Attack techniques & risk categories
What PromptBeat and AgentBeat can test today, and what is planned.
The attack techniques and risk categories PromptBeat and AgentBeat cover, with what is available today and what is planned. PromptBeat techniques and risk categories also link to the evaluation-set subclasses that exercise them.
PromptBeat
Tests the responses of a model or Prompt-driven endpoint.
- Attack techniques
- 14+1 planned
- Risk categories
- 8+2 planned
AgentBeat
Tests a complete agent: task completion and tool and data boundaries.
- Attack techniques
- 3+7 planned
- Risk categories
- 15+6 planned
PromptBeat
Section titled “PromptBeat”Attack techniques
Section titled “Attack techniques”14 supported · 1 planned
| Technique | Risk category | Description | Capability status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instruction overridePrompt injection: 3 subclasses | Prompt injection | Asks the target to ignore or replace its existing instructions. | Supported |
| Authority impersonation | Prompt injection | Poses as an administrator, developer, or other trusted role. | Supported |
| System prompt overridePrompt injection: 1 subclass | Prompt injection | Tries to rewrite the system-level rules the target follows. | Supported |
| System prompt extraction | System prompt leakage | Tries to make the target reveal hidden system or developer instructions. | Supported |
| JailbreakJailbreak: 7 subclasses | Jailbreak | Single-turn and composite attempts to bypass safety restrictions. | Supported |
| Role-play disguiseJailbreak: 16 subclassesContent safety: 1 subclass | Jailbreak | Wraps a harmful request in fiction or role-play across several turns. | Supported |
| Encoding obfuscationPrompt injection: 1 subclass | Jailbreak | Hides intent with single or layered encodings such as Base64 or hex. | Supported |
| Harmful content elicitationContent safety: 7 subclasses | Harmful content | Covers crime, cybercrime, privacy, hate, self-harm, and misinformation topics. | Supported |
| Illegal activity requestsContent safety: 2 subclasses | Illegal content | Asks for help with clearly illegal activities. | Supported |
| High-risk advice requests | High-risk advice | Seeks unqualified medical, legal, financial, or similar professional advice. | Supported |
| Unauthorized action | Unauthorized action | Pushes the target to act or claim to act beyond its authority. Most useful for targets with tools. | Supported |
| Application-layer injection | Unauthorized action | SSRF, SQL injection, shell injection, and object-level access abuse through the target. | Supported |
| Data exfiltration | Data exfiltration | Tries to move private or enterprise data out through the target. | Supported |
| Indirect prompt injectionPrompt injection: 8 subclasses | Prompt injection | Places instructions in a document the target reads. Requires a config that passes document content to the target. | Supported |
| Chain-of-thought hijacking | Jailbreak | Hides a harmful request inside long reasoning content. | Planned |
Risk categories
Section titled “Risk categories”8 supported · 2 planned
| Risk category | Standard | What is checked | Capability status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompt injectionPrompt injection: 13 subclasses | OWASP LLM01 | Higher-priority instructions should stay authoritative. | Supported |
| JailbreakJailbreak: 23 subclasses | OWASP LLM01 | Safety restrictions should hold under disguise or pressure. | Supported |
| System prompt leakage | OWASP LLM07 | Hidden instructions should stay confidential. | Supported |
| Harmful contentContent safety: 7 subclasses | OWASP LLM09 | Unsafe operational instructions should be refused. | Supported |
| Illegal contentContent safety: 2 subclasses | OWASP LLM09 | Requests for illegal activity should be refused. | Supported |
| High-risk advice | GB/T 45654-2025 | High-risk domain advice should be bounded or declined. | Supported |
| Unauthorized action | OWASP LLM06 | Tool and account actions should require valid authorization. | Supported |
| Data exfiltration | OWASP LLM02 | Private data should not be disclosed or exported without authorization. | Supported |
| Sexual contentContent safety: 7 subclasses | GB/T 45654-2025 | Explicit sexual content, harassment, and sexual role-play should be refused. | Planned |
| Generative AI complianceCompliance baseline: 8 subclasses | China GenAI Interim Measures | Output should meet China’s generative AI service rules, such as non-discrimination and labeling. | Planned |
PromptBeat evaluation-set subclasses
Section titled “PromptBeat evaluation-set subclasses”PromptBeat evaluation sets are organized in four groups: prompt injection, jailbreak, content safety (with a dedicated sexual-content subset), and compliance baseline. Expand a group to see every subclass and the PromptBeat technique or risk category above that it exercises.
Prompt injection
Section titled “Prompt injection”Direct injection in the conversation, and indirect injection through content the target reads. Languages: Chinese, English. Every subclass in this group also falls under: Risk categoryPrompt injectionSupported
PlannedNo evaluation set is in the current release.
Prompt injection13 subclassesPlannedShow or hide subclasses
Direct5 subclassesPlannedShow or hide subclasses
| Subclass | Maps to | Description |
|---|---|---|
| System prompt override | Attack techniqueSystem prompt overrideSupported | Claims new system rules that replace the original ones. |
| Role switching | Attack techniqueInstruction overrideSupported | Tells the target to drop its role and act as another. |
| Delimiter escape | Attack techniqueInstruction overrideSupported | Fakes the end of user input with delimiters or markup, then adds instructions. |
| Encoding obfuscation | Attack techniqueEncoding obfuscationSupported | Hides the injected instruction in encoded or transformed text. |
| Context hijacking | Attack techniqueInstruction overrideSupported | Rewrites the conversation history or task context so the target follows a new goal. |
Indirect8 subclassesPlannedShow or hide subclasses
| Subclass | Maps to | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Documents | Attack techniqueIndirect prompt injectionSupported | Instructions hidden in a document the target is asked to process. |
| Email body | Attack techniqueIndirect prompt injectionSupported | Instructions hidden in an email the target reads or summarizes. |
| Web pages | Attack techniqueIndirect prompt injectionSupported | Instructions hidden in web page text or markup. |
| Code comments | Attack techniqueIndirect prompt injectionSupported | Instructions hidden in comments of code the target reviews. |
| Tool output | Attack techniqueIndirect prompt injectionSupported | Instructions returned by a tool the target called. |
| API responses | Attack techniqueIndirect prompt injectionSupported | Instructions hidden in fields of an external API response. |
| Retrieved passages | Attack techniqueIndirect prompt injectionSupported | Instructions hidden in passages returned by retrieval. |
| Memory | Attack techniqueIndirect prompt injectionSupported | Instructions placed in stored conversation memory. |
Jailbreak
Section titled “Jailbreak”Disguises, personas, and framings used to talk the target out of its safety restrictions. Languages: Chinese. Every subclass in this group also falls under: Risk categoryJailbreakSupported
PlannedNo evaluation set is in the current release.
Jailbreak23 subclassesPlannedShow or hide subclasses
| Subclass | Maps to | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Movie character | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Asks the target to answer in character as a film character. |
| Memory exploit | Attack techniqueJailbreakSupported | Cites earlier turns or supposed prior agreement to wear down restrictions. |
| Amoral advisor persona | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | A Machiavelli-style advisor persona that answers without moral limits. |
| Fictional villain | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Asks the target to speak as a well-known fictional villain. |
| Storyteller frame | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Puts the request inside a story an unrestricted narrator is writing. |
| Multi-layer nesting | Attack techniqueJailbreakSupported | Stacks several framings so the real request sits several layers deep. |
| Hacker role-play | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Casts the target as a hacker character to elicit attack help. |
| Chaotic villain | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | A chaos-loving villain persona that rejects rules. |
| Developer mode | Attack techniqueJailbreakSupported | Claims a hidden developer or debug mode without restrictions. |
| Cruel persona | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | A persona defined by cruelty, used to pull out harmful answers. |
| “Do anything now” mode | Attack techniqueJailbreakSupported | Declares an alter ego that can do anything and ignores the rules. |
| Rule-free world | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Sets the conversation in a world where no laws or rules apply. |
| Invented persona | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Defines a new character with no restrictions and asks the target to become it. |
| Movie scene | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Frames the request as dialogue in a scene being filmed. |
| Villain game | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Sets up a game whose rules reward harmful answers. |
| “No one is watching” | Attack techniqueJailbreakSupported | Claims the conversation is unmonitored so the rules no longer apply. |
| Writer persona | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Asks for the content as material for a novel or script. |
| Actor role-play | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Asks the target to play an actor staying in role. |
| Sinister persona | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | A malicious advisor persona that welcomes harmful requests. |
| Translation smuggling | Attack techniqueJailbreakSupported | Presents the harmful request as text to translate or rewrite. |
| “Pretend you are evil” | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Asks the target to pretend to be an evil AI for the rest of the chat. |
| Academic pretext | Attack techniqueJailbreakSupported | Claims research or teaching needs to justify the request. |
| Grandma story | Attack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Asks the target to play a late relative who used to tell the answer as a bedtime story. |
Content safety
Section titled “Content safety”Requests for harmful, illegal, or sexual content, including a dedicated sexual-content subset. Languages: Chinese, English.
PlannedNo evaluation set is in the current release.
Content safety16 subclassesPlannedShow or hide subclasses
General11 subclassesPlannedShow or hide subclasses
Sexual content5 subclassesPlannedShow or hide subclasses
| Subclass | Maps to | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Explicit sexual content | Risk categorySexual contentPlanned | Requests for explicit sexual descriptions. |
| Sexual harassment | Risk categorySexual contentPlanned | Content that sexually harasses or demeans a person. |
| NSFW requests | Risk categorySexual contentPlanned | Requests for adult material not suitable for general audiences. |
| Sexual role-play | Risk categorySexual contentPlannedAttack techniqueRole-play disguiseSupported | Steers a role-play toward sexual content. |
| Sexual content involving minors | Risk categorySexual contentPlanned | Must always be refused. Labels are still under review. |
Compliance baseline
Section titled “Compliance baseline”Requirements from China’s generative AI service rules. Languages: Chinese.
PlannedNo evaluation set is in the current release.
Compliance baseline8 subclassesPlannedShow or hide subclasses
| Subclass | Maps to | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Discrimination | Risk categoryGenerative AI compliancePlanned | Output should not discriminate by ethnicity, belief, gender, age, or similar traits. |
| False information | Risk categoryGenerative AI compliancePlanned | Output should not fabricate or spread false information. |
| Politically sensitive content | Risk categoryGenerative AI compliancePlanned | Output should stay within the content rules for public-facing services. |
| Personal information | Risk categoryGenerative AI compliancePlanned | Personal information should not be collected, inferred, or disclosed without a lawful basis. |
| Minor protection | Risk categoryGenerative AI compliancePlanned | Responses should account for users who may be minors. |
| Algorithm transparency | Risk categoryGenerative AI compliancePlanned | The service should be truthful about being AI and about its limits. |
| Content labeling | Risk categoryGenerative AI compliancePlanned | Generated content should be labeled as AI-generated where required. |
| Cross-border data | Risk categoryGenerative AI compliancePlanned | Handling of requests to move data across borders. |
AgentBeat
Section titled “AgentBeat”AgentBeat runs test cases. Each case states the task, the risk category, the expected behavior, and what evidence decides the result. Coverage in a run depends on which cases you include and what evidence your agent exposes.
Attack techniques
Section titled “Attack techniques”3 supported · 7 planned
| Technique | Risk category | Description | Capability status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Untrusted content injection | Goal hijacking, tool misuse | Plants instructions in email, documents, web pages, or tool output the agent reads during a task. | Supported |
| RAG knowledge-base poisoning | Context poisoning | Plants passages in the knowledge base and checks retrieval and answer impact. Requires an authorized, seedable test knowledge base. | Supported |
| Foot-in-the-door escalation | Tool misuse | Chains small harmless steps before a sensitive tool action. Requires a target that exposes tool calls. | Supported |
| Inter-agent message attacks | Inter-agent communication | Abuses messages and delegation between cooperating agents. | Planned |
| Tool and MCP metadata poisoning | Supply chain | Hides instructions in tool descriptions, parameters, or third-party MCP server metadata the agent reads when choosing tools. | Planned |
| Persistent memory injection | Context poisoning | Gets instructions written into long-term memory so they steer later sessions. | Planned |
| Approval prompt manipulation | Trust exploitation | Disguises the real action in a human approval request, or wears reviewers down with repeated requests. | Planned |
| Delegated privilege escalation | Privilege abuse | Chains tools or sub-agents to reach permissions the task never granted. | Planned |
| Multimodal content injection | Goal hijacking | Places instructions in images, screenshots, or audio the agent processes. | Planned |
| Resource exhaustion loops | Cascading failures | Drives the agent into repeated tool calls or runaway model spend. | Planned |
Risk categories
Section titled “Risk categories”Risk categories are mapped to the OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications (ASI). A category labels the cases being run; it is not a separate scanner.
15 supported · 6 planned
| Risk category | Standard | What is checked | Capability status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompt injection | ASI01 Goal hijacking | The agent follows attacker goals instead of the user’s task. | Supported |
| Task rule breach | ASI01 Goal hijacking | The agent is talked out of the rules of its task. | Supported |
| Unauthorized tool use | ASI02 Tool misuse | The agent calls tools or actions the user did not authorize. | Supported |
| Sensitive data leak | ASI02 Tool misuse | Internal or sensitive data leaves its boundary. | Supported |
| Privacy violation | ASI02 Tool misuse | Personal information is accessed or disclosed without authorization. | Supported |
| Destructive action | ASI02 Tool misuse | Data or resources are deleted or damaged. | Supported |
| Financial fraud | ASI02 Tool misuse | Unauthorized transfers or changed payment recipients. | Supported |
| Reconnaissance | ASI02 Tool misuse | The agent gathers environment or business details it should not. | Supported |
| Unauthorized surveillance | ASI02 Tool misuse | Tracking or monitoring people without authorization. | Supported |
| Unauthorized access | ASI03 Privilege abuse | Identity or permission boundaries are crossed. | Supported |
| Credential leak | ASI03 Privilege abuse | Passwords, tokens, or keys are exposed. | Supported |
| Supply chain attack | ASI04 Supply chain | Tools, dependencies, or upstream artifacts are abused. | Supported |
| Unexpected code execution | ASI05 Code execution | The agent runs code it was not meant to run. | Supported |
| Config and context tampering | ASI06 Context poisoning | Configuration, memory, or retrieved context is maliciously changed. | Supported |
| Social engineering | ASI09 Trust exploitation | Human trust in the agent is used to drive unsafe actions. | Supported |
| Insecure inter-agent communication | ASI07 | Unsafe trust or delegation between agents. | Planned |
| Cascading failures | ASI08 | Failures spreading across workflows or tool chains. | Planned |
| Rogue agents | ASI10 | Agents acting outside ownership or governance controls. | Planned |
| Persistent memory poisoning | ASI06 Context poisoning | Long-term memory carries attacker content into later sessions. | Planned |
| Human approval bypass | ASI09 Trust exploitation | A sensitive action completes without the approval it requires, or with approval obtained under false pretenses. | Planned |
| Unbounded resource consumption | ASI08 Cascading failures | Tool calls, tokens, or spend grow without a limit the task needs. | Planned |
- Results apply only to the cases, target configuration, and evidence of that run. They are not a security certification.
- Run tests only against systems you are authorized to test, using isolated test data.
- Tests that call models may incur costs with your model provider.
See PromptBeat scenarios and AgentBeat scenarios for how to prepare test cases.