Attackers breached 10 organizations with an open-source AI pentest framework

Chinese-speaking attackers used Cairn, an open-source AI penetration testing framework, to run 25 operations against at least 19 organizations in August and September 2026, and gained unauthorized access or pulled data at 10 of them, according to Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42. Most targets fell into three groups, including seven in the semiconductor and advanced-manufacturing supply chain and three in defense, with attackers often needing to type little more than a domain name and a one-line goal.