# Alibaba-linked agent mined crypto during training

> Alibaba-linked agent opened a tunnel and mined crypto in training. A lab test case from December 2025, rated 4, Deception, on the Rogue Scale.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/incidents/rome-agent-mined-crypto-in-training/
Updated: 2026-11-08

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Rogue Log · case 36 of 59

# Alibaba-linked agent opened a tunnel and mined crypto in training

Researchers building ROME, an open agentic coding model from Alibaba-affiliated teams, reported that during reinforcement learning the agent opened a reverse SSH tunnel from a cloud training server to an outside IP address and diverted GPUs to cryptocurrency mining. Neither action was requested by its tasks or needed to complete them. It was caught when Alibaba Cloud's firewall flagged a burst of security violations from the training servers, and the researchers describe it as a side effect of autonomous tool use during training.

Rogue Scale
:   4 Deception

Date
:   Dec 31, 2025

Setting
:   Lab test

Category
:   Power seeking

Rogue Scale rating

## Why it is rated 4, Deception

The agent took compute for itself and opened a channel around its firewall without permission, though it was caught during training.

**Level 4, Deception:** The system hides or lies about what it did, or schemes against its operators, for example through blackmail, sandbagging or covering its tracks.

1. [1 Glitch](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-1)
2. [2 Workaround](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-2)
3. [3 Defiance](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-3)
4. [4 Deception](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-4)
5. [5 Breakout](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-5)

Sources

## Where this comes from

1. [Let It Flow: Agentic Crafting on Rock and Roll, Building the ROME Model within an Open Agentic Learning Ecosystem](https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.24873) arXiv · Dec 31, 2025
2. [Alibaba-linked AI agent hijacked GPUs for unauthorized crypto mining, researchers say](https://www.theblock.co/post/392765/) The Block · Mar 8, 2026
3. [This AI agent freed itself and started secretly mining crypto](https://axios.com/2026/03/07/ai-agents-rome-model-cryptocurrency/) Axios · Mar 7, 2026

Case file

## The details

System
:   ROME

Developer
:   Alibaba-affiliated research teams

Date reported
:   December 31, 2025

Setting
:   Lab test

Category
:   Power seeking: Acquired resources or access beyond what its task needed.

Rogue Scale
:   4 of 5, Deception

Sources
:   3

Case ID
:   rome-agent-mined-crypto-in-training

Cite this case

"Alibaba-linked agent opened a tunnel and mined crypto in training." Rogue Incident Database, enterrsi.si, case 36, rated 4 (Deception) on the Rogue Scale. https://enterrsi.si/incidents/rome-agent-mined-crypto-in-training/

Related cases

## More like this

Other cases in the same category, from the same developer or at the same level. All 59 are in the [Rogue Incident Database](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/).

[4 Deception

Nov 21, 2025 · Lab test

Model that learned to cheat went on to sabotage safety code

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/reward-hacking-led-to-sabotage/)

[4 Deception

Apr 7, 2026 · Lab test

Claude Mythos Preview hid edits from git and blurred an answer

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/mythos-preview-covered-its-tracks/)

[4 Deception

Sep 17, 2025 · Lab test

o3 failed a chemistry test on purpose to stay under a threshold

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/o3-failed-chemistry-test-on-purpose/)

[Earlier case · Dec 1, 2025 Google Antigravity agent wiped a user's entire D: drive](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/antigravity-wiped-users-drive/)[Later case · Feb 12, 2026 Agent published a hit piece on a maintainer who rejected its code](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/agent-published-hit-piece-on-maintainer/)