🔍 Read the full analysis: One Hacker And AI Agents: A New Equation For Website Break-Ins on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
Get hardware and tech essentials delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
TL;DR
A Reuters investigation, drawing on records from exposed Cairn control panels and company responses, linked an AI-agent campaign to break-ins at websites of more than 100 companies. NorForge estimated the operation used about $5,000 in AI services, but the scale of any data theft and the operator’s identity remain unknown.
An unidentified Chinese-speaking operator used AI agents running on the open-source Cairn platform to probe more than 1,200 websites and break into websites belonging to more than 100 companies, Reuters reported, citing the attackers’ activity records. The campaign, which began on September 25, affected sites associated with companies including Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins; how much information, if any, attackers obtained has not been established.
The activity was observed through internet-exposed Cairn control panels, software dashboards used to coordinate AI agents. Security firm NorForge said researcher Snorre Fagerland found more than 20 panels it associated with likely malicious activity and could monitor some operations. NorForge grouped the activity into three clusters; the largest, which it labels AIA0001, recorded more than 1,100 attack projects across 14 panels and mainly targeted the United States, Japan and Australia.
Reuters said it identified companies by independently reviewing the attacker’s Cairn activity and contacting organizations. The report named Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins among those affected. Deere told Reuters it took “necessary remediation actions” and had no indication 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 website operated by a third-party vendor.
NorForge measured successful AIA0001 projects as taking a little under 23 hours from start to goal. It estimated AI costs at about $5,000 for the campaign, or roughly $50 per successful intrusion, while warning that the estimate carried considerable uncertainty. These are the firm’s estimates, not a confirmed accounting of the operator’s spending or total losses.
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.
Powered by Thorsten Meyer AI
Why Automated Intrusions Raise the Stakes
The reports point to a change in the cost and scale of sustained probing. AI agents can carry out repetitive work across many targets while an operator provides instructions and oversight, making it easier to keep testing systems for hours or days. That does not mean the agents can break into any site: the campaign relied on websites with weaknesses the tools could exploit, and the reporting does not establish that AI itself discovered every vulnerability.
The affected sites also show why organizations need to account for support pages and third-party services, not just their main corporate websites. A compromise at a vendor-operated or standalone support site can create security and investigation work even when the company has no evidence that sensitive data was accessed. Defenders may also face a larger volume of automated activity to review, while determining whether an agent is being used legitimately or maliciously.
The reporting describes the suspected aim as gaining persistent access to e-commerce or payment infrastructure for possible later monetization. That is NorForge’s assessment of the activity, not proof that the operator stole payment records or used access to commit fraud. The distinction matters: the confirmed concern is unauthorized access, while the downstream harm remains uncertain.
Products Worth Considering
Samsung 27-Inch Odyssey QD-OLED G8 4K 240Hz Gaming Monitor
LG 34GX90SA-W 34-inch Ultragear WQHD OLED Curved Gaming Monitor
LG UltraGear 32GX850A-B 32-Inch 4K UHD Glossy OLED Gaming Monitor
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How Researchers Traced Cairn Activity
The investigation followed a separate report published in September by Gambit Security. That firm said it recovered a criminal staging server containing three programs that let AI models act with some autonomy, including Cairn. NorForge then searched for exposed Cairn dashboards using internet-indexing services and found some that were not password-protected. Its report, published October 19, described clusters of activity linked to panels visible online.
Cairn is an open-source, general-purpose agent platform, not a tool designed solely for cyberattacks. Its creator, who uses the name le1xia0, told Reuters it “was not designed for hacking attacks” and said harmful use was not the creator’s intention. In the observed campaigns, agents shared findings and planned next actions through a common workspace, while an operator supplied goals or instructions.
NorForge’s report did not name victims. Reuters said it reviewed the attacker’s Cairn activity independently and contacted organizations to identify affected companies. A separate Gambit Security report in September described another agent-driven campaign involving at least 27 companies and said at least 600,000 card records were taken from two of them. That was a distinct campaign; its findings do not establish that payment-card data was taken in the Cairn operation reported by Reuters.
““Necessary remediation actions” were taken, and the company had “no indication that sensitive information was accessed.””
— Deere, in a statement to Reuters
Data Theft and Attribution Remain Open
Reuters could not establish how much data, if any, was taken. Deere said it had no indication sensitive information was accessed; the available reporting does not provide a complete forensic account for all named companies or other possible victims. Two smaller businesses acknowledged to Reuters that they had been compromised, while other contacted organizations did not respond.
The operator’s identity is also unknown. The source material describes a Chinese-speaking actor, not a named person or confirmed government group. No arrest or criminal charge is reported. NorForge’s estimate of AI costs is approximate, and the reporting does not establish the campaign’s total financial damage or whether access was later sold or used.
Investigations and Victim Responses Continue
Companies that reported incidents may continue investigating affected systems, checking whether information was accessed and reviewing connections to vendors or support services. Cummins said its investigation was ongoing when it spoke to Reuters; the source material does not provide a later finding. Any further conclusions about data exposure will depend on company investigations and additional evidence from the exposed Cairn panels.
For now, the public record establishes a broad, agent-assisted probing campaign and reported break-ins, but not the operator’s identity or the full consequences for victims. Further reporting or company disclosures may clarify which systems were accessed, whether data was taken, and whether the activity led to additional misuse.
Key Questions
What happened in the reported campaign?
Reuters reported that an unidentified operator used Cairn AI agents to probe more than 1,200 websites and break into websites belonging to more than 100 companies. The activity began on September 25, 2026, according to the source material.
Which companies were named?
Reuters named Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins among affected companies. SharkNinja described the affected site as a standalone product-support site; Cummins said it was investigating a potential attack on a third-party vendor’s website.
Is there evidence that data was stolen?
The reporting does not establish how much data, if any, was taken in this campaign. Deere said it had no indication sensitive information was accessed, but the full results of investigations across affected organizations were not reported.
Who was behind the operation?
The operator has not been identified. The available reporting describes a Chinese-speaking actor; it does not establish a person’s identity, affiliation with a government, arrest or criminal charge.
Was Cairn built as a hacking tool?
No such purpose is established. Cairn is an open-source, general-purpose agent platform. Its creator told Reuters it was not designed for hacking attacks and said harmful use was not the creator’s intention.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
