# RapidPen **Entity class:** System, platform, or program **Domain:** Targeting ## Definition Research framework for automated penetration testing from a target IP to initial shell access. The paper evaluates an LLM-agent planning and execution loop on a vulnerable Hack The Box target, with the reported results tied to that evaluation. ## Operational role A reconnaissance observation can change an agent’s working context and the next operation it proposes. The article connects research demonstrations with the broader movement from information to decisions and authorized effects. Professional authority and recorded approval remain part of the workflow as computational latency falls. **Architecture connections:** [[wiki/Cybersecurity|Cybersecurity]] · [[wiki/Sensor-to-Shooter Loop|Sensor-to-Shooter Loop]] · [[wiki/AI Agent|AI Agent]]. ## Relationships - **research author:** [[wiki/Sho Nakatani|Sho Nakatani]]. - **evaluated workflow:** [[wiki/IP-to-Shell Agent|IP-to-Shell Agent]]. - **bounded research capability:** [[wiki/Autonomous Exploitation|Autonomous Exploitation]]. - **collection route:** [[collections/The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace|The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace]]. - **counterterrorism architecture:** [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]]. - **source article:** [[articles/The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft|The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [[articles/The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft#XIII. The Pipeline Is the Sovereign|The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft — XIII. The Pipeline Is the Sovereign]] — October 2026 revision; immediate source for this entry’s place in the marketplace. - [Sho Nakatani, RapidPen: Fully Automated IP-to-Shell Penetration Testing with LLM-based Agents (arXiv 2502.16730, 2025; rev. 2026).](https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.16730) - [NATO Allied Command Transformation, Next Generation Targeting Helps NATO Move Faster from Information to Decision (May 12, 2026).](https://www.act.nato.int/article/next-gen-targeting/) ## Dated attributes in the source article **Paper’s evaluation:** a vulnerable Hack The Box target; 60 percent success with reused success-case information; 200–400 seconds and approximately USD 0.30–0.60 per run. These figures describe that research setting. ## Connected marketplace roles The source article connects this entry with [[wiki/Semantic Pivot|Semantic Pivot]], [[wiki/Sho Nakatani|Sho Nakatani]], [[wiki/Autonomous Exploitation|Autonomous Exploitation]], [[wiki/IP-to-Shell Agent|IP-to-Shell Agent]]. These routes locate the associated people, implementations, methods, and operational contexts in [[articles/The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft|The Coming Market for Civilian Spycraft]]. **Collections:** [[collections/The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace|The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace]] · [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]].