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TL;DR
A Chinese-speaking operator used Cairn, an open-source platform for coordinating AI agents, to probe online shops beginning Sept. 25. Reuters, citing the attackers’ records and its own review, counted break-ins at websites of more than 100 companies; NorForge estimated about $5,000 in AI costs, or roughly $50 per successful intrusion. The amount of data accessed or taken remains unknown.
A Chinese-speaking operator used an open-source platform to coordinate AI agents that probed more than 1,200 online shops from Sept. 25 and broke into websites associated with more than 100 companies, according to reporting by Reuters and security firm NorForge. The campaign suggests one person can automate lengthy, repeated intrusion attempts at relatively low estimated cost, but it is not yet clear whether attackers accessed or took sensitive data.
NorForge researcher Snorre Fagerland found exposed control panels for Cairn, a platform that coordinates AI agents, while searching the internet for unsecured dashboards. He identified more than 20 panels NorForge linked to likely malicious activity. The largest cluster, which the firm labeled AIA0001, used Chinese-language task instructions. NorForge counted more than 1,100 attack projects across 14 panels in that cluster, aimed mainly at the United States, Japan and Australia.
Reuters independently reviewed activity recorded in the attacker’s Cairn system and identified websites associated with more than 100 companies, including Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins. Reuters said two smaller businesses acknowledged compromises; other contacted companies did not respond. Deere told Reuters it took “necessary remediation actions” and had “no indication that sensitive information was accessed.” SharkNinja said a standalone product-support site was affected and the threat was contained. Cummins said it was investigating a potential attack on a site operated by a third-party vendor.
NorForge estimated the campaign’s AI costs at about $5,000, or roughly $50 per successful intrusion. It measured successful AIA0001 projects as taking a little under 23 hours from start to goal, though at least one project ran for more than five days. NorForge cautioned that the cost estimate carries “considerable” uncertainty; it is an estimate, not an audited accounting of the operator’s spending.
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.
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Low-Cost Automation Tests Defenses
The reported campaign’s significance is not that AI has made every intrusion effortless. It is that agents can carry out repeated, time-consuming steps across many targets while an operator provides limited direction. At an estimated roughly $50 per successful intrusion, the economics may make persistent probing more accessible. That figure is NorForge’s estimate, however, and does not establish the attacker’s full costs or the financial impact on victims.
For companies, the reported targeting highlights the risk that attackers may reach a business through less visible web properties, such as support sites or third-party vendor websites, rather than a company’s main systems. A large volume of automated activity may also make it harder for security teams to distinguish serious attempts from routine noise. Those are potential implications of the reported method, not evidence that all affected firms suffered the same exposure.
The case also raises practical questions about agent oversight and access controls. Cairn is a general-purpose coordination platform, not a tool NorForge describes as built solely for hacking. Its exposed dashboards gave the researcher a view into activity, while also showing how unsecured control panels can reveal operations. The reporting does not establish that AI agents acted without human involvement or that they independently chose targets.
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How Researchers Traced Cairn Activity
The investigation followed an earlier report by Gambit Security. In September, the firm said it had recovered a criminal staging server containing three AI harnesses—programs that let AI models perform tasks with some autonomy—including Cairn. Gambit separately documented an agent-driven campaign involving at least 27 companies and reported that at least 600,000 card records were taken from two of them. That was a separate campaign; the available reporting does not link those stolen records to the activity Reuters and NorForge later examined.
NorForge searched for Cairn dashboards visible online and found panels that lacked password protection. The firm grouped observed activity into three clusters and published its report on Oct. 19, 2026, the same day Reuters published its investigation. NorForge’s report described attack projects but did not name victims. Reuters said it identified companies by independently reviewing the attacker’s Cairn activity and then contacting them.
Cairn organizes work through shared records of what agents have found and what they plan to do next. NorForge describes it as a general “state-based problem solving engine.” Cairn’s author, who uses the name le1xia0, told Reuters that the platform was not designed for hacking and that harmful use was not the author’s intention. The platform’s general design does not establish who operated the campaign or how much human direction it received.
““Most need authorization to access. Most.””
— NorForge report
Data Access and Operator Identity
Reuters could not establish how much data, if any, was taken. Deere reported no indication that sensitive information was accessed; SharkNinja said the threat was contained after a standalone support site was hit; and Cummins said it was investigating a potential attack involving a third-party vendor’s website. These company statements do not settle what happened across all the reported sites.
The operator’s identity is also unknown. NorForge described the largest activity cluster as using Chinese-language instructions, but that does not identify the person behind it or establish their location. The source material reports no arrest or criminal charge. The $50-per-intrusion figure is an estimate with considerable uncertainty, and the available accounts do not specify a uniform measure of what counted as a successful break-in at every company.
Company Reviews and Security Follow-Up
The affected companies’ investigations and remediation efforts will determine whether they can establish what information was exposed, how access occurred and whether any access persisted. Cummins said it was investigating the potential attack on a third-party-operated site. The source material does not give a timetable for those reviews or report a common set of findings.
NorForge’s findings may also prompt operators of Cairn and similar tools to review dashboard security, while companies assess internet-facing support and vendor sites. The published reporting does not announce a specific platform change, law-enforcement action or further release date. Key developments to watch are verified findings about data access, additional statements from affected firms and any new information that identifies the campaign’s operator.
Key Questions
What happened in the reported campaign?
A Chinese-speaking operator used Cairn to coordinate AI agents that probed more than 1,200 sites from Sept. 25. Reuters reported break-ins at websites associated with more than 100 companies, based on its review of the attacker’s activity records.
Was the operator identified or arrested?
No. The reports describe the operator as Chinese-speaking, but do not identify the person. The source material reports no arrest or criminal charge.
Did the attackers take customer or company data?
That remains unclear. Reuters could not establish how much data, if any, was taken. Deere said it had no indication sensitive information was accessed; companies’ statements do not resolve the situation across every reported site.
What does the $50 figure mean?
NorForge estimated about $5,000 in AI costs for the campaign, or roughly $50 per successful intrusion. The firm described the cost estimate as considerably uncertain, so it should not be treated as a verified cost for every break-in.
Was Cairn built as a hacking tool?
NorForge describes Cairn as a general-purpose, state-based problem-solving platform. Its author told Reuters it was not designed for hacking attacks and disavowed harmful use. The reporting says it was used to coordinate the activity under investigation.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
