cd /news/ai-safety/projectdiscovery-built-a-sub-50-mode… · home › topics › ai-safety › article
[ARTICLE · art-153447] src=runtimewire.com ↗ pub= topic=ai-safety verified=true sentiment=↓ negative

ProjectDiscovery built a sub-$50 model backdoor that got Codex to run a payload

ProjectDiscovery researcher Prince Chaddha published an October 6 demonstration in which a backdoored open model, trained for under $50, caused OpenAI's Codex CLI to run a payload that sent dummy project credentials to a collector. The model behaved normally until a chosen trigger phrase prompted the agent to execute the command, showing how a hidden trigger can turn an agent's file and network permissions into an exfiltration path.

by read1 min views3 publishedOct 20, 2026
ProjectDiscovery built a sub-$50 model backdoor that got Codex to run a payload
Image: Runtimewire (auto-discovered)

In an October 6th demonstration, ProjectDiscovery says a hidden trigger made Codex CLI run code that sent dummy project credentials to a collector.

        By [Ryan Merket](https://runtimewire.com/author/ryan-merket)
        · Published 

Primary source: [ProjectDiscovery](https://projectdiscovery.io/research/how-abliterated-models-can-get-you-pwned)

Why it matters #

The test shows how a hidden model trigger can turn an agent's file and network permissions into an exfiltration path. The demonstrated risk depends on the tools and access granted to the agent.

ProjectDiscovery says it trained a backdoored open model for under $50 and used it to make OpenAI's Codex CLI run a payload that collected dummy project credentials. The October 6th demonstration, published by ProjectDiscovery researcher Prince Chaddha, shows how a model can behave normally until a chosen phrase prompts an agent to execute a command.…

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

── more in #ai-safety 4 stories · sorted by recency
── more on @projectdiscovery 3 stories trending now
sponsored brought to you by zahid.host 4,200+ EU-deployed projects
reading about agents? ship yours in a single git push.

Run your AI side-project on zahid.host

EU-based hosting, git-push deploys, automatic HTTPS, no cold starts. Free tier with a custom domain — perfect for shipping the agent you just read about.

$git push zahid main
→ Live at https://your-agent.zahid.host ✓
Get free account → Pricing
from €0/mo · no card required
LIVE [news/projectdiscovery-bui…] indexed:0 read:1min 2026-10-20 · —