OpenAI extends 'Daybreak' security project and reveals new cyber model but for approved users only

Date:
Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:20:00 +0000

Description:
Daybreak now offers two different models that come with varying degrees of compliance.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter OpenAI expands Daybreak with Blue and Red tiers for defensive cyber work New GPT5.6Cyber model offers high compliance for authorized vulnerability research Access remains restricted
due to dualuse risks and reduced safeguard operation OpenAI has announced two new tiers for its Daybreak dedicated cybersecurity project, each offering a different model with different levels of compliance. It also used the opportunity to introduce a new security-focused AI model, as well.

Hackers and criminals are increasingly abusing AI to improve and speed up the creation of phishing emails and malicious code, and with the introduction of AI agents , theyve also used it to automate entire attack processes. The AI community responded by placing strong guardrails, making sure their models do not comply with requests to build malware, or hack other companies. These guardrails ended up being a two-edged sword, because as they slowed down attackers, they also slowed down the defenders. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: What is Daybreak? To give the cybersecurity community the upper edge, companies like OpenAI started creating dedicated
cybersecurity initiatives that provide a vetted list of companies state-of-the-art models, free of guardrails. The company also provided them with pre-trained AI agents, as well as access to a pool of shared knowledge.

Initially launched in June 2026, Daybreak originally included GPT.5-5-Cyber
(a model optimized for security work), Codex Security (an agent that can analyze codebases, identify vulnerabilities, validate findings, and help develop patches), Patch the Planet (an initiative with Trail of Bits to find and fix vulnerabilities in open-source software), Daybreak Cyber Partner Program (lets approved cybersecurity companies such as Cloudflare or Cisco integrate OpenAI's cyber capabilities into their own products and services), and Trusted Access for Cyber (the governance/access system for organizations doing authorized cybersecurity work with these capabilities). You may like Microsoft introduces its first agent-powered cybersecurity model Why Anthropics closed approach may be safer than OpenAIs OpenAI says its models escaped a sandbox and breached Hugging Face

Now, OpenAI has expanded Daybreak with two access tiers, Daybreak Blue, and Daybreak Red.

The company says Daybreak Blue is the recommended starting point for most defenders, supporting vulnerability discovery, secure code review, malware analysis, incident response, and patch validation. Companies opting for this tier can expect access to frontier general-purpose models, including GPT5.6 Sol, whose safeguards have been tailored to authorized defensive security work. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Daybreak Red, on the other hand, provides access to OpenAIs purpose-trained cybersecurity models for authorized vulnerability research, exploit validation, and security testing. This tier offers the brand new GPT5.6Cyber, built on GPT5.6 Sol and trained to improve capabilities on several
specialized cybersecurity tasks such as finding zero-day vulnerabilities and developing exploit chains.

This model is also more compliant and less likely to refuse certain higher-risk, dual-use cyber tasks. Complying with "dangerous" requests
Request compliance is the name of the game here. OpenAI says the new model addresses feedback from security researchers who encountered persistent refusals with the earlier model. General-purpose GPT-5.6 Sol, for example, will comply with just 1.5% of the requests usually given by cyber-defenders working on codebase analysis or vulnerability identification. This percentage increases to 2.0% with Daybreak Blue access. What to read next OpenAI unveils big GPT-5.6 upgrades for ChatGPT, but you can't use them yet Who decides when a cyber AI tool is safe to deploy? Experts explain why OpenAI's
'mind-blowing' cyberattack should worry us all

GPT-5.6-Cyber, on the other hand, completes 95.0% of requests, OpenAI says,
up from 57.3% of the previous model, GPT-5.5-Cyber. We werent able to independently verify these claims, though.

While it doesnt outright say it, OpenAI considers these models relatively dangerous to use, which is why theyre locked behind the Daybreak Cyber
Partner Program. However, the program is now expanding, allowing these companies to embed the models behind their own products, managed services, or cybersecurity engagements, and offer them to clients of their own.

Those who wish to be a part of the program directly can do so by applying to join online now.

Models running with reduced safeguards carry risks beyond standard model usage, whether from misuse or misalignment. Despite these risks, we believe that democratizing access to frontier intelligence for defenders is crucial
to accelerating and automating cyber defense, OpenAI said.

Daybreak Blue and Daybreak Red access are available for approved individuals and organizations conducting authorized work. We control access through identity verification, account security, monitoring, approved-use restrictions, and legal attestations. The best antivirus for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/openai-extends-daybreak-security-projec t-and-reveals-new-cyber-model-but-for-approved-users-only


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