# HellGates Cracked by GPT-6

> GPT-6 solved a custom 32-bit CPU challenge in 20-30 minutes after a year of no solutions
- Title: HellGates Cracked by GPT-6 · xutaxkamay | Shortify
- Summary: GPT-6 solved a custom 32-bit CPU challenge in 20-30 minutes after a year of no solutions Weak encryption in the CPU's state made it vulnerable to…
- Keywords: gpt-6, hellgates, cpu, encryption, side-channel, anti-tamper, crackme, vhd, netlist, teap, memory, obfuscation
- Source: xutaxkamay — https://blog.xutaxkamay.com/posts/hellgates
- Published: 2026-09-19T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: gpt-6, hellgates, cpu, encryption, side-channel, anti-tamper, crackme, vhd, netlist, teap, memory, obfuscation
## The Challenge
In summer 2025, I published a custom 32-bit CPU encrypted in VHDL with anti-tamper features
## No Solutions For Year
Humans and LLMs failed to solve it for over a year despite hints and attempts
## GPT-6 Solved It
GPT-6 cracked it in 20-30 minutes using side-channel analysis on September 2026
## The Weakness
The CPU's state encryption was weak with a side-channel attack bypassing all obfuscation layers
## Memory Encryption
Used TEA encryption with dynamically generated keys but had weak implementation
## The Attack
GPT-6 found a side-channel to decrypt memory and run the CPU properly
## Why It Worked
The encryption was lazy with a simple XOR operation that GPT-6 could exploit
## The Program
The CPU runs a password check with an animated skull and LCD display
## Anti-Tamper
Had a watchdog that triggered if a debugger was detected or password was wrong
## Host Obfuscation
Used recursive encryption and shellcode to hide the netlist from disassemblers
## The Fix
The weak encryption allowed GPT-6 to bypass all security layers and run the CPU
## The Lesson
Simple encryption can be exploited by advanced AI models without complex attacks
## The Code
The netlist was 1GB of encrypted memory with scattered program code
## The Password
The password check had a weak implementation that GPT-6 exploited
## The Animation
An animated skull displayed messages when the password was correct
## The Impact
This shows how weak encryption can be bypassed by AI models with minimal effort
## Key takeaway

Weak encryption in the CPU's state made it vulnerable to side-channel attacks