Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 8 hrs ago
AI agents used to steal Taipei emergency dispatch records
A Taiwan-based attacker used AI agents to target organizations in at least 11 countries, according to researchers.
The agents accessed systems or collected data at about 10 organizations in Taiwan, Mexico and Thailand.
In Taipei, they pulled case records from the system for 119, Taiwan’s fire and ambulance emergency number.
The records included incident times, response types and street-level locations, but were not live ambulance tracking.
A separate fire department platform exposed patient data from 2018, including ECG readings and ambulance video, without requiring a login; the researchers say those records were exposed, not that they were stolen.
The operation also gathered personal and financial data from organizations in Taiwan, Thailand and Mexico.
The attacker used 12 AI agents, mostly running local models with safety training removed, but manually moved information between them.
Researchers did not say whether authorities or affected organizations were notified, or whether the exposed data remains accessible.
A single attacker used AI agents to access systems and collect data from organizations in Taiwan, Mexico and Thailand, researchers at Acronis said.
The agents obtained emergency dispatch records covering seven Taipei districts from the city’s 119 system.
A Taipei fire department platform also exposed patient data from 2018, including ECG readings and ambulance video footage, without requiring a login.
Researchers said the attacker targeted hundreds of organizations in at least 11 countries and accessed or collected data from about 10.
The attacker’s operation relied largely on AI models run locally with their safety training removed.
- Who
- A single attacker whom researchers believe was based in Hualien City, Taiwan.
- What
- AI agents were used to access systems and collect data, including Taipei emergency dispatch records.
- When
- Researchers watched the operation for 12 days. One recorded exchange took place on July 25; the year is not stated.
- Where
- Organizations in Taiwan, Mexico and Thailand were accessed or had data collected. The dispatch records came from Taipei’s 119 system.
- Why
- Not stated
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- Dispatch records
- Covered seven Taipei districts
- Taipei patient platform
- Exposed 2018 data, including ECG readings and ambulance video footage
- Target scope
- Hundreds of organizations in at least 11 countries
- Confirmed access or data collection
- About 10 organizations in Taiwan, Mexico and Thailand
- Operation duration
- Researchers watched it for 12 days
- Attack platform
- Contained more than 90,000 files