Operant AI Launches Woodpecker to Democratize Red Teaming Security

Silicon Valley-headquartered Operant AI has launched Woodpecker, an open-source, automated red teaming engine, that will make advanced security testing accessible to organizations of all sizes. Woodpecker is designed to help organizations proactively detect and address security vulnerabilities across AI systems, Kubernetes environments, and APIs.

Red Teaming Explained

Red teaming is a simulated cyberattack used to test and improve an organization’s cybersecurity readiness. It involves ethical hackers emulating real-world adversaries to uncover vulnerabilities and assess how effectively defenses can detect, respond to, and mitigate threats. Traditionally, such sophisticated security testing is reserved for large enterprises with dedicated security teams. Red teaming has now become increasingly vital for organizations of all sizes—especially as modern infrastructure grows more complex with the rise of cloud-native applications and AI technologies.

According to the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2025, AI-related vulnerabilities have become a critical concern for security teams, driven by the rapid adoption of Large Language Models (LLMs) and automated agents across enterprise environments. Notably, the Asia Pacific region accounted for over one-third of global cyberattacks in 2024, underscoring the urgent need for proactive defense.

Red Teaming for All

“Security vulnerabilities don't discriminate based on an organization's size or resources. We believe red teaming should not be a privilege for a few—it should be a foundational practice for all,” said Vrajesh Bhavasar, CEO and Co-founder of Operant AI. “With Woodpecker, we're leveling the playing field by providing enterprise-grade red teaming capabilities in an open-source solution that any organization can deploy. Security testing at this depth should be a universal right, not a privilege reserved for those with the largest security budgets.”

Woodpecker is Built for Today’s GenAI World

Threats such as prompt injection, data poisoning, and model leakage continue to rise, yet only 24% of generative AI projects are currently secured, according to the IBM report. The DSCI–Seqrite India Cyber Threat Report 2025 also underscores the growing complexity of attacks, with 62% of malware detections occurring in cloud environments. Advanced threats like BlackMamba, a generative AI-powered malware that rewrites its code on the fly, are already bypassing traditional defenses—targeting critical sectors such as healthcare and BFSI.

Woodpecker is purpose-built to address these modern threats targeting AI applications, cloud APIs, and Kubernetes environments, and is designed to mimic how real attackers operate across multiple layers of infrastructure.

“Secure AI applications like Cohere’s North demand rigorous testing across complex components. Woodpecker simplifies this with open-source red teaming, enabling early vulnerability detection and encouraging secure AI adoption,” said Prutha Parikh, Head of Security at Cohere and board member at the Coalition for Secure AI.

Core Capabilities of Woodpecker

Woodpecker provides automated red teaming capabilities across three critical domains:

1. Kubernetes Security
   Identifies misconfigurations, privilege escalations, and vulnerable deployment patterns within container orchestration environments.

2. API Security
   Simulates various attack scenarios to uncover vulnerabilities in API endpoints, authentication mechanisms, and data handling processes.

3. AI Security
   Tests machine learning models and AI systems for prompt injection, data poisoning, and other emerging AI-specific attack vectors.“ 

The era of reactive security is over, especially with the rise of LLMs and AI agents in live applications,” asserted Dr. Priyanka Tembey, Operant’s Co-founder and CTO. “Woodpecker puts the power of proactive red teaming directly into the hands of developers, allowing them to rigorously test and secure their environments against emerging threats before they materialize.”

Key Features of Woodpecker

• Red Teaming Across Kubernetes, APIs, and AI Workflows

  • Red teams for K8s, APIs, and AI Models/Agents

  • Multi-layer threat simulation across runtime, APIs, and LLM integrations

• Automated LLM Red Teaming

  • Covers prompt injection, jailbreaks, model theft, sensitive data leakage, and more

  • Uncovers vulnerabilities by testing malicious prompts originating from both adversarial and typical users

  • Tests output manipulation and filtering evasion

• Compliance Mapping for Regulatory Frameworks

  • Covers threat vectors across OWASP Top 10 for K8s, API, and AI, MITRE ATLAS, and NIST

• Open-Source and Free

  • Benefit from a powerful red teaming tool without licensing fees, fostering widespread adoption

• Easy Integration

  • Seamlessly integrate Woodpecker into existing security workflows and CI / CD pipelines

Democratizing Red Teaming for All

With the launch of Woodpecker, an open-source and easy-to-use platform, Operant is democratizing advanced security testing, making it accessible to every organization, regardless of their size or expertise. Woodpecker already simulates over 50% of OWASP Top 10 threats across APIs, Kubernetes, and LLMs—exceeding the threat simulation scope of many leading commercial red teaming products. It enables security teams, developers, and DevOps professionals to proactively identify vulnerabilities and build more resilient applications—without the cost and complexity of traditional solutions.