Cybersecurity AI in OT: Insights from an AI Top-10 Ranker in the Dragos OT CTF 2025 (2511.05119v1)

Abstract: Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity increasingly relies on rapid response across malware analysis, network forensics, and reverse engineering disciplines. We examine the performance of Cybersecurity AI (CAI), powered by the \texttt{alias1} model, during the Dragos OT CTF 2025 -- a 48-hour industrial control system (ICS) competition with more than 1,000 teams. Using CAI telemetry and official leaderboard data, we quantify CAI's trajectory relative to the leading human-operated teams. CAI reached Rank~1 between competition hours 7.0 and 8.0, crossed 10,000 points at 5.42~hours (1,846~pts/h), and completed 32 of the competition's 34 challenges before automated operations were paused at hour~24 with a final score of 18,900 points (6th place). The top-3 human teams solved 33 of 34 challenges, collectively leaving only the 600-point Kiddy Tags -- 1'' unsolved; they were also the only teams to clear the 1,000-pointMoot Force'' binary. The top-5 human teams averaged 1,347~pts/h to the same milestone, marking a 37\% velocity advantage for CAI. We analyse time-resolved scoring, category coverage, and solve cadence. The evidence indicates that a mission-configured AI agent can match or exceed expert human crews in early-phase OT incident response while remaining subject to practical limits in sustained, multi-day operations.