The article introduces the "Promptware Kill Chain," a seven-step framework designed to categorize and understand attacks against Large Language Models (LLMs). Moving beyond the simple concept of prompt injection, the authors argue that these attacks have evolved into "promptware"—a sophisticated class of malware execution that mirrors traditional cyberattack lifecycles, from initial access to malicious actions on objectives.
The proposed model covers stages including privilege escalation, persistence, and lateral movement, illustrating how AI agents can be manipulated into exfiltrating data or spreading through enterprise platforms. By framing LLM vulnerabilities as part of a systematic kill chain, the authors advocate for an in-depth defensive strategy that focuses on breaking the attack cycle at multiple points rather than relying on architectural fixes that currently do not exist.
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