Agentic AI

As AI systems gain delegated authority and operational autonomy, the attack surface shifts from exploitation to permission abuse and workflow manipulation.

Agentic Cyberattacks: The Next Evolution of Cyber Threats Introduction For years, security teams have focused on AI-assisted cyberattacks—situations where attackers use AI to write better phishing emails, generate malicious code, or automate repetitive tasks. That era is already behind us. We are now entering the age of agentic cyberattacks, where AI doesn’t just assist attackers. It acts. Agentic cyberattacks involve autonomous AI agents capable of planning, executing, and adjusting multi-step intrusions without waiting for human direction. These attacks are strategic, adaptive, and continuous, and they represent one of the most significant shifts in cybersecurity we’ve seen in decades. ...

ETR-6: Agentic Cyberattack Simulation Lab Overview This lab introduces students to the concept of agentic cyberattacks by simulating a full intrusion chain using a reasoning-only AI adversary. The AI model never executes real attacks. Instead, it explains how an autonomous adversary would think, plan, adjust to defenses, and optimize its operations during a fictional intrusion. Students will guide the simulated adversary through seven phases: reconnaissance, vulnerability reasoning, adaptation, phishing, persistence, lateral movement, and attack chain optimization. At every phase, students will analyze the agent’s decisions and map defensive strategies that could disrupt or detect the intrusion. ...