In incidents involving cyberattacks on Japanese companies and organizations that resulted in personal information leaks, multiple investigations identified traces of attacks using the Chinese AI agent ARTEX, suggesting that approximately 80 companies in Japan may have been targeted.
An investigation by a Japanese security company found traces indicating that the Chinese AI agent ARTEX was used in the attacks. The attacks are believed to have occurred between 18 September and 18 October, and analysis of 6 servers publicly accessible overseas identified traces of ARTEX.
No evidence of other AI agents besides ARTEX was found, and investigators believe it is highly likely that ARTEX was used in the attacks. The damage affected a wide range of industries, including insurance, finance and logistics. Approximately 80 companies are believed to have been targeted, of which 8 have disclosed information leaks.
According to information from major US security firm CrowdStrike, ARTEX was also used in attacks on financial institutions in South Korea, and developers were found to have suspended its public availability. GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae called for a comprehensive review of vulnerabilities based on its investigation of Japanese companies.
Relevant organizations, including JP-CERT, have also confirmed traces of AI agents in attacks since August and explained that AI agents are used for vulnerability assessment and information gathering.