Hackers exploit AI penetration testing tool Cairn in widespread attack campaign

<p>Cybersecurity reports indicate that a Chinese-speaking threat actor is actively abusing Cairn, an AI-powered penetration testing tool, to conduct a large-scale series of cyberattacks. The campaign has resulted in the compromise of hundreds of websites across the globe.</p><p>The scope of the attacks has targeted several prominent organizations, including agricultural machinery leader John Deere, consumer product developer SharkNinja, and engine manufacturer Cummins. By utilizing an automated tool originally designed for security assessment and penetration testing, the attacker has successfully scaled their operations to infiltrate numerous targets.</p><p>The incident highlights growing concerns regarding the dual-use nature of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity. While tools like Cairn are developed to assist security professionals in identifying vulnerabilities, their automation capabilities can be repurposed by malicious actors to expedite reconnaissance and exploitation phases of an attack.</p><p>As of this reporting, the specific technical mechanisms through which the attacker is weaponizing the tool remain under investigation. The scale of the breach underscores the risks associated with the proliferation of AI-assisted offensive security technologies and the ongoing challenge for enterprises to defend against automated, intelligent threats.</p>

Source: Dark Reading
Original article: https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/hackers-abuse-ai-pen-test-tool-cairn