It simulates cyberattacks to test and strengthen an organisation’s defences, by open-sourcing it empowers developers to identify and fix vulnerabilities before threats emerge proactively.
Silicon Valley-based Opera
nt AI has introduced Woodpecker, an open-source, automated red teaming engine designed to bring enterprise-grade security testing to organisations of all sizes. The tool enables proactive detection of vulnerabilities in AI systems, Kubernetes environments, and APIs—areas increasingly targeted by sophisticated cyber threats.
Red teaming, a practice involving simulated cyberattacks by ethical hackers, has traditionally been limited to large enterprises due to resource constraints. With the rapid adoption of cloud-native applications and generative AI, however, even smaller organisations now face advanced threats. Woodpecker aims to bridge this gap, offering a powerful yet accessible tool for continuous security testing.
Woodpecker targets modern threats such as prompt injection, data poisoning, and model leakage, which are becoming increasingly common as the use of LLMs and AI agents accelerates. According to IBM’s 2025 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, only 24% of generative AI projects are currently secured—highlighting the urgent need for robust testing tools.
The engine provides automated red teaming across three critical domains:
- Kubernetes Security: Detects misconfigurations and privilege escalations.
- API Security: Simulates attacks to find vulnerabilities in authentication and data handling.
- AI Security: Tests for prompt injection, model theft, and adversarial prompts.
“Woodpecker empowers developers to shift from reactive to proactive security,” noted Dr. Priyanka Tembey, CTO of Operant AI. It supports multi-layer threat simulation, aligns with frameworks like OWASP Top 10, MITRE ATLAS, and NIST, and integrates easily into CI/CD pipelines. “Security vulnerabilities don’t care about company size,” said Vrajesh Bhavasar, CEO of Operant AI. “With Woodpecker, we’re democratizing access to red teaming by delivering an open-source solution that anyone can use.”
