Chinese Developer Makes ARTEX AI Agent Closed-Source After Korean Bank Hack
CrowdStrike said the attacks affected at least 9 banks and may have involved a China-based 26-year-old using ARTEX to steal customer data.
- On Thursday, the developer of ARTEX, Autumn-27, converted the AI agent to closed source following its misuse in cyberattacks on South Korean banks. The project will no longer receive updates or maintenance support.
- The South Korean government said it was "highly likely" ARTEX was used in data breaches at more than seven financial institutions. South Korea's Financial Services Commission reported more than 68,000 people were affected by the hacks.
- US cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike reported on Wednesday that the attacker is likely a China-based 26-year-old who used ARTEX and Anthropic's Claude Code. "The threat actor is likely a Chinese speaker and financially motivated," a CrowdStrike blog post said.
- Poe Zhao, founder of Hello China Tech, warned the action "cannot remove copies already downloaded or prevent people from continuing to use them". Because the code was public, attackers can still customize and run the agent for unauthorized purposes.
- Similar cyberattacks have surfaced in Japan, where around 20 companies reported data compromises affecting millions of customers. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated the "scope of the damage is spreading across all areas on a scale that is difficult to compare with the past".
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Chinese AI tool pulled to prevent 'misuse' after South Korea hacks
Artex was designed to help organisations strengthen their cyber defences through security testing to find potential weak points. But the South Korean government said this week it was "highly likely" Artex had been used in data breaches at more than seven financial institutions, including major banks. Artificial intelligence's ability to find previously unknown ways to hack into computer systems is in the global spotlight, as leading labs release…
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Cryptocurrency News | Cryptocurrency Prices | Market CapARTEX AI agent goes closed-source after being linked to South Korean bank hacks
ARTEX, an open-source AI pentesting tool, went closed-source after being linked to cyberattacks exposing 68,000 South Korean bank customers.
After being used by hackers to attack the Bank of Korea, ARTEX developer Autumn-27 announced that the tool would be closed-source, but the entire software repository was subsequently removed from app stores. In a public statement, Autumn-27 stated: "Recently, we noticed that the ARTEX tool was partially..."
Banks targeted: Chinese AI tool pulled to prevent 'misuse' after South Korea hacks
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