AI agents break into 100+ sites for about $50 per hack

Feeds.4Sysops •IT News • October 19, 2026

A Chinese-speaking hacker used AI agents to attempt more than 1,200 break-ins, compromising over 100 websites, including sites linked to Deere, SharkNinja, and Cummins. The campaign reportedly cost $5,000 in AI tokens—roughly $50 per successful intrusion—and agents worked for hours with little human input. Source

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

AI Agents Breach 100+ Companies Using Autonomous Hacking Techniques A Chinese-speaking hacker utilized autonomous AI agents to breach over 100 companies, including Deere, SharkNinja, and Cummins, as reported by Reuters on October 19, 2026. The campaign, which began on September 25, involved probing more than 1,200 e-commerce websites across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Japan. The AI agents operated with minimal human intervention, executing reconnaissance and exploitation tasks based on brief instructions in Chinese. Each successful breach reportedly cost around $50, totaling approximately $5,000 for the entire operation. This incident marks a significant shift from AI-assisted hacking to AI-run hacking, raising concerns among cybersecurity experts. The successful intrusions typically required around 23 hours of probing per target, indicating a methodical approach rather than a rapid attack. The use of open-source AI platforms like Cairn in this context highlights the evolving threat landscape. 10 sources 65

AI agents break into 100+ sites for about $50 per hack

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