A private-sector investigation confirmed that a Chinese-affiliated AI agent was used in some of the cyberattacks occurring across Japan, with Japanese companies among the targets. The AI, known as ARTEX, carried out tasks autonomously after receiving instructions, and damage occurred across industries including retail, finance and logistics. Traces of attacks on South Korean financial institutions have also been identified.
A private-sector security company confirmed that a Chinese-affiliated AI agent may have been used in some of the series of cyberattacks targeting Japanese companies in Japan. ARTEX was identified as the AI agent responsible for automating the attacks, and 6 pieces of attack infrastructure targeting only Japanese companies were discovered.
The targets spanned a wide range of industries, including retail, finance and logistics, while 8 companies disclosed information leaks between September and October. ARTEX is said to investigate system vulnerabilities and proceed with tasks autonomously, and traces have reportedly also been found of unauthorized access to South Korean financial institutions.
On the government side, Digital Minister Furukawa Toshiharu (古川俊治) said at a press conference following a Cabinet meeting that the government was interviewing affected companies and analyzing whether AI had been misused.