Censys finds hundreds of exposed deployments of the Artex AI hacking tool

Censys identified more than 800 ARTEX deployments that were accessible online without passwords, according to TechCrunch. ARTEX is an open source penetration testing tool that uses AI agents to find vulnerabilities and conduct attacks with little human input.

The exposed systems included attack tools and malicious software used to maintain access to compromised networks. Censys also found 32 open directories on ARTEX hosts, with some exposing implants, exploit code, private keys and operator files, it said in its own report.

Security companies have linked ARTEX to attacks on South Korean financial institutions and on IT support company ConnectWise, and Check Point reported this week that it is used in autonomous cybercrime campaigns. The developer said ARTEX would go closed source; Censys said the repository has been taken down, but archived copies and rebrands are still circulating.