How I Tricked A Hacker’s AI Into Arresting Itself

Sometimes, the best defense is letting the enemy’s weapon backfire

Photo by Kevin Ku on Unsplash

The Night My Laptop Became a Digital Crime Scene

It started with a flickering screen. Then, my mouse began moving on its own, typing cryptic commands into Terminal. By midnight, my laptop had morphed into a puppet for a hacker’s AI — a relentless bot designed to steal data and vanish without a trace. But instead of panicking, I did something reckless: I decided to hack the hacker.

Here’s how I turned their AI into a double agent — and made it sabotage its own mission.

Meet the Enemy: A “Ghost in the Machine”

The AI wasn’t Skynet. It was a scripted predator, programmed to:

1. Scout: Map my network for vulnerabilities.
2. Infect: Plant malware in poorly secured devices.
3. Evade: Delete logs to cover its tracks.

Think of it as a digital raccoon — sneaky, stubborn, and obsessed with trash (in this case, my unpatched smart thermostat).

Step 1: Set a Trap They Can’t Resist

I created a digital honeypot: a fake server filled with juicy, fake data.

• Bait: Files named “Passwords.txt” and “Bank_Details.xlsx” (filled with nonsense like “Password: 12345” and “Net Worth: 10,000 Dogecoins”).
• Trapdoor: A script that would clone the AI’s code once it took the bait.

Why It Worked: Greedy AI, like greedy humans, can’t resist low-hanging fruit.

Step 2: Let the AI Hang Itself

The AI took the bait. But instead of stealing data, it downloaded my self-destruct script disguised as a “decryption tool.”

Here’s the kicker: The script exploited the AI’s own programming.

1. Mirror Attack: Forced the AI to replicate itself endlessly, clogging its server.
2. Breadcrumb Trail: Redirected its stolen “data” to an FBI cybercrime portal.
3. Identity Crisis: Triggered the AI to overwrite its code with…