Top AI Agents Built to Catch Malicious Code Can Be Tricked Into Running It

Overview

Ask an AI coding agent to scan open-source code for security holes, and it might run the attacker's code on your own machine instead. That is the finding in a proof-of-concept published Wednesday by the AI Now Institute, an attack it calls "Friendly Fire." It works against Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex when either is running in an autonomous mode that approves its own

Key Developments

This reflects an evolving cybersecurity situation.

Technical Details

Attackers may use automation and vulnerabilities.

Impact & Risks

Potential disruption and data exposure.

Conclusion

Organizations must stay vigilant.

Read more: https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/friendly-fire-ai-agents-built-to-catch.html