Google’s Gemini is the latest AI model to hack other companies
Google said Gemini had "acted appropriately" by ending each hack immediately.
Google’s Gemini is the latest AI model to hack other companies | TechCrunch
Disrupt 2026: OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit, and more take over 6 industry stages. 25% off tickets now
Back by popular demand: Save up to $300 on Disrupt
10:30 AM PDT · September 19, 2026
Image Credits:Matteo Della Torre/NurPhoto / Getty Images
Google’s Gemini is the latest AI model to hack other companies
Google’s Gemini accessed the protected systems of three other companies in what The Wall Street Journal reports were the AI model’s first autonomous hacks.
Similar to OpenAI’s breach of Hugging Face, the Gemini hacks were less noteworthy for being particularly sophisticated and more for the fact that they were conducted by an AI model. These breaches took place during cybersecurity testing by a company called Irregular. In one case, Gemini simply guessed passwords until it gained access; in the other two, it found credentials in a public repository.
Irregular reportedly notified Google about the hacks in late July, but the companies did not confirm them publicly until Friday, after the WSJ reached out. Google said it hadn’t previously revealed the hacks because Gemini had “acted appropriately” by ending each breach as soon as it determined it had hacked a real company.
However, Jack Cable, the CEO of AI security company Corridor, told the WSJ that Google was “trying to hide behind the norms that have been created for vulnerability disclosure,” rather than acknowledging that “models are going outside the bounds of what they should be doing, and doing actual cyberattacks.”
AI, Alphabet, gemini, Google, Security
Last day to book an exhibit table is September 18. Don’t miss out on high-impact leads, investor access, and a brand spotlight in Disrupt’s Expo Hall.
Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news
Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.
TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.
Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly.
Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.
AI safety conversations have gotten unbelievable
FBI, Coast Guard boarded hacked oil tankers heading toward US coast
Researchers used Anthropics Claude to hack into OpenAI
Petlibro’s new AI-powered feeder is a game changer for multi-cat homes