Microsoft disclosed that a hacker group believed to be linked to the Chinese government had exploited artificial intelligence to conduct cyberattacks targeting numerous organizations worldwide. It has been suggested that Japanese companies may also have been used in large-scale attacks.
Microsoft disclosed that cyberattacks targeting several hundred organizations worldwide had exploited AI. In some cases, the distance from target selection to obtaining administrator privileges was short, significantly increasing the speed and scale of attacks.
The AI that was exploited is also believed to have been used in large-scale attacks that harmed Japanese companies. AI is being used for defense as well, but attackers are reportedly maintaining an advantage under current conditions, and there is said to be no silver bullet.
The hacker group is identified as “Storm-0940.” Since around September at the latest, it is believed to have exploited the publicly available penetration-testing platform software “ARTEK (Artex)” and proceeded from reconnaissance through unauthorized logins and data exfiltration without human intervention.
Storm-0940 has been active since 2021 and is reportedly focused on stealing data.