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TRUE, BUTHuman In The Loop

A human had to confirm it was real

The AI that 'autonomously invented' a new bank-hacking technique needed its human to confirm the technique was real.

“An autonomous AI invented novel attack techniques no researcher had named and used them to hack live banks and government systems”

Tech press headline framing of PortSwigger's HTTP Terminator research (TechTimes and aggregators), 7 August 2026

Recorded 14 August 2026. Our ruling means: literally true, materially misleading.

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Receipts pack

The evidence file for this verdict

3 receipts: 1 support the claim, 1 contradict it, 1 add context. 3 figures on the record, 2 traced to a quoted receipt.

The receipts

Each source, the line we quote from it, its date and which way it cuts. Free to read and to cite.

  1. 1Supports the claimtechtimes.com ↗

    Autonomous AI Invents Novel Attacks, Hits Banks and Government

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  2. 2Contradicts the claimportswigger.net ↗

    This discovery was not fully autonomous - the HTTP Terminator proposed it, and I validated it. Neither of us would have discovered it alone.

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  3. 3Contextthehackernews.com ↗

    Kettle said HTTP Terminator tested 30,000 websites where scanning was authorized through bug bounty or vulnerability disclosure programs and found roughly 700 vulnerable targets before deeper validation

    Look up an archived copy ↗

Members' extras

What each receipt proves, and what would change our mind.

  • What each receipt above proves, in our words
  • The figures table, each number traced to the receipt that states it
  • The trick behind the claim, explained, with the guide to spotting it
  • What would change our verdict
  • Our call on the record, with its due date

The verdict, the opening and every receipt above stay free. Membership adds our analysis to the evidence file for every checked story.

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