China-Linked Hackers Employ AI Agents in Sophisticated ConnectWise Supply Chain Attack

Microsoft has revealed that a China state-aligned actor, identified as Storm-0940, utilized ARTEX, a Go-based agentic AI penetration testing framework, in a recent supply chain compromise of the ConnectWise Cloud Backup application. The threat actor leveraged this AI tool to automate and accelerate scanning, reconnaissance, password spraying, and OAuth application abuse at 'machine speed,' impacting hundreds of organizations across various sectors globally since September 2026.