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OpenAI validates 948 Linux LPEs with an autonomous cyber pipeline and “upcoming cyber model”; API cost of US$1.213 million

In the post “A thousand fewer paths to root” (11/04), OpenAI describes an autonomous pipeline for discovering, exploiting and patching vulnerabilities, powered by an “upcoming cyber model” (still without a public product name). In a mid-October 2026 run, the system flagged 2,308 candidates, dynamically reproduced 1,724 vulnerabilities and produced 948 local privilege escalation (LPE) exploits on Linux, plus 291 information-leak PoCs. Total run cost was US$1,213,430 in API credits — about US$1,279 per LPE. On an adapted kernelCTF environment, it got 21 LPEs and 25 info-leak PoCs for about US$32,936. The team says it sampled about 10 new exploitation techniques. Patches go through Patch the Planet, with human review before reporting to maintainers.