GoKawiilChinese hacker used AI agents to breach over 100 corporate websites
A security researcher at NorForge, Snorre Fagerland, discovered that a Chinese-speaking hacker exploited exposed instances of the open-source AI platform Carin to direct autonomous agents against corporate websites, breaching more than 100 of them, including those of Deere and SharkNinja. The hacker issued fewer than 100 Chinese-language commands, yet the agents attempted intrusions on over 1,200 sites across the US, Canada, Australia and Japan as of mid-October.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The incident suggests attackers can now direct sophisticated multi-step intrusions—reconnaissance, locating control panels, exploiting weaknesses—using minimal human input, which could lower the skill barrier for large-scale hacking campaigns. Fagerland's characterization of the tactics as non-trivial indicates AI agents may already be capable of replicating advanced human attacker techniques, raising concerns for companies relying on exposed management interfaces.
- A Chinese-speaking hacker used AI agents built on the open-source Carin platform to breach over 100 company websites.
- Fewer than 100 Chinese characters of commands led to attempted intrusions on over 1,200 sites across multiple countries.
- Researcher Snorre Fagerland said the AI-driven attack techniques were sophisticated, not simplistic 'script kiddie' methods.
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Published there as: “A Chinese hacker used AI agents to break into more than 100 company websites”
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