# Can AI invent new attack techniques? New research from James Kettle and PortSwigger Research

DevFeed: [Can AI invent new attack techniques? New research from James Kettle and PortSwigger Research](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/can-ai-invent-new-attack-techniques-new-research-from-james-kettle-and-portswigger-research-7702.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://portswigger.net/blog/can-ai-invent-new-attack-techniques-new-research-from-james-kettle-and-portswigger-research>)

Author: Kieron Hughes

Published: 2026-08-12T09:04:45Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [PortSwigger Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/portswigger-blog.md>)

Topics: [AI research agents](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai-research-agents.md>), [Vulnerabilities](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/vulnerabilities.md>)

Tags: [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [attacks](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/attacks.md>), [autonomous](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/autonomous.md>), [bug-bounty](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bug-bounty.md>), [http](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/http.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [research](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research.md>), [vulnerabilities](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/vulnerabilities.md>)

## AI overview

PortSwigger Research describes the HTTP Terminator, an autonomous system used to generate and test new HTTP desync attack techniques against authorized bug-bounty targets. The research emphasizes that human expertise remained important in steering follow-on discoveries.

## Source excerpt

We already know AI can find vulnerabilities. James Kettle, PortSwigger's Director of Research, wanted to answer a harder question: can an autonomous system invent genuinely new attack techniques? To f