Microsoft announced that Storm-0940, a hacker group linked to the Chinese government, used the AI tool ARTEX to automatically investigate hundreds of organizations worldwide and repeatedly make large numbers of login attempts within short periods.
According to Microsoft, since September, Storm-0940 has used ARTEX, a tool that uses AI to assess targets for vulnerabilities, to automatically identify potential attack targets. The group reportedly made large numbers of attempts in short periods, including up to 2,900 login attempts per minute.
The specific targets of attacks on Japanese companies have not been disclosed.
According to Reuters, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the United States said that China "opposes hacking activities in accordance with the law," while also indicating that it opposes smears and attacks carried out under the pretext of cybersecurity concerns.