Simulating an Agentic Cyberattack (Reasoning-Only Lab)

Overview

Agentic cyberattacks represent the next evolution of adversarial activity, where AI systems no longer assist attackers but act on their own. These systems can plan intrusion paths, adapt to defenses, generate highly targeted phishing content, and optimize their attack strategies in real time.

This project transforms the agentic attack concept into a safe, reasoning-only simulation. Students will guide an AI model through a realistic, multi-phase intrusion scenario against a fictional organization. The AI never executes real attacks. Instead, it explains how an autonomous adversary would think, plan, and adjust each stage of the operation.

What You Will Learn

• The core characteristics of agentic cyberattacks
• How AI adversaries perform reconnaissance and identify technologies
• How agentic systems reason about vulnerabilities and initial access paths
• How attacker models adapt when defenses block or disrupt activity
• How agentic phishing targets specific writing styles and user behavior
• How AI-driven adversaries plan persistence, lateral movement, and attack chain optimization
• How defenders can map each phase to MITRE ATT&CK and Zero Trust strategies

Hands-On Learning

Students will work directly with a reasoning-only AI model to explore each phase of the simulated attack:

• Reconnaissance: Identifying assets, technologies, and misconfigurations
• Vulnerability Analysis: Evaluating potential initial access vectors
• Adaptive Planning: Revising strategies based on “defender actions”
• Phishing Simulation: Generating persona-based social engineering content
• Persistence Strategies: Conceptual foothold development
• Lateral Movement: Multi-agent decision making within internal networks
• Attack Chain Optimization: Learning from SOC responses

This lab emphasizes understanding attacker reasoning rather than performing technical exploitation, making it both safe and deeply relevant to modern cybersecurity operations.

🔗 Continue to the hands-on lab for full instructions!