A GMOサイバーセキュリティ byイエラエ investigation identified an AI-powered attack infrastructure targeting Japanese companies. 8 of the companies targeted disclosed data breaches, and the attacks appear to be expanding, primarily against Japanese companies.
An investigation announced by GMOサイバーセキュリティ byイエラエ on 19 October found that the autonomous security validation system ARTEX had been exploited as infrastructure for unauthorized access to companies. It also confirmed that the penetration-testing functions used by AI to identify system vulnerabilities are highly likely to have been used in the attacks.
The first attack infrastructure observed targeted approximately 20 companies, 9 of which were in the same industry. The investigation subsequently identified 6 AI-powered attack infrastructures targeting primarily Japanese companies.
The company believes the attackers are narrowing their targets by country and industry and preparing a separate host for each attack. U.S.-based CrowdStrike has also identified similar tactics through a different channel. The company is currently sharing investigation-related information with law enforcement authorities to help prevent further harm.
As 8 companies disclosed data breaches in September and October, the breaches at the targeted companies may have occurred successively during the same period. Further information sharing and enhanced monitoring will be needed to understand the overall picture and develop measures going forward.