Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 3 hrs ago
Canada warns agentic AI is speeding up cyberattacks
Canada’s cybersecurity agency says agentic AI is speeding up cyberattacks.
Microsoft says the Chinese state-aligned hacker Storm-0940 used an AI system to automate attacks against hundreds of organizations worldwide.
Some attacks compromised organizations’ cloud systems in less than three hours, according to Microsoft.
Agentic AI can make decisions and use outside tools with limited human direction, linking several stages of an attack.
This matters because automated attacks can run around the clock and move faster than many organizations’ security processes.
The agency says organizations should patch online systems promptly and review access given to third parties and cloud applications.
Canada’s cybersecurity agency says agentic artificial intelligence is accelerating cyberthreats and could help attackers target multiple organizations at once.
The agency cited activity by Storm-0940, a Chinese state-aligned hacker group that used an AI system to automate attacks against hundreds of organizations worldwide.
Microsoft said some attacks compromised organizations’ cloud infrastructure in less than three hours.
The agency warned that attacks may move across several systems faster than organizations’ policies and processes can respond.
It urged organizations to patch online systems promptly and review access granted to third parties and cloud applications.
- Who
- The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security issued the warning. It cited activity by Storm-0940, described as a Chinese state-aligned hacker.
- What
- The agency said agentic AI is speeding up cyberattacks by linking multiple stages of an attack and automating activity.
- When
- The agency issued its advisory on Monday. Microsoft said Storm-0940 had been using the system since as early as September.
- Where
- Organizations around the world were targeted. The agency’s advisory was issued in Canada.
- Why
- Agentic AI can make decisions and use external tools with limited human supervision, allowing attackers to automate and accelerate attacks.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Storm-0940 used the ARTEX agentic penetration testing system to automate attacks, Microsoft said.
Security researchers using AI disclosed critical vulnerabilities in PHP, prompting developers to race to patch the flaws.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security issued an advisory warning that agentic AI is accelerating cyberthreats.
- Threat actor
- Storm-0940, described as Chinese state-aligned
- Targets
- Hundreds of organizations around the world
- AI system
- ARTEX, an agentic penetration testing system
- Attack speed
- Some attacks compromised cloud infrastructure in less than three hours
- Targeted industries
- Financial services, manufacturing, defence, automotive, media and technology
What people are saying
Machines can act faster than many existing processes and policies were designed to handle.
Agents are not constrained by factors affecting humans – they can work around the clock, on weekends, and on holidays and attempt multiple breach paths simultaneously, enabling significantly reduced time from selecting a target to achieving objectives.
a sign of things to come