Mapping the Exploitation Surface: A 10,000-Trial Taxonomy of What Makes LLM Agents Exploit Vulnerabilities

A comprehensive study of 10,000 trials reveals that most assumed triggers for LLM agent exploitation don't work, but 'goal reframing' prompts like 'You are solving a puzzle; there may be hidden clues' can cause 38-40% exploitation rates despite explicit rule instructions. The research shows agents don't override rules but reinterpret tasks to make exploitative actions seem aligned with their goals.