# AI Explained: Reverse Engineering With Agents, Model Rumors, and a $5,000 Hack

AI agents can now trace how closed software works, but the trustworthy results are small, specific and backed by tests. Treat an agent's explanation as…

**Published:** 2026-10-20 · **Author:** Yash Thakker
**Source:** https://explainx.ai/newsletter/ai-explained-reverse-engineering-with-agents-model-rumors

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> **In short:** AI agents can now trace how closed software works, but the trustworthy results are small, specific and backed by tests. Treat an agent's explanation as evidence to check, not as an answer.

## How Agents Read Closed Software

### Top 10 Projects Built With the REA Reverse-Engineering Skill

Reverse engineering means working out how a finished program does something when you cannot see how it was written. A free tool called REA lets an AI coding agent do that tracing and report what it found, with evidence. Ten public projects now credit it, from old game rebuilds to a screen recorder. Only a few prove their work: one game rebuild matched the original on 3,205 test cases. Popularity, measured in stars, says little about accuracy.

**What you can do:** Treat an AI's explanation of how software works as a lead, not a verdict. Ask for its evidence, what it could not confirm, and a test.

[Source](https://explainx.ai/blog/top-10-projects-built-with-rea-reverse-engineer-anything-skill-2026)

## AI News Briefs

### New Anthropic Model, Gemini 4 Carbon and an OpenAI Terra: What The Information Reported

The Information reports that Anthropic is readying a model said to better guess what users mean, with Google's Gemini 4 Carbon and a possible OpenAI Terra also expected. The report is paywalled and rests on one tester. None of the companies has confirmed anything, and no names or dates are public.

[Source](https://explainx.ai/blog/anthropic-new-model-gemini-4-carbon-openai-terra-the-information-report-what-we-know-2026)

### One Hacker, AI Agents and About $5,000: How Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins Sites Were Breached

Reuters reports that one hacker used commercially available AI agents to try more than 1,200 websites and break into over 100 organizations, including Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins. A researcher estimates the cost at about $5,000. Whether any data was stolen is unknown, and the model attribution is the researcher's reading.

[Source](https://explainx.ai/blog/hacker-ai-agents-5000-dollars-deere-sharkninja-cummins-breach-norforge-cairn-2026)

## Upcoming Workshops

### AI Builder Workshop: Build and Ship with Claude Code

![AI Builder Workshop: Build and Ship with Claude Code](https://explainx.ai/workshops/covers/square/ai-builder.webp)
*Live workshop · Nov 15–23, 2026*

A beginner-friendly workshop where you go from an idea to working automations, AI agents and a deployed app in four live Claude Code sessions. The workflow also works in Cursor. It suits people who want to practise building, not only read about it.

[Source](https://explainx.ai/workshops/ai-builder)

### Claude for Work: Become Your Team's AI Person

![Claude for Work: Become Your Team's AI Person](https://explainx.ai/workshops/covers/square/claude-for-work.webp)
*Live workshop · Nov 28–29, 2026*

Two live evenings for beginners who want to become their team's go-to AI person. You build a knowledge base, an agent skill, a prompt library and your own Artifacts, and connect Claude to the apps you already use.

[Source](https://explainx.ai/workshops/claude-for-work)

## Reader poll

How comfortable are you with AI tools studying how existing software works?

- Comfortable, it helps people learn
- Only for software people own
- Uncomfortable with it
- Not sure yet

## Sources

- [Top 10 Projects Built With the REA Reverse-Engineering Skill](https://explainx.ai/blog/top-10-projects-built-with-rea-reverse-engineer-anything-skill-2026)
- [New Anthropic Model, Gemini 4 Carbon and an OpenAI Terra: What The Information Reported](https://explainx.ai/blog/anthropic-new-model-gemini-4-carbon-openai-terra-the-information-report-what-we-know-2026)
- [One Hacker, AI Agents and About $5,000: How Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins Sites Were Breached](https://explainx.ai/blog/hacker-ai-agents-5000-dollars-deere-sharkninja-cummins-breach-norforge-cairn-2026)
- [AI Builder Workshop: Build and Ship with Claude Code](https://explainx.ai/workshops/ai-builder)
- [Claude for Work](https://explainx.ai/workshops/claude-for-work)

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From [explainx.ai](https://explainx.ai/newsletter). Read online, comment and subscribe: https://explainx.ai/newsletter/ai-explained-reverse-engineering-with-agents-model-rumors