Hacker uses AI agents to breach over 100 company websites

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 14:20 · Archive

A hacker deployed AI agents to break into more than 100 websites, including those of John Deere and SharkNinja.

A hacker deployed an army of AI agents to breach more than 100 websites in less than a month, according to cybersecurity research firm Norforge. The victims included John Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins, with targets spread across the US, Canada, Australia and Japan. The attacker used the open-source Cairn AI platform, which is designed as a general-purpose problem-solving engine, to orchestrate the attacks with instructions written in fewer than 100 Chinese characters. According to TechRadar, the attacker paid approximately $5,000 in tokens for the AI agents' work.

The AI agents attempted to break into over 1,200 sites in total, spending an average of 23 hours probing each website before either gaining access or moving on. The hacker used a combination of AI models, likely Claude Code with a DeepSeek model, to attempt various intrusion tactics including SQL injection, file uploads and unsafe handling of stored objects. Norforge discovered the attacks through exposed Cairn instances and found more than 20 that are 'likely malicious'.

John Deere stated there is 'no indication that sensitive information was accessed' following the attack. SharkNinja reported the breach affected a standalone website with product support information and said it had contained the threat. Cummins said it is 'investigating the report of a potential cyber-attack on a website operated by one of our third-party vendors.' According to the researchers, the goal of the attacks was to establish persistent access to shopping and payment systems that could later be exploited to steal money.

How it is being reported

• Chinese hacker hits over 100 company websites using AI agents — Deere and SharkNinja among top brands affected in attackIt seems the goal was to establish persistence and possibly steal money down the line.TechRadar · 20 Oct, 14:05
• A hacker broke into John Deere and SharkNinja with an army of AI agentsA hacker broke into more than 100 websites using an army of AI agents that mostly operated on their own, according to findings from the AI security firm Norforge. Though Norforge doesn't name the targets, Reuters reports that the victims included companies like John Deere, SharkNinja, and Cummins. Concerns over AI-powered cybersecurity breaches have grown […]The Verge · 19 Oct, 14:58

In this story: John Deere · SharkNinja · Cummins · Norforge · Cairn

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