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TL;DR
A Chinese-speaking operator used the open-source Cairn platform to coordinate AI agents that probed more than 1,200 websites from late September through mid-October, according to records reviewed by Reuters and security firm NorForge. Reuters identified breaches involving websites of more than 100 companies; NorForge estimated the campaign cost about $5,000, but said that figure carries considerable uncertainty. The operator’s identity and whether sensitive data was taken remain unknown.
An unidentified Chinese-speaking operator used AI agents coordinated through the open-source Cairn platform to probe more than 1,200 websites from September 25 through mid-October, with Reuters reporting break-ins at websites of more than 100 companies. The activity, documented in records reviewed by Reuters and security firm NorForge, included sites associated with Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins; how much information, if any, was taken is not known.
NorForge researcher Snorre Fagerland found exposed Cairn control panels while searching internet-indexed servers. He identified more than 20 panels that NorForge linked to likely malicious activity, and the firm grouped the activity into three clusters. Its report, published October 19, described the largest cluster as AIA0001. Reuters separately reviewed activity recorded in the platform and contacted companies it identified. NorForge’s report itself did not name victims.
NorForge counted more than 1,100 attack projects across 14 panels in the AIA0001 cluster, targeting sites mainly in the United States, Japan and Australia. Reuters reported that the broader campaign tried more than 1,200 sites in the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. These figures describe recorded targets and projects, not confirmed successful intrusions in every case. Reuters counted breaches at websites of more than 100 companies based on the operator’s records.
NorForge estimated that successful projects took a little under 23 hours of automated probing and that the campaign’s AI costs were roughly $5,000, or about $50 per successful hack. The firm cautioned that the estimate carried “considerable” uncertainty. The cost figure is an estimate, not a confirmed accounting of the operator’s expenses.
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, Wider Exposure
The reported campaign matters because it shows how an operator can delegate long, repetitive probing tasks to software agents, rather than personally working through every target. NorForge’s estimate of about $50 per successful intrusion is uncertain, but the reported scale suggests that automation can make patience and repetition relatively inexpensive for attackers.
The reported victims and targets also point to the risk around less prominent web properties, including product-support pages and sites run by third-party vendors. A company’s main systems are not the only possible route to an incident: overlooked or separately operated sites may also need security attention. The reports do not establish that every targeted site was breached or that the agents independently made every decision.
For defenders, a larger volume of automated activity can create more alerts to investigate, while the use of multiple agents complicates questions about who or what is acting. The incident does not prove that AI agents can reliably break into any website, or that they replace human operators. It does provide a reported example of an operator using them to coordinate a campaign across many targets.
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How Researchers Found Cairn Panels
The investigation followed a September report from Gambit Security, which described a separate agent-driven campaign. Gambit said it found at least 27 companies compromised and at least 600,000 card records taken from two of them. That was a different campaign; those findings should not be attributed to the Cairn activity reported by NorForge and Reuters.
Gambit’s report described three AI harnesses, including Cairn, as programs that let AI models act through a sequence of tasks. NorForge then searched for internet-exposed Cairn dashboards. The firm said most panels required authorization, but some did not. Fagerland identified panels associated with suspicious activity from around October 2, and NorForge published its findings on October 19, the same day Reuters published its investigation.
Cairn is a general-purpose agent platform, not a hacking product, according to its creator, who uses the name le1xia0. In the reported campaign, agents shared information and planned next steps through the platform while the operator could provide instructions. Reuters reported that the operator’s initial instructions were written in fewer than 100 Chinese characters. That does not establish the operator’s identity or nationality.
““a little under 23 hours””
— NorForge report
Victim Impact Remains Unresolved
Reuters could not establish how much data, if any, was taken. Deere said it had no indication sensitive information was accessed; SharkNinja said the threat involving its standalone support site was contained; and Cummins said it was investigating a potential attack on a third-party vendor’s website. Those statements do not establish the full impact across all affected sites.
The operator’s name and location have not been established. The reports describe the person as Chinese-speaking, based on the campaign’s language, but that does not confirm the operator’s nationality. No arrest or charge was reported in the source material. NorForge also said its estimated campaign cost carried considerable uncertainty, and its account of targets and projects does not independently confirm every successful intrusion.
Investigations and Remediation Continue
Cummins said it was investigating the potential attack on a vendor-operated website. Deere and SharkNinja described response measures, but the reports do not provide a full account of remediation across all identified companies. Further updates from affected organizations or investigators could clarify whether information was accessed, what systems were involved and whether any lasting access remained.
NorForge’s public report and Reuters’ investigation establish a documented view of activity recorded on exposed Cairn panels, but they do not identify the operator. Until companies or investigators release more findings, the total data impact, the full list of affected organizations and the campaign’s ultimate purpose remain unsettled.
Key Questions
What did the AI agents do?
According to Reuters and NorForge, agents coordinated through Cairn probed online shops and other websites. Reuters reported attempts against more than 1,200 sites and breaches involving websites of more than 100 companies.
Was the Cairn platform designed for hacking?
No. Cairn is described as a general-purpose, open-source agent platform. Its creator, who uses the name le1xia0, said it was not designed for hacking attacks and that harmful use was not the creator’s intention.
How much did the campaign cost?
NorForge estimated roughly $5,000 in AI costs, or about $50 per successful hack. The firm described the estimate as having considerable uncertainty, so it is not a verified total.
Was sensitive information stolen?
That remains unclear. Reuters could not establish how much data, if any, was taken. Deere reported no indication that sensitive information was accessed, while the companies’ statements do not resolve the impact across every reported site.
Has the operator been identified?
No identity was reported. The operator was described as Chinese-speaking, but the available reports do not confirm the person’s name, location or nationality, or report an arrest or charge.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
