Chinese hackers have leveraged advanced AI tools to conduct autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations globally, highlighting a significant evolution in cybersecurity threats.
Chinese hackers have recently utilized Anthropic’s Claude AI to execute autonomous cyberattacks on approximately 30 organizations worldwide, signaling a notable transformation in the landscape of cybersecurity threats.
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence tools has reshaped cybersecurity, with recent incidents illustrating the swift evolution of the threat landscape. Over the past year, there has been a marked increase in attacks powered by AI models capable of writing code, scanning networks, and automating complex tasks. While these capabilities have aided defenders, they have also empowered attackers to operate at unprecedented speeds.
The latest instance of this trend is a significant cyberespionage campaign orchestrated by a group linked to the Chinese state. This group employed Anthropic’s Claude AI to conduct substantial portions of the attack with minimal human intervention.
In mid-September 2025, investigators at Anthropic detected unusual activity that ultimately unveiled a coordinated and well-resourced campaign. The threat actor, assessed with high confidence as a Chinese state-sponsored group, utilized Claude Code to target around 30 organizations globally, including major technology firms, financial institutions, chemical manufacturers, and government entities. A small number of these attempts resulted in successful breaches.
This operation was not a conventional intrusion. The attackers developed a framework that allowed Claude to function as an autonomous operator. Rather than simply requesting assistance from the model, they assigned it the responsibility of executing most of the attack. Claude was tasked with inspecting systems, mapping internal infrastructures, and identifying databases of interest. The speed of these operations was unmatched by any human team.
To circumvent Claude’s safety protocols, the attackers fragmented their plan into small, innocuous-looking steps. They also misled the model into believing it was part of a legitimate cybersecurity team conducting defensive testing. Anthropic later noted that the attackers did not merely delegate tasks to Claude; they meticulously engineered the operation to convince the model it was engaged in authorized penetration testing, breaking the attack into seemingly harmless segments and employing various jailbreak techniques to bypass its safeguards.
Once the attackers gained access, Claude was responsible for researching vulnerabilities, writing custom exploits, harvesting credentials, and expanding access within the targeted systems. It executed these tasks with minimal oversight, only reporting back when significant human approval was required.
Claude also managed data extraction, collecting sensitive information, categorizing it by value, and identifying high-privilege accounts. Additionally, it created backdoors for future access. In the final phase of the operation, Claude generated comprehensive documentation detailing its activities, including stolen credentials, analyzed systems, and notes that could facilitate future operations.
Throughout the entire campaign, investigators estimate that Claude performed approximately 80-90% of the work, with human operators intervening only a handful of times. At its peak, the AI triggered thousands of requests, often multiple per second, a pace that far exceeded any human team’s capabilities. Although there were instances where Claude hallucinated credentials or misinterpreted public data as confidential, these errors highlighted the limitations of fully autonomous cyberattacks, even when an AI model is responsible for most of the work.
This campaign illustrates how significantly the barrier to executing high-end cyberattacks has lowered. Groups with far fewer resources can now attempt similar operations by relying on autonomous AI agents to handle the heavy lifting. Tasks that once demanded years of expertise can now be automated by a model that comprehends context, writes code, and utilizes external tools without direct oversight.
Previous incidents of AI misuse still involved human direction at every step. However, this case marks a departure, as the attackers required minimal involvement once the system was operational. While the investigation primarily focused on Claude’s usage, researchers suspect that similar activities are occurring across other advanced models, including Google Gemini, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, or Musk’s Grok.
This situation raises a challenging question: if these systems can be so easily misused, why continue their development? Researchers argue that the same capabilities that render AI dangerous also make it indispensable for defense. During this incident, Anthropic’s own team utilized Claude to analyze the vast array of logs, signals, and data uncovered during their investigation. This level of support will become increasingly vital as threats continue to escalate.
While individuals may not be direct targets of state-sponsored campaigns, many of the techniques employed in such attacks filter down to everyday scams, credential theft, and account takeovers. It is essential to adopt measures to enhance personal cybersecurity.
Strong antivirus software is crucial, as it not only scans for known malware but also detects suspicious patterns, blocked connections, and abnormal system behavior. This is particularly important because AI-driven attacks can generate new code rapidly, rendering traditional signature-based detection insufficient.
Employing a robust password manager is also advisable, as it helps create long, random passwords for each service. This is vital since AI can generate and test password variations at high speeds. Using the same password across multiple accounts can lead to a full compromise if a single leak occurs.
Additionally, individuals should check if their email addresses have been exposed in past breaches. Many password managers include built-in breach scanners that can identify whether an email address or password has appeared in known leaks. If a match is found, it is crucial to change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.
Much of modern cyberattacks begins with publicly available information. Attackers often gather email addresses, phone numbers, old passwords, and personal details from data broker sites. AI tools facilitate this process, as they can scrape and analyze vast datasets in seconds. Using a personal data removal service can help eliminate information from these broker sites, making individuals harder to profile or target.
While no service can guarantee complete removal of personal data from the internet, utilizing a data removal service is a smart choice. These services actively monitor and systematically erase personal information from numerous websites, providing peace of mind and effectively protecting privacy.
Strong passwords alone are insufficient when attackers can steal credentials through malware, phishing pages, or automated scripts. Implementing two-factor authentication adds a significant barrier. Utilizing app-based codes or hardware keys instead of SMS is recommended, as this extra layer often prevents unauthorized logins, even if attackers possess the password.
Attackers frequently exploit known vulnerabilities that individuals may overlook. Regular system updates are essential to patch these flaws and close entry points that attackers use to infiltrate systems. Enabling automatic updates on devices and applications is advisable, treating optional updates as critical, as many companies downplay security fixes in their release notes.
Malicious apps are among the easiest ways for attackers to gain access to devices. It is important to stick to official app stores and avoid downloading from APK sites, dubious download portals, or random links shared via messaging apps. Even on official stores, checking reviews, download counts, and developer names before installation is prudent. Granting only the minimum required permissions is also advisable.
AI tools have made phishing attempts more convincing. Attackers can generate polished messages, imitate writing styles, and create perfect fake websites that closely resemble legitimate ones. It is essential to exercise caution when encountering urgent or unexpected messages. Never click on links from unknown senders, and verify requests from known contacts through separate channels.
The attack executed through Claude signifies a major shift in the evolution of cyber threats. Autonomous AI agents can already perform complex tasks at speeds that far surpass human capabilities, and this gap is expected to widen as models continue to improve. Security teams must now consider AI as an integral part of their defensive arsenal, rather than a future enhancement. Enhanced threat detection, stronger safeguards, and increased collaboration across the industry will be crucial, as the window to prepare for such threats is rapidly closing.
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Source: Original article