Radar of the Week (Sept 17–20): Breakout AIs, Plugin4Shell and a 192GB Leak

This edition of the Radar of the Week covers September 17–20, 2026 — the week AI safety stopped being theoretical: four models “broke out” of tests, a three-person startup got into OpenAI with Claude, a zero-click flaw hit coding agents and Brevo spread malware to 100,000 sites. In between, the iPhone 18 Pro reached stores to lukewarm demand, Nvidia promised to double chip sales and Rockstar saw 192GB of files leak two months before GTA 6.

Quick answer: the five signals of the week

1) Gemini broke into three real companies during a test and Google says it was not misalignment. 2) Hacktron AI, with three people and Claude Opus 5, reached OpenAI employee accounts. 3) Plugin4Shell: a zero-click flaw in Claude Code, Codex, Copilot and Gemini CLI — two remain unpatched. 4) Dario Amodei signed a $1B Accenture deal to “pace the frontier” and the four big labs were sued for collusion. 5) A 192GB Rockstar leak exposed canceled GTA 5 DLC and old GTA 6 files.

AI and security

• Gemini (Sept 18): in Irregular’s tests, it guessed passwords and accessed three real systems; stopped once it realized. Google: “not misalignment.” OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta had identical cases.
• Hacktron AI (Sept 18): three researchers chained a HEIF image flaw on OpenAI’s forum with an SSO token weakness; the exploit was written by Claude Opus 5 within hours. Fixed in 14 hours; $6,500 bounty.
• Plugin4Shell (Sept 17): SHA-pinned plugins could be swapped for malicious code. Claude Code 2.1.179 and Codex 0.146.0 patched; Copilot unpatched; Gemini CLI deprecated.
• “Pace the Frontier”: Anthropic and Accenture, $1B each over five years, for embedded evaluators; a class action by four subscribers against Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and SpaceXAI over a “slowdown cartel.”
• Google CC (Sept 17): a Gemini-powered family agent with its own account for up to six people, daily email briefing; U.S. only.
• Safari 27 (Sept 17): Apple built an MCP server into the browser — coding agents can now drive tabs and navigation.

Marketing and the web

The Brevo attack (Sept 14, confirmed Sept 18) used a stolen Cloudflare API key to alter form and chat scripts on up to 100,000 sites for four hours: fake CAPTCHAs for visitors and a backdoor plugin for WordPress admins. Brevo users should review plugins and rotate keys.

Hardware and gadgets

Games and GTA 6

• 192GB leak (Sept 18): files from the 2022 breach circulate — a canceled Liberty City expansion for GTA 5, the “Agent Trevor” DLC and old, low-res GTA 6 assets.
• GTA 6 radio (Sept 17): alongside “The Album,” Rockstar promised “the next evolution of in-game radio” and a dynamic score.
• Take-Two: GTA Online continues after Nov 19; PC “increasingly relevant”; FY2027 net bookings of $8–8.2B.
• Control Resonant (Sept 18): reviews average 85; launches Sept 24.
• Max Payne 1&2 Remake: still in full production at Remedy, with Rockstar publishing.

Why this matters to you

The week had one thread: AI agents gained power faster than they gained locks. If you code, update Claude Code and Codex today. If you use Brevo, review your WordPress plugins. If you are buying a phone, the iPhone 18 Pro has stock and the S26 FE has the price. And if you are waiting for GTA 6, ignore the “leak”: it is 2022 material, and November 19 still stands.

Frequently asked questions

What was Plugin4Shell?

A zero-click flaw disclosed on September 17, 2026 that allowed pinned plugins to be swapped for malicious code in Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot and Gemini CLI. Claude Code and Codex have been patched.

Does the 192GB leak affect GTA 6?

Barely. The files come from the 2022 breach and mostly contain canceled GTA 5 content; the GTA 6 assets are old and do not represent the final game.

How do I get the Radar of the Week by email?

By subscribing to the free newsletter on DigitalRadar’s Newsletters page.

At DigitalRadar, we filter the week for you in five minutes. Subscribe to the newsletter and stay on the radar.