Safety and security · Anthropic
AI pentesting tool used in Korean bank attacks pulled from public release
The developer of ARTEX, an open-source AI penetration-testing tool built in China, said on October 8 that the project will no longer be updated and will move to closed source, citing misuse of the tool without directly mentioning Korea. Reuters reported that its GitHub page has been taken down. On October 7, CrowdStrike said ARTEX was used alongside AI tools, including Anthropic’s Claude Code, in attacks on South Korean financial firms since late September. Shinhan Bank said data on about 25,000 customers leaked, while KB Kookmin reported 119 and Hana Bank 89. Financial regulators and police opened investigations, and President Lee Jae Myung called for a strong response. Experts say copies already downloaded remain usable.
Sources
- CrowdStrike, “Unknown Threat Actor Uses AI-Driven ARTEX to Target South Korean Finance”, Report linking the attacks to the tool, (crowdstrike.com)
- Reuters (Euronext üzerinden), “South Korean banks were likely hacked by a China-based actor with an AI agent, CrowdStrike says”, Bank figures, investigation, Lee's call, (live.euronext.com)
- Korea JoongAng Daily, “Chinese AI tool linked to Korean bank hacks halts public updates as suspect denies involvement”, Developer's closed-source decision, (koreajoongangdaily.com)
- SBS News, “’ARTEX’, Used in Hacking of S. Korean Financial Sector, Halts Public Release”, Expert view on already-downloaded copies, (news.sbs.co.kr)
- The Korea Times, “Shinhan, Kookmin, Hana data breaches fuel concerns over AI-powered cyberattacks in financial sector”, Per-bank leaked data and official response, (koreatimes.co.kr)
About this story
This story was posted on Instagram by @jarrus.tech on Oct. 13, 2026.
Spotted an error in this story? [email protected] · Instagram
Short link: thejarrus.com/en/artex-pentest-tool
This story in Turkish: Kore’deki banka saldırılarında kullanılan yapay zeka sızma testi aracı yayından kaldırıldı
On the same topic
The US is again letting AI companies share their models with Britain’s AI Security Institute before release
According to The Telegraph, the US dropped its request that AI companies hold new models back from Britain’s AI Security Institute.
CNBC: Small groups like METR, Apollo Research and Transluce are emerging as AI’s safety gatekeepers
AI labs are leaning on independent evaluators, CNBC reported, but there are still no standards for funding, access or reporting.
Only 3.6% of Chinese AI model releases came with a published safety test result
Only 31 of 857 model releases from nine major Chinese developers came with a published safety evaluation result, SemiAnalysis found.