Hacker breaches John Deere and SharkNinja using AI agents
A hacker used an army of autonomous AI agents to break into over 100 websites, including John Deere and SharkNinja, according to Norforge.
A hacker recently broke into more than 100 websites using an army of artificial intelligence agents that operated mostly on their own. Security firm Norforge discovered the breaches, while Reuters reported that the affected companies included major brands like John Deere, SharkNinja, and Cummins.
How the AI agent cyberattack happened
According to Norforge, the attacks were carried out with very little involvement from the human hacker. Researchers uncovered the activity by looking at exposed work on Cairn, an open-source AI platform designed as a general-purpose problem-solving engine. While the platform allows users to set goals for AI agents to achieve independently, it can also be used to orchestrate cyberattacks.
The hacker responsible operated the most active instance discovered by Norforge, targeting companies in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan. The attacker set up preferred intrusion tactics using a very small amount of text, and successful breaches took roughly 23 hours to complete. Norforge identified more than 20 exposed Cairn instances that appeared malicious.
Company responses to the security breach
Representatives for the affected companies responded to the findings after the security reports emerged. A spokesperson for Cummins stated that the company is investigating a potential cyberattack on a website run by a third-party vendor. John Deere reported finding no indication that sensitive information was accessed during the incident.
SharkNinja noted that the breach affected a standalone website containing product support information and confirmed that the threat has already been contained. Meanwhile, Norforge is working to have the malicious Cairn instances removed. The creator of Cairn defended the platform by stating it was never intended as a hacking tool and that misuse comes down to human decisions rather than engine features.
What it means for small businesses
This incident highlights how autonomous AI technology is increasingly being adopted for complex digital tasks, both legitimate and malicious. For small business owners, stories like this emphasize the growing importance of robust cybersecurity measures as AI tools become more accessible.
While AI agents offer powerful ways to automate everyday work and customer service, businesses must remain vigilant about third-party vendors and website vulnerabilities. Monitoring digital infrastructure and working with security providers can help organizations protect their systems against automated threats.
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