Dikkasmedia
A hacker has reportedly compromised websites belonging to more than 100 companies using artificial intelligence agents to automate much of the cyberattack process, raising fresh concerns about the growing misuse of AI in cybersecurity.
According to a Dikkasmedia investigation published on October 19, 2026, the hacker targeted more than 1,200 websites across the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. Companies linked to the reported incidents include equipment manufacturer Deere, home appliance company SharkNinja and engine maker Cummins.
The operation relied on Cairn, an open-source AI problem-solving platform that can coordinate multiple AI agents to carry out complex tasks. Instead of manually performing every step, the attacker provided instructions and allowed the agents to spend hours identifying weaknesses and attempting to gain access to targeted websites.
Cybersecurity researcher Snorre Fagerland of NorForge monitored the activity and reported that successful intrusions typically took approximately 23 hours.
Fagerland estimated that the campaign consumed around $5,000 worth of AI usage, equivalent to roughly $50 per successful intrusion. These figures are estimates rather than independently audited costs.
The affected companies reported different levels of impact. Deere said it had taken necessary remediation measures and had no indication that sensitive information was accessed. SharkNinja confirmed that a standalone product-support website was affected and said the threat had been contained. Cummins said it was investigating a report involving a website operated by a third-party vendor.
Dikkasmedia could not establish the full extent of any unauthorised data extraction.
The incident highlights a growing cybersecurity challenge: AI agents can potentially automate reconnaissance and technical problem-solving, allowing one attacker to attempt more intrusions with less manual effort.
Although AI can help security professionals identify vulnerabilities and strengthen digital systems, the same capabilities can be misused against websites and online services without permission.
Experts and businesses are increasingly being pushed to improve website security through regular software updates, strong administrator authentication, restricted access privileges and continuous monitoring.
For e-commerce businesses and website owners, the incident reinforces the importance of securing public-facing websites, reviewing third-party integrations and maintaining reliable backups.
As AI tools become more capable, cybersecurity strategies will need to evolve to address attacks that are increasingly automated and potentially cheaper to conduct.
Dikkasmedia
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