One hacker used AI agents to break into 100+ company websites

What happened: Reuters reports a hacker used AI agents to break into websites of more than 100 companies, including John Deere and SharkNinja. The instructions fit in under 100 Chinese characters, and the agents tried more than 1,200 sites. Researcher Fagerland, who watched it happen, told Reuters it's "not script kiddie stuff" and estimated the whole operation cost about $5,000, or about $50 in AI fees per successful break-in.
The claim: Deere says there's no sign sensitive data was accessed.
Austin's take: Austin says parallel agents boost productivity for good and bad actors alike. He notes recent attacks haven't caused broad damage, credits frontier labs for helping defenders, and sees each incident as something companies learn from, while urging people to stay on guard.
Why it matters: AI makes hacking cheap enough for one person to target over a thousand sites at once.
What to do: Be deliberate about which services and agents get access to your data, and assume automated attacks will probe anything exposed online.
Not confirmed yet: It's not yet known what data, if any, was taken.

The Loop