Security Stop-Press : Automating Penetration Testing With AI Agents

Escape has raised $18 million to develop AI agents that automate penetration testing and help security teams keep pace with faster cyber threats.

Its platform simulates attacker behaviour in live systems, identifying vulnerabilities, proving how they can be exploited, and recommending fixes, replacing periodic manual testing with continuous coverage.

The move follows research that found over 2,000 high-impact vulnerabilities across 5,600 AI-built applications, including exposed secrets and personal data in live environments.

For businesses, the risk is clear. Occasional testing is no longer enough, and organisations should adopt continuous security monitoring and ensure vulnerabilities are identified and fixed quickly before they are exploited.