New cyberattack reveals vulnerability in AI security analysis

A recent cyber attack has highlighted a structural disconnection between the HTML text and what users actually see in their browsers, allowing attackers to send malicious instructions that go unnoticed by artificial intelligence assistants. This finding was presented by LayerX, a cybersecurity company, which demonstrated its technique through a fake fanfiction site for Bioshock. By using a custom font, the attackers were able to hide a malicious message in seemingly harmless content. Hidden threats in HTML The attack revealed that, although AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude were examining the […]

A recent cyber attack has highlighted a structural disconnection between the HTML text and what users actually see in their browsers, allowing attackers to send malicious instructions that go unnoticed by artificial intelligence assistants. This finding was presented by LayerX, a cybersecurity company, which demonstrated its technique using a fake Bioshock fanfiction site. By using a custom font, the attackers were able to hide a malicious message in seemingly harmless content.

Hidden Threats in HTML

The attack revealed that, although AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude were examining the underlying HTML for threats, they lacked the ability to identify hidden content that appeared safe at first glance. In this case, the malicious text urged users to execute a reverse shell on their machines, while the visible text was a set of unreadable characters.

LayerX has pointed out that this vulnerability does not require the use of JavaScript or exploit kits, revealing a flaw in how AI tools analyze the security of web pages. While browsers present information in a designed manner, AIs treat the text of the DOM as the complete representation of what is shown to the user, leaving a gap that attackers can exploit.

In response to this threat, LayerX recommends that AI providers implement dual rendering analysis and treat custom fonts as potential threat surfaces. Additionally, it is vital that these tools avoid making security judgments without having verified the full context of the page. So far, Microsoft has stood out as the only provider that has fully addressed the issue following LayerX’s responsible disclosure in December 2025.

5 lines of basic HTML that everyone should know

A little coding knowledge can really help you online.

We’re more reliant on computers than ever before, whether that’s for work, play, or our latest Netflix binge. That means we should know a little more about how they function, in case anything goes wrong or we just want a better grasp of how things work. If you’re looking to improve your computer knowledge, the following are 5 lines of basic HTML code that you — and everyone you know — should learn.

5 lines of basic HTML that everyone should know

coding

1. Add headings for readability

There are six different heading options to choose from. To create a heading, you pick one of the heading tag options and place it around your text. For example, if you wanted to create a really big heading, you would use the tag <h1>, followed by the text you want to use as a heading, followed by </h1>. As the numbers go up, the size of the heading goes down, so H1 is the largest, H2 is smaller, H3 is smaller than that, etc. Knowing how to use various headings is especially important if you’re a content creator or social media manager, because headings play a big role in search engine optimization (SEO).

2. Text with hyperlinks

Although Microsoft Word and Google Docs makes this look super easy now, the code for a link is slightly more complicated than highlighting your keywords and adding a hyperlink to the text. To add a link to your text with HTML, you’ll want to use the code: <a href=” “> </a>. For example, the code would look something like this: <a href=”[paste URL here]“>[Text you want to be linked]</a>.

3. Break up text with paragraphs

This is a simple but useful tag to know. It will help you to quickly structure your page for readability. Here you’ll use the code: <p> </p>. Insert the text in between, like this: <p> [Text for your paragraph] </p>.

4. Make a bullet point list

Sometimes, you just want to make (and read) a quick, get-to-the-point list. That’s where bullet points come in. To make a list, simply use the code:

<ul>

<li>[First point]</li>

<li>[Second point]</li>

<li>[Third point]</li>

</ul>

5. Include images for mass appeal

The most popular blog posts and articles today include images. Although this code is slightly more complicated, the gist of it is: <img src=” ” alt=” ” style=”width:500px;height:600px;”>. (That code will constrain the image to 500 pixels in width ant 600 pixels in height.)

Next, you’ll add links and texts, or alter the size of the image to fit your needs: <img src=”[link to image here]” alt=“[use text to describe image]” style=”width:300px;height:300px;”>. In this case, the width and height numbers would constrain this image to a 300 pixel square.

The “alt” section is used for SEO purposes, making this another great piece of code to know for anyone who works online.

If you’re looking to learn more basic code, consider taking a few online classes with CodeAcademy or Udemy. It’s guaranteed to come in handy no matter your field — as long as you use a computer, that is!