A hacker used AI agents to break into the sites of more than 100 companies, Reuters reports
Redacción IvokaOct 21, 3:00 PM 3 min
The attacker handed much of the work to agents, and the campaign reportedly cost only a few thousand dollars.
AI isn't only helping people create content: attackers are using it too.
According to a The Neuron roundup citing Reuters, a Chinese-speaking hacker broke into websites belonging to more than 100 companies after assigning AI agents much of the work. The agents handled complex parts of the intrusions with limited human involvement.
What changes. Instead of manually directing every technical step, the attacker could give the system a goal and let the agents carry out much of the attack sequence. The campaign reportedly cost only a few thousand dollars.
Why it matters for a small business. If you have an online store, a website with a contact form or a CRM, an attacker can now attempt more intrusions with less effort. A few basic measures that almost always help:
- Keep your site, plugins and apps updated.
- Use unique passwords and two-step verification.
- Give each person (and each AI agent) only the permissions it needs.
- Back up your site and your data.
These are general practical tips and do not come from the original report.
Sources
- The Neuron (October 20 roundup, citing Reuters): https://www.theneuron.ai/digest/everything-that-happened-in-ai-today-tuesday-october-20-2026/
