{"id":2664,"date":"2026-07-04T10:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T10:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justfineinfotech.com\/top-ethical-hacker-chompie-warns-ai-tools-could-put-her-out-of-business\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T10:45:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T10:45:23","slug":"top-ethical-hacker-chompie-warns-ai-tools-could-put-her-out-of-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justfineinfotech.com\/fr\/top-ethical-hacker-chompie-warns-ai-tools-could-put-her-out-of-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Top ethical hacker Chompie warns AI tools could put her out of business"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\"\"
\n\"Pwn2Own
\nPwn2Own Berlin
\n<\/figure>\n

An ethical hacker who just won major prizes at a prestigious international competition says her days of competing could be numbered due to the rise of AI tools like Claude Mythos<\/p>\n

Valentina Palmiotti – better known as Chompie – was the most successful individual at the annual Pwn2Own hacking competition in Berlin<\/p>\n

She told BBC News that, for now, AI tools were helping her to win “bug bounties” – money given to hackers who spot vulnerabilities in online systems before they can be exploited by cyber-criminals<\/p>\n

But she said systems like Mythos were so powerful that even champion hackers like her would soon struggle to compete with them<\/p>\n

AI has shaken the cyber-security world, with concerns focussing on Mythos in particular<\/p>\n

Its maker, Anthropic, claims the model has been able to find 1,600 vulnerabilities in hundreds of software programmes<\/p>\n

It says that makes Mythos so potentially dangerous that it can only be released to a select few governments and cyber-security institutions<\/p>\n

Pwn2Own is run by the ZeroDay Initiative and invites human ethical hackers around the world to find vulnerabilities in specific products<\/p>\n

Nearly $1.3m (\u00a3970,000) was awarded to hackers this year who collectively discovered 47 brand new hacking methods on various programmes, websites and software<\/p>\n

The flaws have all been reported to grateful companies which are now fixing them before criminals can find the same holes<\/p>\n

On day one of the contest, Chompie successfully demonstrated how to hack one system linked to Nvidia – winning $20,000<\/p>\n

But she then said she had to enter what she called “zombie hacker mode” to prepare for the next day<\/p>\n

“As soon as I won the first prize I ran back to my hotel room to keep working on the other one. I worked from 6pm til 6am and didn’t sleep,” she said<\/p>\n

It was worth it, and footage from the event shows her looking happy and tired on stage as she successfully hacked into a Linux based system to win $50,000<\/p>\n

Chompie described “zombie hacker mode” as being locked into research<\/a> and testing for hours fuelled by energy drinks and adrenaline, often wearing a black hoodie<\/p>\n

“It’s not healthy,” she laughed, but she insisted it was necessary<\/p>\n

\n\"Trend
\nTrend AI Zero Day Initiative
Chompie showing off her hack at Pwn2Own<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This year many champions like Chompie have been using AI to help them while in zombie mode<\/p>\n

She said tools like Claude Code have enabled her to work faster for competitions, and in her day job as a security researcher for IBM X-Force<\/p>\n

Her view was that hackers like her are currently in a “sweet spot” where AI was an aid<\/p>\n

But she predicted the tide would turn soon thanks to new models like Claude Mythos and GPT 5.5 Cyber<\/p>\n

“I competed in Pwn2Own this year because I thought it might be my last chance,” she explained<\/p>\n

“That isn’t to say that I think that there’s going to be no room for security research or ethical hacking, but I think that a lot of the lower-hanging fruit will start to go away.”<\/p>\n

Chompie said good or great hackers wouldn’t be needed soon, and only the very best would be able to find new bugs and win prizes<\/p>\n

In that category she put people like Orange Tsai – another big winner in Berlin who has won many previous hacking prizes<\/p>\n

The hacker from Taiwan, who doesn’t like to use his real name, led his team to win $375,000 (\u00a3278,000) by finding extremely complex hacking pathways<\/p>\n

\n\"Trend
\nTrend AI Zero Day Initiative
Orange Tsai has won many prizes over the years as a competitive hacker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He was more positive about the future for human bug hunters<\/p>\n

“For me, AI feels more like a really awesome assistant that helps accelerate my research workflow,” he said<\/p>\n

“During research I usually come up with many interesting ideas, but unfortunately I still need to sleep, so I can’t test everything one by one. AI can finally help free my hands,” he says<\/p>\n

Orange Tsai agreed AI was already forcing the bar higher but he hoped human creativity and intuition would always be able to find vulnerabilities that AI tools missed<\/p>\n

If it gets harder for the good hackers to find ways into online systems, what does this mean for criminal hackers?<\/p>\n

There is growing research that criminals are using AI to speed up their attacks – and in some cases create new pathways into systems – to carry out data breaches and ransomware attacks<\/p>\n

However, the vast majority of cyber-attacks use long established and simpler methods without needing to find new bugs<\/p>\n

These can include phishing or social engineering – gaining access by sending fake emails to employees who click a nefarious link which gives hackers access to a company’s systems<\/p>\n

Chompie thinks that ultimately AI tools will make it harder for all hackers which is good for internet security<\/p>\n

“I think that the tide is turning against offensive hackers. I think defence stands to gain a lot from the from this capability,” she said<\/p>\n

But the benefits of AI to cyber security defenders could only be realised if these products are released responsibly, she added<\/p>\n

The good guys like her need to have access to the most powerful tools first, she argued, to find and fix holes before the bad guys<\/p>\n

\n\"A
\n<\/figure>\n

Technology
\nCyber-security
\nArtificial intelligence<\/a>
\nComputer hacking
\nCyber-attacks<\/p>\n

\n

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Source: www.bbc.com<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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