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TL;DR
Reuters, citing the operator’s Cairn activity records and its own reporting, says an unidentified Chinese-speaking operator used AI agents to break into websites belonging to more than 100 companies. NorForge observed exposed Cairn control panels and estimated the campaign’s costs, but the amount of data accessed or taken has not been established.
An unidentified Chinese-speaking operator used Cairn AI agents to target online shops and break into websites associated with more than 100 companies, Reuters reported on October 19, citing the operator’s activity records and its own investigation. The campaign began around September 25, and the companies named in Reuters’ reporting include Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins; how much data, if any, was taken remains unknown.
Security researcher Snorre Fagerland of NorForge found internet-accessible Cairn control panels and monitored activity through them. NorForge linked more than 20 exposed panels to likely malicious use. Its report describes one cluster, which it labels AIA0001, as writing tasks in Chinese. NorForge counted more than 1,100 attack projects across 14 panels in that cluster, while Reuters reported that the operator’s records showed attempts against more than 1,200 sites by mid-October.
Those figures describe different counts: NorForge’s project tally covers activity visible on 14 panels, while Reuters’ figure refers to sites the operator tried to target. Reuters says it independently reviewed Cairn activity to identify affected companies and contacted them. NorForge’s report did not name victims. Two smaller businesses acknowledged compromise, according to the source material; Reuters also identified larger companies whose websites were targeted or breached.
The companies gave differing accounts of the incidents. 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 website operated by a third-party vendor. Reuters could not establish whether data was taken or how much.
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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Automated Probing Raises Defense Costs
The report points to a practical change in how attacks can be run: an operator can set a goal and let software carry out extended probing, rather than manually directing every step. NorForge measured successful AIA0001 projects at a little under 23 hours from start to goal, with about 140 recorded facts per project; one project ran for more than five days. Those measurements describe activity in the observed panels, not a universal benchmark for AI-enabled attacks.
NorForge estimated the campaign’s AI costs at roughly $5,000 in total, or about $50 per successful intrusion, while warning that uncertainty around the estimate was considerable. If that estimate is close, automation may make patience and repeated attempts less expensive for attackers. For companies, the reported targets also highlight exposure through support pages and third-party-operated websites, not just their main corporate systems.
The risk is not limited to whether an automated attempt succeeds. Large volumes of machine-generated activity can add to the work of security teams sorting alerts and checking affected systems. The reporting does not quantify those costs or show that the campaign caused a particular financial loss. It does show why organizations need visibility into smaller web properties and vendor-managed sites that may receive less attention than core services.
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How Researchers Traced Cairn Activity
The investigation grew out of a separate report published in September by Gambit Security. The firm said it recovered a criminal staging server containing three AI harnesses—programs that let models act with some independence—including Cairn. Gambit described a separate campaign involving at least 27 companies and said at least 600,000 card records were taken from two of them. That was a distinct operation; the available reporting does not establish that the same operator or victims were involved in both campaigns.
After Gambit’s report, NorForge researcher Fagerland searched for exposed dashboards used to manage Cairn. The platform’s panels allow agents to share findings and planned next steps. NorForge says most such panels require authorization, but Fagerland found some with no password protection. He identified roughly two dozen panels associated with malicious activity from around October 2, according to the source material. NorForge grouped the activity into three clusters and published its report on October 19, the same day Reuters published its investigation.
Cairn is an open-source, general-purpose platform, not a tool built exclusively for cyberattacks. Its author, who uses the name le1xia0, told Reuters it was not designed for hacking and that harmful use was not the author’s intention. The distinction matters: the reported conduct concerns how an operator used the software, not evidence that Cairn’s author directed or endorsed the campaign.
““Necessary remediation actions” were taken, and the company had “no indication that sensitive information was accessed.””
— Deere, in a statement to Reuters
Data Access and Attribution Remain Open
The reporting does not establish how much information was accessed or removed in the campaign, or whether sensitive customer data was exposed at the named companies. Deere said it had no indication of sensitive information access; that statement does not settle what happened at other affected sites. SharkNinja said it contained the threat, while Cummins described its matter as a potential attack under investigation.
The operator’s identity is also unknown. The available account describes a Chinese-speaking actor, but does not identify a person, establish their location, or report an arrest or charge. NorForge’s clusters and panel records provide evidence about observed activity, but they do not by themselves identify the person controlling it. The source material also does not show that every targeted site was breached or that all activity attributed to the cluster had the same operator.
Cost figures are estimates, not audited accounts. NorForge put the campaign’s AI spending at about $5,000 and roughly $50 per successful hack, while explicitly describing the estimate’s uncertainty as considerable. The calculation should not be treated as a confirmed bill or as a reliable cost for other campaigns.
Company Investigations and Exposure Reviews
Cummins said it was investigating a potential attack involving a third-party vendor’s website. The companies’ public statements provide limited detail on the scope of their reviews, and the source material gives no timetable for further findings. Any confirmed updates on compromised systems, data exposure or customer notification would clarify the impact.
For defenders, the reports place attention on internet-facing support and vendor sites, as well as exposed management panels. NorForge’s discovery method showed that some Cairn dashboards could be reached without a password; the report does not establish that every panel was exposed or compromised. Organizations will need to determine whether their own systems or suppliers were affected and whether access controls and monitoring covered those properties.
The next public developments are likely to come from company investigations and any additional reporting or research into the exposed panels. Until then, the confirmed picture is a large, agent-assisted targeting campaign and reported breaches at more than 100 company websites—not a settled accounting of stolen data, damage or the operator’s identity.
Key Questions
What happened in the reported campaign?
An unidentified Chinese-speaking operator used Cairn AI agents to target online shops. Reuters reported attempts against more than 1,200 sites and breaches at websites associated with more than 100 companies, based on the operator’s records and Reuters’ investigation.
What is Cairn?
Cairn is an open-source platform for coordinating AI agents. NorForge describes it as a general-purpose problem-solving engine. The platform’s author said it was not designed for hacking; the reporting concerns its alleged use by an operator.
Were customer records stolen?
The reporting does not establish whether data was taken or how much. Deere said it had no indication that sensitive information was accessed. Reuters could not determine the amount, if any, taken across the campaign.
Who was behind the activity?
The operator has not been publicly identified. The source material describes a Chinese-speaking actor, but does not establish the person’s identity or report an arrest or charge.
How much did the campaign cost?
NorForge estimated roughly $5,000 in AI costs for the campaign, or about $50 per successful intrusion. The report called the estimate considerably uncertain, so it is not a confirmed expenditure.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
