30 million developers vulnerable: Blackbox AI tool can plant backdoor and give attackers root access

A widely used artificial intelligence coding assistant has a critical security flaw that could allow hackers to embed hidden backdoors in software used by millions of people, researchers have discovered, potentially turning the tool itself into a weapon against the very developers who rely on it. The vulnerability in Blackbox AI exposes a troubling blind spot in the rush to deploy AI throughout the software development pipeline: the tools meant to make coding faster and safer can introduce catastrophic weaknesses if left unguarded. Security experts warn the flaw underscores a larger problem as AI becomes embedded in critical infrastructure—few companies have adequately secured these systems against sophisticated attackers who see them as a shortcut to compromising entire networks.

Cybernews·Mar 6