Chinese Hackers Exploit AI to Breach Thousands of Companies via ConnectWise
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- AIInsider
Chinese state-aligned hackers have infiltrated thousands of companies by breaching ConnectWise, an IT management provider, as reported by Microsoft security researchers. The attackers accessed ConnectWise's cloud backup service, stealing application credentials that allowed them to log into corporate environments, including Microsoft-hosted accounts, to access sensitive data.
The significance of this breach lies in the scale and speed of the attack, which was facilitated by AI agents. Microsoft noted that these hackers compromised approximately 2,250 organizations, executing nearly 3,000 sign-in attempts per minute, making it challenging for defenders to detect the intrusion in time. The AI agents operated on the ARTEX framework, which has previously been used in cyberattacks against vulnerable systems.
ConnectWise has temporarily suspended access to its cloud backup system and is currently investigating the breach. The company is working on restoring the service, but no further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
Original report
Chinese Hackers Use AI Agents to Breach Thousands of Companies via ConnectWise
AIInsider · James DarganThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
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