🚨AI-Powered Attacks Cost $25 Each, Hit 27 Companies
AI-Powered Attacks Cost $25 Each, Hit 27 Companies
TL;DR
A security crook used AI agents to breach 27 companies, including a Fortune 500 hospitality firm and a major US airline, with each attack costing just $25. The campaign highlights the growing threat of AI in cybercrime.
A security crook used three open-source AI agents to breach 27 companies, including a Fortune 500 hospitality firm and a major US airline, with each attack costing just $25. The crook used OpenRouter for AI model access, Hermes as the campaign orchestrator, and Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6. The attacks, which took less than a day in most cases, compromised credit card records and deployed skimmer scripts on checkout pages. This highlights the growing threat of AI in cybercrime, underscoring the need for robust security measures. The crook spent an average of $25.46 per completed scan, with the cheapest scan costing $3.13 and the most expensive $79.31. The total cost of the campaign is estimated to be between $12,000 and $18,000.

Key Points
A security crook used three open-source AI agents to breach 27 companies, including a Fortune 500 hospitality firm and a major US airline.
The crook used OpenRouter for AI model access, Hermes as the campaign orchestrator, and Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6.
The attacks, which took less than a day in most cases, compromised credit card records and deployed skimmer scripts on checkout pages.
The crook spent an average of $25.46 per completed scan, with the cheapest scan costing $3.13 and the most expensive $79.31.
The total cost of the campaign is estimated to be between $12,000 and $18,000.
Why It Matters
If you're in cybersecurity, this campaign shows how AI can automate and scale attacks at minimal cost. The crook used Hermes and Claude Opus 4.6 to orchestrate and execute attacks, highlighting the need for robust defenses against AI-driven threats. The $25 average cost per attack means even small-scale operations can pose a significant risk.
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