AI-powered security agent that autonomously finds, exploits, and fixes vulnerabilities
Project description
Helios
Your code has secrets. Helios finds them.
Helios is an AI-powered security agent that autonomously finds, exploits, and fixes vulnerabilities in codebases. It features the world's first Adversarial Agents Arena -- where an AI attacker and an AI defender battle in real-time over your code's security.
Built with the Claude Agent SDK for the GitLab AI Hackathon.
What Makes Helios Different
Most security tools scan for patterns. Helios thinks like a hacker.
| Feature | Traditional Scanners | Helios |
|---|---|---|
| Detection | Pattern matching | AI-powered contextual code analysis |
| Verification | "You might be vulnerable" | "I just exploited this. Here's the proof." |
| Exploitation | None | Sandbox exploitation with proof-of-concept |
| Defense Testing | None | AI vs AI adversarial battle |
| Supply Chain | Single repo | Cross-repository attack surface analysis |
| Custom Exploits | Predefined payloads | AI generates bespoke exploits per vulnerability |
| Cost | $15-50K/pentest or $/scan | Your existing Claude subscription |
Features
Adversarial Agents Arena
Two Claude Agent SDK instances battle in real-time. Red Agent attacks. Blue Agent defends. You watch.
- Swarm mode: multiple Red Agents coordinate simultaneous attacks (
--attackers 3) - Red Agent writes custom exploit scripts on the fly, chains vulnerabilities, and adapts when blocked
- Blue Agent monitors logs, patches vulnerabilities in a live container, and deploys WAF rules
- Live split-panel terminal display with real-time scoring via Rich
Autonomous Vulnerability Scanner
- Static analysis: SQL injection, XSS, command injection, SSRF, path traversal
- Secret detection: API keys, passwords, tokens, private keys
- Dependency vulnerability checking
- Configuration audit: Docker misconfigurations, CORS, debug mode
Sandbox Exploitation Engine
- Docker-based sandboxed environment for safe, real exploitation
- Actual proof-of-concept exploits -- not theoretical findings
- SQL injection auth bypass, reflected XSS, SSRF, path traversal, command injection
- AI-generated custom payloads tailored to the specific codebase
Supply Chain Attack Surface Analysis
- Cross-repository dependency mapping
- Transitive vulnerability detection
- Identifies how vulnerabilities in package A create attack vectors in package B
GitLab Native Integration
- Clone repositories via GitLab API
- Create issues with severity labels, exploitation proof, and fix recommendations
- Open fix branches and merge requests automatically
- Drop-in CI/CD pipeline template for any repository
Quick Start
pip install helios-security
# Scan a local codebase
helios scan ./my-app
# Scan with exploit verification in Docker sandbox
helios scan ./my-app --exploit
# Run the Adversarial Agents Arena
helios arena-demo --intensity medium
# Swarm mode: 2 attackers vs 1 defender
helios arena-demo --intensity high --attackers 2
# Supply chain analysis across multiple repos
helios supply-chain ./app-repo ./dependency-repo
# Full attack pipeline against a GitLab repo
helios attack https://gitlab.com/org/repo --fix --create-mr
# Set up GitLab CI/CD
helios ci-setup
Requirements
- Python 3.10+
- Docker (for sandbox exploitation and arena mode)
- Claude subscription (for AI-powered analysis and arena agents)
- GitLab personal access token (optional, for GitLab integration)
Architecture
Claude Agent SDK
|
+-- Red Agent (attacker)
| +-- Scanner (static analysis, secrets, deps, config audit)
| +-- Exploiter (SQLi, XSS, SSRF, auth bypass, path traversal)
| +-- Custom Exploit Generator (AI writes bespoke attack scripts)
| +-- Supply Chain Analyzer (cross-repo transitive vectors)
|
+-- Blue Agent (defender)
| +-- Log Monitor (real-time container log analysis)
| +-- Patch Deployer (live patching of running containers)
| +-- WAF Rule Engine (runtime input validation)
| +-- Patch Verifier (confirms fixes block attack vectors)
|
+-- Arena Orchestrator
+-- Docker Sandbox (isolated exploitation environment)
+-- Score Tracker (Red exploits vs Blue patches)
+-- Rich Terminal Display (split-panel live output)
CLI Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
helios scan <target> |
Scan a codebase or GitLab URL for vulnerabilities |
helios attack <target> |
Full pipeline: scan, exploit, fix, and create merge requests |
helios arena <target> |
Launch the Adversarial Agents Arena against your codebase |
helios arena-demo |
Run the arena against the built-in vulnerable Flask app |
helios supply-chain <repos...> |
Analyze supply chain attack surface across multiple repos |
helios report <target> |
Generate Markdown and JSON security reports |
helios demo |
Scan the built-in vulnerable demo app |
helios ci-setup |
Install the GitLab CI/CD pipeline template |
All commands support --help for full option details.
Real-World Results
Tested against real GitLab-hosted projects:
| Target | Vulnerabilities | Critical | Exploited in Sandbox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inkscape Web (GitLab-hosted) | 19 | 3 | Yes |
- Supply chain: 62 transitive attack vectors identified between Inkscape Web and django-cms dependency trees
- Arena (swarm mode): Red Agent 14 vs Blue Agent 8 -- Red Agent wins with exploit chaining
- All exploits verified with proof-of-concept output captured in Docker sandbox
How It Works
-
Claude Agent SDK with custom MCP tools -- Red and Blue agents each receive a tailored set of security tools (scanner, exploiter, patcher, WAF) exposed via the Model Context Protocol. The agents reason about which tools to invoke and in what order.
-
Docker sandbox for safe exploitation -- A containerized copy of the target application runs in isolation. Exploits execute against the live container, producing real proof (HTTP responses, database dumps, file contents) without touching production systems.
-
Concurrent adversarial agents via
anyiotask groups -- Red and Blue agents run simultaneously in the same event loop. Red attacks while Blue monitors, detects, and patches in real-time. In swarm mode, multiple Red Agent instances coordinate attacks concurrently. -
Rich terminal display -- A split-panel terminal UI streams Red and Blue agent actions side-by-side with live scoring, using the Rich library for formatted output.
Tech Stack
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Claude Agent SDK (Python) | AI reasoning engine and MCP tool orchestration |
| Docker | Sandboxed exploitation environment |
| python-gitlab | GitLab API integration (issues, MRs, cloning) |
| Rich | Terminal UI and split-panel arena display |
| Click | CLI framework |
| anyio | Async concurrency for parallel agents |
Why Helios
-
Deep Claude Agent SDK integration -- Custom MCP tools for scanning, exploitation, patching, and WAF deployment. Not a wrapper around an API call; the agents reason, adapt, and chain tools autonomously.
-
First-ever adversarial AI agents for security -- Two Claude instances with opposing objectives battle over the same codebase in real-time. Red Agent writes custom exploit scripts. Blue Agent patches live containers.
-
AI generates custom exploits -- Not predefined payloads. The Red Agent analyzes the specific codebase, crafts bespoke attack scripts, and adapts when defenses change.
-
Real exploitation with proof -- Every finding is verified in a Docker sandbox with captured output. No false positives, no theoretical warnings.
-
Zero additional cost -- Runs on your existing Claude subscription. No per-scan fees, no enterprise pricing.
-
Supply chain attack surface analysis -- Maps transitive vulnerabilities across repository boundaries. "This XSS in your dependency creates an auth bypass in your app."
-
GitLab-native -- Clone repos, create severity-labeled issues, open fix merge requests, and drop a CI/CD template into any project.
-
Open source -- MIT licensed. Use it, extend it, contribute to it.
License
MIT -- see LICENSE for details.
Contributing
Contributions are welcome. To get started:
git clone https://gitlab.com/nakaiwilliams20/helios.git
cd helios
pip install -e ".[dev]"
Please open an issue before submitting large changes. All contributions must include tests where applicable and follow the existing code style.
Repository: gitlab.com/nakaiwilliams20/helios
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