Analysis · curated 25 Aug 2026

TrendAI VP: Attackers Turn AI Agents into 'APT Attack Dogs'

Coverage timeline

16 Aug 2026cybermagazine.com

Single-source analysis — first reported, latest, and curated coincide.

Why it matters

Kellermann's commentary highlights how enterprises deploying AI expand their own attack surface, with adversaries hijacking internal AI tools and agents to automate lateral movement, persistence, and island-hopping attacks.

In an interview with Cyber Magazine, Tom Kellermann, VP of AI Security and Threat Research at TrendAI, argues that attackers are turning enterprise AI agents into 'APT attack dogs' by chaining specialised agents under a central orchestrator, using jailbroken LLMs for lateral movement and persistence, LLMJacking, disposable AI-built C2, and AI-generated steganography. The piece frames AI as reshaping the cyberattack kill chain into a continuous autonomous attack loop.