ZeroHour

Search: “agent benchmarks”

26 stories

VEX-Bench: Benchmarking LLM Agents for Assessing Exploitability of Software Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Introduces VEX-Bench, 75 expert-labeled real-world cases testing whether LLM agents can assess supply chain vulnerability exploitability; frontier models reach about 80% F1.

VEX-Bench is the first benchmark evaluating LLM agents on assessing whether upstream dependency vulnerabilities are exploitable in downstream projects, with 75 real-world expert-labeled cases across Python, Java, and Go mined from GitHub. Nine models across three agent harnesses were evaluated; GPT-5.5 and Claude Opus 4.6 reach approximately 80% F1 on binary vulnerability-status classification, but only GPT-5.5 surpasses 70% macro-F1 on fine-grained justification classification. The gap highlights the difficulty of moving beyond binary exploitability calls to explaining exploitability reasons, unlike prior benchmarks targeting zero-day settings.

arXiv cs.CR · 9d agoResearch1

The best human hacking team still out-solved the best AI team

Hack The Box 2026 benchmark data shows AI agents helped top teams but human-only teams still solved everything while best AI teams stalled at 32 of 36 challenges.

At the 2026 Global Cyber Skills Benchmark (Project Nightfall) run by Hack The Box, 93 designated AI agent accounts across 54 teams held 2.7% of registered accounts but produced 4.2% of submitted flags and 4.6% of awarded points, and appeared in 17 of the Top 25 finishers. Median solve time dropped from 26 hours in 2024 to 13.8 hours in 2026, though the data cannot attribute the change to AI. At the November 2025 NeuroGrid CTF, AI-augmented teams solved challenges 3.2x faster overall but only 1.69x among the Top 5%, and the only team to complete all 36 challenges was human, while the best AI team stopped at 32.

Help Net Security · 21d agoResearch

PrivEscalate: Measuring and Augmenting the Threat of LLM-Automated Linux Privilege Escalation

Researchers release PrivEscalate, a 531-scenario benchmark showing LLM agents' Linux privilege-escalation success varies by vulnerability class, plus PrivEscAgent, a domain-specialized agent that boosts success.

The paper introduces PrivEscalate, an open-source benchmark of 531 Dockerized Linux privilege-escalation scenarios spanning 14 sub-categories, plus 329 parameterized variants measuring sensitivity to environmental distractors. Evaluating six LLMs across three agent architectures shows capability is heterogeneous across vulnerability classes, sensitive to perturbation, and architecture-dependent. The authors also present PrivEscAgent, a wrapper adding deterministic enumeration, category matching, and step planning that outperforms prior privesc-agent baselines without modifying the underlying LLM. The benchmark is released to support LLM agent evaluation, defensive tool validation, and red-team training.

arXiv cs.CR · 8d agoResearch1

Bridging the First-Hour Gap: Evaluating AI Reliability and Benchmarking Deficiencies in Cyber Incident Response for Law Enforcement

Survey of playbooks, LLMs, RAG, and agentic AI for law-enforcement cyber first responders finds RAG most viable but benchmarks inadequate for legal requirements.

The paper surveys decision-support architectures (playbooks, LLMs, RAG frameworks, agentic AI) for frontline law enforcement during the first hour of a cyber incident, where volatile digital artifacts risk procedural errors and evidence attrition. RAG-based systems are identified as a relatively viable intermediate solution, though prompt sensitivity and confident hallucinations in legal contexts pose major risks. The authors find current cybersecurity benchmarks insufficient for law enforcement safety and legal demands, and argue for a new benchmark focused on naive query robustness and evidence preservation.

arXiv cs.CR · 5d agoResearch

1Password's AI patching benchmark is misleading

Trail of Bits reanalysis says 1Password's 26% AI clean-fix rate is misleading; 86% of eligible patches blocked exploits.

Trail of Bits critiques 1Password's FLAWED AI patching benchmark, arguing its 26% clean-fix headline mixes trials where agents were instructed to apply wrong fixes (22% of data) with trials that prohibited compiling or testing (36%). Restricting to reasonable conditions, 2,634 of 3,067 patches (86%) blocked the supplied exploit. Trail of Bits also reports 12.5% of 2,265 developer first fixes failed in its own 2024-2026 assessments, and released post-patch-validation and review-walkthrough agent skills.

Lobsters · security · 1d agoResearch1

Top 10 Best AWS Security Tools in 2026

Editorial roundup ranking the ten best AWS security tools of 2026, from native GuardDuty and Security Hub to CNAPPs like Wiz and Prisma Cloud.

The article recommends enabling AWS-native services first: GuardDuty for threat detection, Security Hub for posture aggregation, the free IAM Access Analyzer, plus CloudTrail logging and Config rules. It then reviews third-party platforms including Wiz, Palo Alto Prisma Cloud, CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security, Trend Micro Cloud One, and Orca Security. It is an editorial vendor assessment with pricing described by model only, highlighting cross-account correlation and attack-path prioritization as third-party differentiators.

Cyber Security News · 1d agoTools

Top 10 Best Microsoft Azure Security Tools in 2026

An editorial roundup of the ten best Azure security tools in 2026 names Defender for Cloud the native floor, with Wiz, Orca, and Prisma Cloud leading third-party options.

The brief reviews ten Azure security tools, positioning Microsoft Defender for Cloud's free foundational tier and published per-resource plans as the rational starting point for every Azure estate. Wiz and Orca are shortlisted for agentless attack-path correlation, Prisma Cloud for multicloud breadth, CrowdStrike for runtime protection, and Tenable for CIEM depth with Entra permission analytics. The piece emphasizes Azure's tight identity-infrastructure coupling via Entra ID as both an operational advantage and its most critical risk surface. Scoring is editorial, not lab-tested, with pricing compared by model only.

Cyber Security News · 1h agoIndustry

Top 10 Best Google Cloud (GCP) Security Tools in 2026

An editorial scorecard ranks the top ten Google Cloud security tools for 2026, with Wiz, Sysdig, and Security Command Center leading on correlation, GKE runtime, and native depth.

The roundup evaluates ten GCP security tools across five weighted criteria including GCP-native depth, correlation, runtime protection, multicloud parity, and value. Google Security Command Center is positioned as the included native floor, while Wiz and Sysdig top the weighted scores at 4.50, followed by Prisma Cloud at 4.40. The piece notes Forseti is deprecated and that Lacework is now Fortinet's FortiCNAPP, and flags diligence around Google's acquisition of Wiz. It is an editorial assessment, not a lab test, with pricing compared by model only.

Cyber Security News · 1h agoIndustry

SpyCloud 2026 Identity Threat Report Finds Non-Human Identities Are Now the Leading Path into the Enterprise

SpyCloud survey of 750 security leaders finds compromised non-human identities are the top enterprise entry point, yet only 36% monitor them.

The 2026 Identity Threat Report surveyed 750 cybersecurity leaders at organizations with 500+ employees across North America and Europe. Compromised non-human identities (31%) were the most cited primary attacker entry point, nearly double phishing (17%), while only 36% of organizations monitor AI agents, service accounts and API keys. 68% of respondents reported identity-based events, averaging eight each, and 91% use AI tools but only 56% have formal governance over their privileges.

GBHackers · 7d agoResearch 2 sources

SpyCloud 2026 Identity Threat Report Finds Non-Human Identities Are Now the Leading Path into the Enterprise

SpyCloud's 2026 survey of 750 security leaders finds compromised non-human identities are the top enterprise entry point, yet only 36% monitor them.

SpyCloud's Identity Threat Report, based on a survey of 750 cybersecurity leaders at organizations with 500+ employees, found compromised non-human identities (31%) were nearly twice as likely as phishing (17%) to be the primary attacker entry point. 68% of organizations reported identity-based events averaging eight each, while 95% believe they have visibility into AI and NHI exposures but only 36% actually monitor them. The report also found 91% use AI tools with internal access but only 56% have formal governance, and introduces an Identity Threat Protection Maturity Model.

CSO Online · 7d agoIndustry

12 Best CNAPP Platforms Compared (2026): Features & Pricing

Independent comparison of 12 CNAPP platforms finds identical estates draw quotes 2-3x apart; Microsoft Defender for Cloud is the only fully published per-resource option.

A vendor-independent buyer's guide compares twelve CNAPP platforms including Prisma Cloud, CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security, Wiz, Uptycs, Aqua, Zscaler, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud on pricing mechanics, procurement leverage, and capability-per-dollar. It finds quotes swing 2-3x on identical estates because vendors define 'workload' differently. Microsoft Defender for Cloud is highlighted as the only major with fully published per-resource rates.

GBHackers · 2d agoIndustry1

Top 10 Best Cloud Workload Protection (CWPP) Solutions in 2026

Editorial scorecard ranks 2026 cloud workload protection platforms, placing Prisma Cloud first, Sysdig second, and CrowdStrike third on detection quality.

A research-based scorecard rates ten cloud workload protection (CWPP) platforms across runtime depth, container/Kubernetes support, coverage breadth, cloud context, and value. Palo Alto Prisma Cloud leads at 8.9, followed by Sysdig at 8.8 and CrowdStrike at 8.6, with Aqua Security tying CrowdStrike at 8.6. The piece argues agent-versus-agentless is a false choice, with leaders now pairing agentless visibility with eBPF-based runtime sensors. Scores are editorial assessments, not lab benchmarks.

Cyber Security News · 6d agoIndustry1

PIA-Bench: Towards Automated Privacy Impact Assessment with Large Language Models

Researchers release PIA-Bench, the first open benchmark evaluating how accurately LLMs can automate privacy impact assessments using 73 curated federal PIAs.

PIA-Bench is the first open benchmark for evaluating large language models on real-world privacy impact assessments (PIAs). The authors audited 499 expert-authored PIAs published by US federal agencies and curated 73 structured PIAs comprising 451 privacy risk items and 831 mitigation items. Off-the-shelf LLMs were found to produce meaningful assessments while identifying clear avenues for improvement. The paper calls for domain-specific LLM agent workflows, accountable LLM infrastructure, and new quality standards for PIAs.

arXiv cs.CR · 6d agoResearch1

12 Best Patch Management Software Compared (2026): Features & Pricing

GBHackers ranks NinjaOne, ManageEngine, and Automox atop twelve patch management tools for 2026, emphasizing third-party application coverage.

GBHackers scored twelve patch management platforms on coverage, automation, visibility, deployment, and value, with NinjaOne ranked highest at 4.55. Action1 is highlighted for its genuinely usable free tier, ManageEngine for third-party catalog breadth, and Automox for cloud-native cross-OS automation. The piece notes that unpatched known vulnerabilities remain a top initial-access vector, citing CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

GBHackers · 7d agoIndustry1

11 Best CSPM Tools Compared (2026): Features & Pricing

CSPM comparison ranks Wiz first for agentless attack-path analysis; notes Ermetic absorbed into Tenable and Lacework into Fortinet FortiCNAPP.

An editorial comparison of eleven CSPM tools ranks Wiz as the agentless attack-path momentum leader, Prisma Cloud as the breadth benchmark, and Orca as the agentless SideScanning pioneer. It highlights consolidation: Ermetic now powers Tenable Cloud Security and Lacework became Fortinet's FortiCNAPP. The guide recommends starting with free tiers from Defender for Cloud, Prowler, and native cloud tools before buying.

GBHackers · 2d agoIndustry1

Gartner: 70% of SOCs will pilot AI agents. Only 15% will see results

Gartner predicts 70% of large SOCs will pilot AI agents by 2028, but only 15% will achieve measurable improvements.

A Gartner report by analysts Craig Lawson and Andrew Davies projects that by 2028, 70% of large SOCs will pilot AI agents for Tier 1 and Tier 2 operations, but only 15% will achieve measurable improvements without structured evaluation. Prophet Security's State of AI in Security Operations 2026 survey found 40% of security teams use AI daily and 56% are evaluating or piloting it. The report offers evaluation questions covering workload reduction, TDIR outcomes, vendor viability, analyst upskilling, and autonomy boundaries to counter AI washing in the market.

Help Net Security · 8d agoIndustry

Introducing the CyberAgents Exchange AI Inspector: Rigorous review for community-built AI

Tenable and OpenAI launch the CyberAgents Exchange AI Inspector to security-review community-submitted AI agents, MCP servers, and skills using GPT Cyber models.

Tenable and OpenAI announced the CyberAgents Exchange AI Inspector, unveiled at OpenAI's "Intelligence at Work: Cyber Summit," to vet community-submitted AI agents, skills, MCP servers, and multi-agent playbooks in the CyberAgents Exchange registry. The process combines Tenable One AI Exposure scanning, OpenAI GPT Cyber model assessment, and human review, with reviews anchored to specific Git commits. The registry launched in August and hosts over 100 AI listings; the Inspector is expected to be available in September and has already detected prompt injection implemented via invisible Unicode tag characters in a SKILL.md file.

Tenable Blog · 7d agoTools

Major Cyber Threat Detection Vendors Shift from MITRE to UK Testing Program

SE Labs launched PIVOT, a six-month vendor detection testing program backed by CrowdStrike, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks and Sophos, as major vendors exit MITRE evaluations.

SE Labs unveiled PIVOT on September 15, a six-month testing program in which its ethical hackers replicate nation-state and criminal attack chains against participating vendor products, with results due January 2027. Broadcom (Symantec/Carbon Black), CrowdStrike, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks and Sophos have confirmed participation, and Gartner and Forrester analysts will verify the underlying evidence before publication. The launch follows declining participation in MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations: Enterprise, which fell from 30 vendors in 2023 to 11 in 2025 after public withdrawals by Microsoft, SentinelOne and Palo Alto Networks.

Infosecurity Magazineupdated · 1h agofirst · 1d agoIndustry 12 sources

Top 10 Best Application Control & Allowlisting Tools in 2026

Roundup ranks 2026 application allowlisting tools, scoring ThreatLocker 8.8/10, Airlock Digital 8.5/10 and free Microsoft WDAC among top default-deny options.

This is a scored buyer's guide to ten application control and allowlisting tools for 2026, with ThreatLocker ranked first (8.8/10), Airlock Digital second (8.5/10) and Microsoft's built-in WDAC/AppLocker third (7.2/10). It notes ransomware has renewed interest in default-deny execution controls and that CISA and other agencies list application control among the most effective yet under-deployed mitigations. The evaluation is research-based with no lab testing, weighting policy automation at 30% and operability at 25%.

Cyber Security News · 8d agoIndustry1

Top 10 Best Container Security Tools in 2026

2026 roundup ranks Aqua, Sysdig, Prisma Cloud, Wiz, Snyk and CrowdStrike among the ten best container security tools across build-ship-run.

Buyer's guide compares ten container security products by lifecycle fit: Aqua leads full lifecycle, Sysdig leads runtime detection via Falco and eBPF, Wiz offers agentless graph visibility, Snyk covers developer-first shift-left. It notes Trivy and Falco as free production-grade open-source foundations. The guide argues standalone container security is increasingly absorbed into CNAPP platforms from Palo Alto, Wiz and CrowdStrike.

Cyber Security News · 2d agoTools1

Top 10 Best Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) Tools in 2026

A 2026 scorecard ranks ten endpoint privilege management tools, led by BeyondTrust, ThreatLocker and Delinea for elevation, coverage and policy depth.

The article ranks ten endpoint privilege management (EPM) tools using weighted criteria covering elevation workflow, platform coverage, policy depth, time-to-value and value. BeyondTrust scored highest overall (8.4) for cross-platform breadth, with ThreatLocker (8.2), Delinea (8.1) and Admin By Request (8.0) highlighted for allowlisting integration, cloud administration and deployment speed respectively. It also notes that Netwrix acquired CoSoSys in 2024, which affects bundling when shortlisting both EPM and device control.

Cyber Security News · 7d agoIndustry

The 12 Best Managed Detection & Response (MDR) Services, Compared and Priced

Buyer's guide compares 12 MDR services, naming Huntress best value, CrowdStrike Falcon Complete for response authority and Expel for transparency.

The article compares 12 managed detection and response providers across response authority, tool bundling and pricing, highlighting Huntress for published SMB pricing and CrowdStrike Falcon Complete for unilateral containment. It stresses the consolidation landscape: Sophos completed its acquisition of Secureworks in February 2025 for approximately $859 million, and Arctic Wolf closed its purchase of BlackBerry's Cylance endpoint assets the same month. It also warns that only full-response contract tiers isolate hosts and kill processes, while lower tiers only triage or guide.

GBHackersupdated · 8d agofirst · 8d agoIndustry 3 sources1

Mars Security Debuts Automated Threat Engine Processing Live Cyber Intelligence Into Validated Rules Within Minutes

Mars Security launches Real-Time Intel-Based Detection, converting threat intelligence advisories into validated, ATT&CK-mapped detection rules within minutes for SOCs.

Mars Security, an autonomous threat hunting and detection engineering platform founded by former offensive security operators, announced Real-Time Intel-Based Detection. The capability ingests advisories from sources like CISA, Mandiant, Unit 42, and Microsoft Threat Intelligence, maps indicators to MITRE ATT&CK, and authors native query logic across connected infrastructure including CrowdStrike Falcon, Wiz, Splunk, Sysmon, identity providers, Snowflake, and Databricks. Every rule is backtested against 30 days of historical telemetry to quantify false positives before analyst approval and one-click deployment. The feature is free for existing customers and available via AWS Marketplace.

CSO Online · 8d agoTools2

Top 10 Best Device Control & USB Security Tools in 2026

A 2026 scorecard ranks ten USB and device control tools, placing Safetica, Ivanti DeviceLock and DriveLock at the top.

The article compares ten device control and USB security tools using a weighted scorecard covering control granularity, platform coverage, DLP integration, operability and value. Safetica, Ivanti DeviceLock and DriveLock rank highest, with notes on cross-platform depth, Windows granularity and European compliance fit. The piece highlights ownership changes, including CoSoSys joining Netwrix and Digital Guardian joining Fortra, and stresses device control as part of Zero Trust and DLP strategies.

Cyber Security News · 7d agoIndustry

Top 10 Best Multi-Cloud Security Platforms in 2026

An editorial roundup of the ten best multi-cloud security platforms for 2026, split between CNAPPs (Wiz, Prisma Cloud) and cloud-networking security (Aviatrix).

The article frames multi-cloud security as two markets: CNAPP platforms (Wiz, Prisma Cloud, CrowdStrike, Orca, Defender) securing what runs in clouds, and cloud-networking-security platforms (Aviatrix) securing how clouds connect. It ranks ten platforms including Palo Alto Prisma Cloud for breadth, Wiz for correlation, Check Point CloudGuard, Fortinet, Aviatrix, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Trend Micro, and CrowdStrike. It flags the ~$32 billion Google–Wiz acquisition as raising cloud-neutrality questions buyers should address contractually.

Cyber Security News · 1d agoTools

Top 10 Best Cloud Detection & Response (CDR) Solutions in 2026

Editorial scorecard ranks ten 2026 cloud detection and response platforms; Sysdig, Wiz, and CrowdStrike lead, with Wiz's Gem Security acquisition highlighted.

The editorial scorecard rates ten CDR platforms on real-time detection (30%), cloud telemetry depth, response automation, correlation, and value. Sysdig earns the best real-time detection score for its Falco- and eBPF-powered runtime telemetry, Wiz (8.7) folds acquired Gem Security's real-time CDR into its security graph, and CrowdStrike (8.7) leads response automation. Specialists Stream.Security, Skyhawk Security, Sweet Security, and the open-source Falco project are also assessed.

Cyber Security News · 1d agoIndustry1