AI-linked cyberattacks hit Korean banks; ARTEX agent goes closed-source

On October 9, 2026, several outlets reported on a cyberattack campaign linked to an AI agent. According to an ETtech report published at 11:59 that day, the developer of ARTEX has converted the AI agent into a closed-source project after cybersecurity firms identified it as a tool used in a recent campaign against South Korean banks. The report described the developer as Chinese.

Later the same day, at 12:40, ETtech reported that nine South Korean banks and two mega-churches were investigating cyberattacks that may have involved AI tools. The same report noted a recent surge in cyber incidents at Japanese companies including Daiwa Securities, SoftBank Corp and the Lawson convenience store chain, and said AI is lowering the barrier to cybercrime.

At 19:55, Techmeme cited a Reuters report by Brenda Goh stating that the Chinese developer of ARTEX said it had converted the project to closed source, after CrowdStrike and other security firms said it was used to hack South Korean banks. That report also noted it did not disclose the specific scale of the attacks or which institutions were affected.

Taken together, the three reports establish the following: the ARTEX developer has moved the AI agent to a closed-source project; nine South Korean banks and two mega-churches are investigating the related cyberattacks; and Japanese companies have seen a recent surge in cyber incidents. The specific scale of the attacks and the institutions affected were not disclosed in the reports.