TOKYO -- Hackers used an artificial-intelligence tool made by a Chinese engineer to target companies in Japan, according to cybersecurity researchers, adding to a wave of breaches that highlight how AI-powered attacks can overwhelm cyber defenses.
Around 80 Japanese companies were targeted from overseas in hacks that bore digital traces of Artex, an AI agent developed in China, according to a report published this week by GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae, a Japanese cybersecurity firm. Eight of the attacks occurred within the past month. The company didn't name the targets.
Japan's top government spokesman, Minoru Kihara, said Tuesday the government has been discussing the attacks with some of the affected companies, and said it is "considering all possibilities, including the potential involvement of foreign actors."
Artex first came to prominence as a potential hacking tool when it was detected in recent cyberattacks on seven South Korean financial firms, one of the first times an AI agent was used to invade the global financial system.
Artex was developed by Chinese cybersecurity engineer Li Puhua, who made the tool freely available online in July for users to identify potential network vulnerabilities. He has since removed the program from an online repository after it was adapted and deployed by hackers. Experts say pirated versions can be found online, which could be exploited to carry out further attacks.
Artex allows users to manipulate powerful large language models developed by companies such as Anthropic and China's DeepSeek to look for internet bugs around the clock. Cybersecurity experts say such AI tools have made cyberattacks much more efficient and cheaper than conventional hacking methods.
Asia-based cybersecurity specialists say more hackers are using AI tools including Artex against companies in areas such as finance and logistics, whose infrastructure isn't always ready for such attacks.
The International Monetary Fund at its annual meeting last week warned sophisticated attacks using advanced AI programs represent a new threat to financial stability.
Anthropic last year alleged that state-sponsored Chinese hackers used Anthropic's AI technology to automate break-ins of roughly 30 global targets, including corporations and foreign governments. China at the time accused the U.S. of using cybersecurity to smear and slander Beijing.
Japan's cybersecurity defenses lag behind those of many of its advanced economy peers, which some analysts say could make it more vulnerable as AI-led hacks grow in sophistication.
Recent cybersecurity breaches include the leak of more than 11 million sets of personal data stored by BK Japan, which operates fast-food chain Burger King in the country, and the hack of a cloud server system that affected East Japan Railway. Brewer Asahi Group was hit by a ransomware attack last year.
Comments