MICROSOFT LINKS GLOBAL CYBERATTACK CAMPAIGN TO CHINA-ALIGNED GROUP

Microsoft says attackers used an AI-enabled testing framework in a campaign targeting organizations worldwide.

AI-generated editorial illustration; not a photograph of the reported event.

Microsoft says a China-aligned hacking group tracked as Storm-0940 used an AI-driven penetration-testing framework in a campaign involving ConnectWise and targeting hundreds of organizations. According to Reuters, the tool, ARTEX, can automate reconnaissance and other security-testing functions that can also be abused by attackers. Microsoft reported that most attempted attacks were unsuccessful, but that the group gained persistent privileged cloud access at multiple organizations. ConnectWise said it was containing affected connections and restoring services. China has rejected accusations of politically motivated hacking. The incident highlights how tools developed for legitimate security testing can be misused in cyber operations.