AI tools help hacker break in for $25 per target
Autonomous hacking tools just dropped the barrier to entry. $25 per breach. 27 retailers compromised in five days.
Why it matters
AI-driven exploitation frameworks (Strix, Cairn, Hermes) are automating end-to-end attacks at industrial scale and minimal cost, forcing enterprises to reckon with a new threat model where attackers no longer need specialized skills—only access to open-source AI harnesses and API credits.
The key facts
8 to know105 online retailers targeted over 5 days; 27 compromised
Average cost: $25 per attack (range: $3.13–$79.31)
Attacker spent $7,005 over 4 weeks via OpenRouter API access
600,000 active credit card details stolen from 2 businesses
Card skimmer scripts installed at 5 additional targets
Three open-source AI exploitation tools identified: Strix (vulnerability search), Cairn (autonomous end-to-end exploitation), Hermes (campaign orchestration)
Most intrusions achieved in hours, not days
Research attributed to Gambit (Israeli security firm)
Go to the source
Computerworldcomputerworld.com
Publisher excerpt: It’s cheap to set yourself up as a hacker these days using AI. Someone attacked 105 online retailers over a period of five days, compromising 27 of them — all for an average of $25 per attack, according to research by Israeli security company Gambit. But the attacks have been going on for much…