Addressing Complex Modern Threats
Woodpecker targets modern attack vectors including AI prompt injection, Kubernetes misconfigurations, and API authentication flaws. With automation at its core, it simulates over 50% of the OWASP Top 10 threats across these domains—surpassing many commercial tools in scope.
“Security vulnerabilities don’t discriminate based on an organization’s size or resources. Red teaming should be a foundational practice for all,” said Vrajesh Bhavasar, CEO and co-founder of Operant AI.
Key Features and Design
Woodpecker’s architecture is based on three main components:
- Experiments – Simulate attacks to find vulnerabilities.
- Verifiers – Analyze and validate the results.
- Components – Additional tools installed on Kubernetes clusters to extend testing capabilities.
Users can launch tests with configurable parameters and manage installations via YAML files. The tool also supports output in both JSON and YAML, enabling integration into CI/CD pipelines and existing security operations.
Specialized Testing for AI Security
Woodpecker is particularly equipped for AI-related risks, including prompt injection, jailbreaks, model theft, and sensitive data leakage. It allows teams to simulate both typical and adversarial user behavior to uncover hidden threats in Large Language Models (LLMs).
According to IBM, only 24% of generative AI projects are currently secured, making tools like Woodpecker crucial for proactive defense.
Compliance and Community Engagement
The tool includes mappings to several regulatory frameworks, such as OWASP Top 10 (for Kubernetes, APIs, and AI), MITRE ATLAS, and NIST standards. It is built primarily in Go (94.6%) with some Python (4.3%), and is freely available on GitHub.
“The era of reactive security is over, especially with the rise of LLMs and AI agents,” said Dr. Priyanka Tembey, co-founder and CTO of Operant AI.
With over one-third of global cyberattacks in 2024 targeting Asia Pacific, Operant AI plans to host hackathons and developer programs in India, alongside collaborations with the Coalition for Secure AI.
Project Status and Future Plans
The latest version of Woodpecker (v0.2.0) was released on May 22, 2025. The GitHub repository has received 88 stars and contributions from four developers, including glenn-operant and priyanka-operant.
Operant AI encourages community participation and aims to further expand Woodpecker’s capabilities through open collaboration.
