. About 18% of its bug reports were false positives, meaning nearly one in five reported vulnerabilities turned out to be harmless. Additionally, the AI bot missed an obvious vulnerability on a webpage that most human testers caught with ease.

One notable instance where Artemis excelled was when it found a bug on an outdated page that didn't render properly in standard browsers. The AI bot used a command-line tool called Curl instead of Chrome or Firefox, highlighting its ability to think outside the box and adapt to unique situations.

The implications are dire, according to experts. Dan Boneh, a Stanford computer science professor who advised the researchers, warns that vast amounts of software shipped without being vetted by Large Language Models (LLMs) could now be at risk. "We're in this moment of time where many actors can increase their productivity to find bugs at an extreme scale," said Jacob Klein, head of threat intelligence at Anthropic.

As AI hacking tools continue to improve, the stakes are raised for cybersecurity professionals and organizations alike. With Artemis's impressive performance serving as a benchmark, it's clear that the future of network security will require more than just human ingenuity. The question remains: can humans keep pace with the rapid advancements in AI-powered hacking?

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