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Hackers Used AI to Speed Up ConnectWise Cloud Backup Attack

Redmondmag • October 22, 2026

A China state-aligned hacking group used AI agents to speed up attacks against organizations worldwide, including a supply chain compromise involving ConnectWise Cloud Backup, Microsoft said Wednesday.

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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.

Chinese Hackers Use AI to Breach ConnectWise, Targeting 2,250 Microsoft 365 Tenants A Chinese state-aligned hacking group known as Storm-0940 exploited the ConnectWise Cloud Backup service to compromise over 2,250 Microsoft 365 tenants. Utilizing the ARTEX AI penetration testing framework, the attackers automated their operations, achieving privileged access in under three hours in some cases. The campaign, which began in September 2026, involved rapid sign-in attempts reaching 2,900 per minute, allowing the group to bypass multi-factor authentication by leveraging pre-authorized applications. Microsoft confirmed that the attack targeted various sectors, including defense, finance, and technology. ConnectWise has since disabled affected services and is in the process of restoring them, while advising customers to review their logs for unauthorized access. The incident highlights the growing threat of AI-driven cyberattacks and the vulnerabilities within third-party application integrations. 38 sources 78

Extracted Entities

Hackers Used AI to Speed Up ConnectWise Cloud Backup Attack

The full story

Extracted Entities

Attack Types (1)

Countries (1)

MITRE ATT&CK (1)

Platforms (1)