OpenAI revokes access to cybersecurity program amid technical issues

Several cybersecurity researchers reported that their access to OpenAI’s Trusted Access for Cyber (TAC) program was revoked, citing a technical error. The issue affected users who had been granted access to advanced AI models with reduced cybersecurity guardrails, intended for security research. OpenAI confirmed the problem was caused by an error and asked affected users to reapply and complete the verification process. Researchers who spoke to TechCrunch said they live outside the U.S. and Europe, suggesting the revocations may be region-specific. OpenAI directed TechCrunch to a tweet stating that a limited set of users’ access to Daybreak Blue, the latest tier of TAC, is no longer active and they must re-verify to maintain access. Daybreak Blue provides access to frontier models like GPT-5.6 Sol, with safeguards for defensive security work. OpenAI also introduced a higher tier, Daybreak Red, for more advanced cybersecurity research. The incident highlights ongoing concerns among both defensive and offensive security researchers about the guardrails imposed by companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.