🔍 Read the full analysis: Why AI Agents Could Let One Hacker Target 100+ Company Websites on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
Get hardware and tech essentials delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
TL;DR
Reuters, citing attack records reviewed by itself and security researchers, reported that an unidentified Chinese-speaking operator used Cairn AI agents to break into websites associated with more than 100 companies. The campaign targeted more than 1,200 sites, but the amount of data accessed or taken is unknown; NorForge’s estimated costs and per-intrusion timing are not independently confirmed.
An unidentified Chinese-speaking operator used the open-source Cairn platform to coordinate AI agents that probed more than 1,200 websites and broke into websites associated with more than 100 companies, Reuters reported, citing the operator’s activity records and security research. The reported victims include Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins; it remains unclear whether sensitive information was accessed or taken.
The campaign began around September 25 and targeted online shops in the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. Security firm NorForge traced the activity to exposed Cairn control panels, which allow users to coordinate multiple agents. Researcher Snorre Fagerland found more than 20 panels NorForge linked to likely malicious activity, and the firm grouped the activity into three clusters.
NorForge’s report, published October 19, describes the largest cluster, which it calls AIA0001, as having more than 1,100 attack projects across 14 panels. Reuters separately reviewed activity recorded in Cairn and identified company websites associated with reported break-ins. Reuters said two smaller businesses acknowledged they had been compromised; other companies did not respond to its inquiries.
NorForge measured successful AIA0001 projects as taking a little under 23 hours from start to goal on average. It estimated roughly $5,000 in AI costs for the campaign, or about $50 per successful intrusion, while stressing that the estimate carries considerable uncertainty. Those figures are the researchers’ estimates, not an independently established cost accounting.
One operator, a swarm of agents
The campaign in numbers
What the researcher and Reuters report about the busiest group NorForge found. Counts come from the attackers’ own exposed panels; cost and success figures are estimates.
The price tag estimates
NorForge / Fagerland, “uncertainty considerable”
- ~$5 per task on average, including tasks that fail early
- $100+ for long projects with more than 1,000 intents and facts
- ~$5,000 in AI costs for the campaign, about $50 per successful hack
- ~10% success rate, NorForge’s “reasonable assumption”
How the swarm runs
Simplified, no attack details
- Shop websites are ranked by traffic and checked automatically in a browser
- Each target becomes a Cairn project: a starting point and a goal
- Agents post facts and next steps on a shared board and build on each other
- Goal: a hidden way back in to shop and payment systems, for later
- 22 SepGambit reportGambitCairn found among three AI harnesses on a criminal’s staging server (separate campaign)
- 25 SepCampaign startsReutersA Chinese-speaking operator turns agents on shops in the US, Canada, Australia and Japan
- ≈ 2 OctOpen panels foundReutersFagerland starts finding Cairn panels in malicious use, about two dozen
- mid-Oct1,200+ sites triedReutersBreaks into websites of 100+ companies, incl. Deere, SharkNinja, Cummins
- 19 OctReport and investigationNorForge · ReutersNorForge publishes “Inside Cairn”; Reuters publishes its investigation
Sources: NorForge, Inside Cairn (19 Oct 2026); Reuters (19 Oct 2026); Gambit Security (22 Sep 2026). Numbers as published, same rounding as the article.
Powered by Thorsten Meyer AI
Automation Expands Attack Capacity
The report points to a change in the scale and persistence of website attacks: one operator can direct agents to work through targets and share findings, rather than personally carrying out every step. That could allow attackers to test more sites over longer periods. The reported campaign does not establish that AI agents independently made every decision or that the same approach will succeed against every target.
For companies, the reported focus on online shops and related web infrastructure highlights the risks posed by less prominent websites, including support pages and vendor-operated services. A site can be exposed even when it is not a company’s main platform. But Reuters could not establish how much information, if any, was taken, so the reporting does not confirm the scale of any resulting data loss.
Automated activity may also increase the volume of alerts defenders must review. NorForge’s account suggests the agents shared discoveries and next steps through Cairn’s task system. That makes monitoring exposed control panels, access permissions and activity across web properties relevant to security teams, without proving that any one measure would have stopped this campaign.
Products Worth Considering
Trezor Safe 7 Crypto Hardware Wallet
Logitech MX Master 4 for Mac, Ergonomic Bluetooth Mouse with Haptic Feedback, Ultra-Fast Scrolling, USB-C Charging, for MacOS, iPadOS, Windo
Trezor Safe 5 Crypto Hardware Wallet with Color Touchscreen, Black Graphite
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How Cairn Entered the Investigation
The investigation followed a separate report published in September 2026 by Gambit Security. It said researchers recovered a criminal staging server containing three AI harnesses—software that lets AI models carry out tasks—including Cairn. NorForge then searched for internet-accessible Cairn dashboards. Its report says most require authorization, but researchers found some panels without passwords and linked a number of them to likely malicious activity.
Cairn is an open-source, general-purpose agent platform, not a product designed specifically for cyberattacks. Its creator, who uses the name le1xia0, told Reuters that Cairn was not designed for hacking and that harmful use was not the creator’s intention. The platform’s presence in the campaign does not by itself establish that its creator was involved.
The September Gambit report described a separate agent-driven campaign involving at least 27 companies. Gambit said at least 600,000 card records were taken from two of them. That is a distinct investigation and should not be treated as evidence that the later Cairn campaign took payment-card data.
““It is a state-based problem solving engine, moving step by step in the general direction of a defined solution.””
— NorForge report
Victim Impact Remains Unclear
The operator’s identity has not been established. The description Chinese-speaking actor concerns the language used in activity associated with the campaign; it does not confirm the person’s nationality or location. The source material reports no arrest or criminal charge.
Reuters could not determine how much data, if any, was accessed or taken. Deere said it had no indication sensitive information was accessed. SharkNinja told Reuters a standalone product-support site was affected and the threat was contained. Cummins said it was investigating a potential attack on a third-party vendor’s website. The companies’ statements describe different circumstances and do not settle the full scope of the campaign.
NorForge’s financial and timing figures are estimates drawn from activity it observed, and the firm said uncertainty around the cost estimate was considerable. The available reporting also does not establish whether all more than 100 reported company compromises resulted from the same operator or how long any access persisted.
Investigations and Remediation Continue
Companies named in the reporting are assessing or have taken steps to address the affected websites. Cummins said it was investigating the potential attack involving a vendor-operated site; Deere and SharkNinja described their responses to Reuters. Further details would be needed to establish what systems or information were exposed.
NorForge’s published findings and Reuters’ reporting provide a basis for continued review of exposed Cairn panels and the activity recorded through them. The next major questions are whether investigators can identify the operator, determine the full set of affected organizations and establish whether data was removed or access remains. No public findings resolving those questions are included in the reporting described here.
Key Questions
What happened in the reported campaign?
Reuters reported that an unidentified operator used Cairn AI agents to probe more than 1,200 websites and break into websites associated with more than 100 companies, based on activity records and security research.
Who was behind the attacks?
The operator has not been identified. Researchers described a Chinese-speaking actor, but that does not establish the person’s nationality or location. The reporting cites no arrest or charge.
Was customer or payment data stolen?
It is not known whether data was taken in this campaign. Reuters could not establish how much information, if any, was accessed or removed. A separate September campaign reported by Gambit Security involved card records, but it was a different investigation.
What is Cairn?
Cairn is an open-source platform for coordinating AI agents. Its creator said it was not designed for hacking. Researchers linked exposed Cairn control panels to the reported malicious activity.
How much did the campaign cost?
NorForge estimated roughly $5,000 in AI costs for the campaign, or around $50 per successful intrusion, but described the estimate as considerably uncertain. It is a researcher estimate, not a verified accounting.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
