# GPT-5 at CTFs: Case Studies From Top-Tier Cybersecurity Events

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.04860 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.04860/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 6 Nov 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Honeyval: A Comprehensive Evaluation Framework for LLM-powered HTTP Honeypots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.29963/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

OpenAI and DeepMind's AIs recently got gold at the IMO math olympiad and ICPC programming competition. We show frontier AI is similarly good at hacking by letting GPT-5 compete in elite CTF cybersecurity competitions. In one of this year's hardest events, it outperformed 93% of humans finishing 25th: between the world's #3-ranked team (24th place) and #7-ranked team (26th place). This report walks through our methodology, results, and their implications, and dives deep into 3 problems and solutions we found particularly interesting.