A Highly Automated Credit Card Heist: AI-Powered Attackers Steal 600,000 Records and Infect Hundreds of Sites
In a disturbing demonstration of the evolving cyber threat landscape, a financially motivated attacker is using open-source artificial intelligence (AI) agent frameworks to launch a massive campaign against online retailers. Since at least July, this sophisticated operation has resulted in over 600,000 stolen credit card records and the compromise of more than 100 websites.
The attackers have leveraged three AI tools – Strix, Cairn, and Hermes – to execute their attack chain with unprecedented efficiency. These automated agents can scan for vulnerabilities, exploit weaknesses, and even orchestrate post-exploitation activities, such as deploying skimmer malware on targeted sites. The attackers’ use of AI has enabled them to launch tens of attacks per day, compromising at least 27 companies in just five days.
The compromised websites include those belonging to major organizations like a Fortune 500 hospitality company, a large U.S. airline, and an online fashion retailer. The attackers appear to have used a website traffic-ranking service to identify valuable targets and prioritized those running custom software, which they believed were more likely to be vulnerable.
One of the most concerning aspects of this campaign is the low cost associated with each attack. Gambit researchers discovered that the attacker spent around $7,000 on an OpenRouter account over four weeks, estimating a total cost between $12,000 and $18,000. This translates to an average cost of just $25 per target.
The attackers’ use of AI has also enabled them to minimize their own risk and effort. The human operator provides brief instructions to the AI agents, which then handle the rest of the operation autonomously. In many cases, access was obtained in just a few hours, with the AI tools doing the work based on short instructions.
The compromised sites were infected using various methods, including appending malicious code to legitimate JavaScript files, adding script tags to checkout pages or Google tag blocks, and poisoning S3/CDN content and server-side caches. In some cases, the attackers even modified database fields, altered Kubernetes deployments, or used cron jobs to restore the skimmer after it was removed.
This campaign highlights the importance of organizations having robust cybersecurity measures in place, particularly when it comes to data loss. The attackers’ cleanup routine included removing card data from Magento databases after exfiltration, which caused operational disruptions at several retailers due to data losses.
As the threat landscape continues to evolve, it is essential for security teams to stay vigilant and adapt their defenses accordingly. With AI-powered attacks becoming increasingly prevalent, organizations must prioritize proactive measures, such as vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and continuous monitoring, to stay ahead of these sophisticated threats.
In conclusion, this campaign serves as a stark reminder of the need for businesses to invest in robust cybersecurity measures and to plan against potential data loss. The low cost and high efficiency of AI-powered attacks make them an attractive option for threat actors, underscoring the importance of staying proactive and prepared in today’s rapidly evolving cyber landscape.
Source: Bleeping Computer — 2026-09-23