Chinese AI Penetration Tool ARTEX Used in Coordinated Wave of Bank and Corporate Breaches Across Asia

A Chinese-developed artificial intelligence agent designed to automate cybersecurity assessments has been weaponized in a coordinated attack campaign targeting financial institutions and major companies across South Korea and Japan, according to investigations by security firms CrowdStrike and GMO Internet Group. The tool, known as ARTEX, was created as an open-source penetration testing system but has been exploited by a 26-year-old China-based attacker to breach at least seven South Korean banks and approximately 80 Japanese companies between late September and October 2026, exposing the personal data of roughly 68,000 individuals.