Chinese-Made AI Security Tool Suspected in Hacking of Korean Banks

The Chinese-made open-source AI security tool 'ARTEX' was abused in the hacking of Korean banks. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 6th (local time) that such evidence had been confirmed. The identity of the suspects has not yet been determined.

ARTEX is an open-source AI agent developed by Chinese cyber security engineer Li Puhua, who goes by the nickname 'Autumn.' While the tool itself is not an AI model, it allows multiple AI models—including Anthropic's Claude, OpenAI's GPT, and China's DeepSeek—to be called upon and work together like team members. ARTEX was originally created for security purposes, helping organizations inspect network vulnerabilities, but because it is open source and anyone can download and modify it for free, it was inherently difficult to prevent hackers from exploiting it. After the hacking incident came to light, guidelines were added prohibiting malicious uses such as unauthorized intrusion and data theft, but critics point out this remains a merely declarative measure.

ARTEX won a competition for agentic AI systems for cyber attack and defense held in China last month. Moon Jong-hyun, director of the Genians Security Center, said, "Cyber attacks using AI agents are on the rise in Korea," adding, "The number is expected to increase globally as well."