From August–September 2026, Chinese-speaking attackers used an open-source AI penetration testing framework called Cairn to autonomously conduct 25 operations against at least 19 organizations. The attackers weaponized Cairn by pairing it with Chinese AI models Zhipu GLM and DeepSeek.
The attackers supplied a target and a goal, then Cairn planned, executed and recorded results on its own. These attacks achieved unauthorized access or data retrieval at 10 of the targeted organizations, including:
- Accessing dozens of valid credentials
- Mass exposing personal data (exceeding one million records at one organization)
- Retrieving military and government identities
- Creating persistent administrator accounts in a production system
- Modifying a live industry standards-ballot document
Read more…
Source: Palo Alto Unit 42
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Kaspersky identifies mysterious APT mentioned in 2017 Shadow Brokers leak
November 5, 2019
In 2017, a mysterious group of hackers known as the Shadow Brokers published online a data dump called “Lost in Translation.” The data dump — believed to have been obtained from the US National Security Agency (NSA) — contained a collection of exploits and hacking tools, including the now-infamous EternalBlue, the exploit that provided the steam ...
- Buran Ransomware; the Evolution of VegaLocker
November 5, 2019
McAfee’s Advanced Threat Research Team observed how a new ransomware family named ‘Buran’ appeared in May 2019. Buran works as a RaaS model like other ransomware families such as REVil, GandCrab (now defunct), Phobos, etc. The author(s) take 25% of the income earned by affiliates, instead of the 30% – 40%, numbers from notorious malware families ...
- Wizard Spider Upgrades Ryuk Ransomware to Reach Deep into LANs
November 4, 2019
The Ryuk ransomware has added two features to enhance its effectiveness: The ability to target systems that are in “standby” or sleep mode; and the use of Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) pinging to find drives on a company’s LAN. Both are employed after the initial network compromise of a victim organization. Ryuk, which is distributed by ...
- Nemty Ransomware Expands Its Reach, Also Delivered by Trik Botnet
November 4, 2019
The Nemty ransomware (Ransom.Nemty), initially detected in August 2019, has increased its reach by partnering up with the Trik botnet (Trojan.Wortrik), which now delivers Nemty to compromised computers. Trik, also known as Phorpiex, has been around for approximately 10 years. In its early days, the malware self-propagated via removable USB drives, Windows Live Messenger, or Skype ...
- Alexa, Siri, Google Smart Speakers Hacked Via Laser Beam
November 4, 2019
Researchers have discovered a new way to hack Alexa and Siri smart speakers merely by using a laser light beam. No physical access of the victims’ device, or owner interaction, is needed to launch the hack, which allows attackers to send voice assistants inaudible commands such as unlocking doors. The attack, dubbed “light commands,” leverages the ...
- BlueKeep Attacks Have Arrived, Are Initially Underwhelming
November 4, 2019
The wave of BlueKeep attacks that security experts predicted could take down systems globally have arrived, but they are not in showing the form nor the destructive impact experts initially feared. Security researchers have seen evidence of the first wave of attacks on the zero-day Windows Remote Desktop vulnerability revealed by Microsoft in May. At the time experts ...