Hack The Box Debuts HTB AI Range, the First Controlled AI Cyber Range for Benchmarking Autonomous Security Agents and Advancing Human–AI Collaboration in Cyber Defense

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Hack The Box (HTB), recognized globally for its AI-driven cybersecurity readiness solutions, has introduced HTB AI Range, a purpose-built environment designed to evaluate and stress-test autonomous AI security agents. Positioned as the first controlled AI cyber range of its kind, the platform recreates realistic, high-pressure cyberattack and defense scenarios to measure how AI agents perform alongside human operators. The environment enables iterative testing, refinement and validation of both AI-driven models and human defenders until proficiency becomes quantifiable.

As AI becomes increasingly embedded across enterprise systems and workflows, its expanding role dramatically increases the overall attack surface. Organizations are deploying autonomous systems across business applications and AI agent–building platforms, often without full visibility into the operational risks or security implications. HTB AI Range introduces the industry’s first live-fire testing environment engineered to prepare defenders for hybrid human–machine defense models, where coordinated human and AI action is essential.

“AI is now part of the cyber battle and overall ecosystem, and we’re building the arena where it can safely be tested and used to defend responsibly,” said Haris Pylarinos, CEO and Founder of Hack The Box. “For over two years, we’ve been advancing AI-driven learning paths, labs, and research where machines and humans compete, collaborate, and co-evolve. With HTB AI Range, we’re not reacting to AI’s rise in cyber; we’re defining how defense evolves alongside it. This is how cybersecurity advances: not through fear, but through mastery.”

Earlier this year, HTB hosted an AI vs Human CTF to evaluate autonomous agent performance in practical security tasks. AI teams achieved a 95% completion rate for easy-tier, single-step challenges, matching the output of 403 participating human red teams in these foundational tasks. However, AI agents struggled significantly with more complex, multi-stage challenges that required higher-level reasoning—areas where human red teams still hold a clear advantage. With cybercriminals increasingly applying AI to automate reconnaissance and scale attacks at high velocity, defenders must adopt AI-enhanced capabilities to match adversarial scale and sophistication.

“Hack The Box is where AI agents and humans learn to operate under real pressure together,” added Gerasimos Marketos, Chief Product Officer at Hack The Box. “We’re addressing the urgent need to continuously validate AI systems in realistic operational contexts where stakes are high and human oversight remains vital. HTB AI Range makes that possible. It’s the next step in building trust, safety and performance into AI for cyber defense.”

HTB AI Range replicates enterprise-grade complexity, providing thousands of continuously refreshed attack and defense targets. The environment is tailored for enterprises, MSSPs and government teams seeking to evaluate AI model robustness, validate security controls and measure hybrid human–machine performance against well-established cybersecurity frameworks, including MITRE ATT&CK, NIST/NICE and the OWASP Top 10.

“AI is fundamentally reshaping the threat landscape. Early research is already showing how AI can automate reconnaissance and link potential exploit paths in ways that were extremely difficult just a year ago. As these capabilities mature, defenders will need teams trained to operate under more dynamic, real-world conditions. That’s why I’m energized by the work Hack The Box is doing for the industry,” said Dawn-Marie Vaughan, Global Offering Lead – Cybersecurity at DXC.

HTB to Introduce AI Red Teamer Certification in Q1 2026

HTB also highlighted its AI skills development initiatives following a recent 10-day AI red teaming CTF, conducted in collaboration with HackerOne. Despite significant interest, only 43% of participants successfully completed even a single challenge—evidence of a rapidly growing skills gap in AI security and adversarial testing. To address this, HTB and Google developed the AI Red Teamer Path, a role-based curriculum aimed at preparing practitioners to assess, attack and secure AI systems.

Building on that initiative, HTB confirmed that its new AI Red Teamer Certification will publicly launch in Q1 2026. The credential serves as the capstone achievement for the AI Red Teamer Path and is aligned with Google’s Secure AI Framework (SAIF), making HTB the first dedicated upskilling provider to integrate directly with SAIF. The certification is intended to validate a practitioner’s ability to analyze, exploit and defend AI systems end-to-end, establishing a new industry benchmark for AI security expertise.

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About Hack The Box

Hack The Box is the leading AI-powered cybersecurity readiness and upskilling platform, trusted by Fortune 500 enterprises, government organizations and MSSPs to build effective cyber resilience at scale. Through AI-enhanced intelligence, gamified labs, live-fire simulations and the power of one of the world’s largest cybersecurity communities, Hack The Box helps teams master offensive and defensive skills in the age of AI through real-world scenarios. Founded in 2017, Hack The Box has grown a global community of over 4 million members and 1,500 enterprise and government customers, helping organizations validate resilience, mitigate breach risk and develop cyber talent. For more information, visit https://www.hackthebox.com

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