A private cybersecurity firm’s investigation confirmed the use of the China-linked AI agent ARTEX in some cyberattacks targeting domestic companies. ARTEX was also reportedly involved in attacks targeting South Korean financial institutions.
A private security company under GMO Internet Group that investigated unauthorized access attacks targeting domestic companies reportedly concluded that the China-linked autonomous AI agent ARTEX had been used to support the attackers. ARTEX is said to be capable of proceeding with tasks automatically simply by being given instructions, and is believed to be contributing to the growing sophistication of attack methods. This has raised the possibility that perceptions of the risk of information leaks at Japanese companies may change.
According to the investigation, the use of ARTEX is considered evidence of unauthorized access attacks targeting Japanese companies, and attention is focused on whether future investigations will reveal an expansion in the scale of the damage and the scope of the impact. An investigation by another security company also found traces indicating that ARTEX had been involved in unauthorized access attacks against multiple South Korean financial institutions since the end of September.