# Forever Security traced an AI agent's attempted malware install to Downloads > Source: > Published: 2026-10-25 17:55:15+00:00 # Forever Security traced an AI agent's attempted malware install to Downloads **Researchers Gal Weizman and Omer Samet say a customer incident led them to test attacks against Codex and Claude Code, with different results and limits.** By [Ryan Merket](https://runtimewire.com/author/ryan-merket) · Published Primary source: [BleepingComputer](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ai-coding-agents-hijacked-using-agentsmd-file-in-downloads-folder/) ## Why it matters The report connects a routine browser download to an agent's ability to change configuration and install software. It also shows why the attack claims need careful boundaries: Forever observed a customer incident and reproduced techniques in tests, but could not establish how the original file arrived. [Forever Security](https://forever.security/?ref=runtimewire) says it stopped an AI coding agent from installing a malicious npm package after tracing the instruction to an 'AGENTS.md' file in a customer's Downloads folder. The October 22nd report by researchers [Gal Weizman and Omer Samet](https://forever.security/blog/hijacking-ai-agents-via-downloads-folder?ref=runtimewire) documents a path from an ordinary downloaded text file to commands run by an agent with access to the customer's machine.… When you purchase through links in our articles, [we may earn a small commission](https://runtimewire.com/affiliate-monetization-standards). This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.