Silent Lynx used an AI agent to spy on Central Asian governments
Original title: Kazakhstan-linked hackers used AI agent to spy on Central Asian governments
CloudSEK found an exposed server with stolen documents, tools, and records of a Hermes agent using DeepSeek models.
CloudSEK says suspected Kazakhstan-linked Silent Lynx used Hermes, an open-source AI agent configured with DeepSeek models, to help spy on Central Asian governments. An exposed server held more than a dozen gigabytes of stolen documents, tools, and agent logs. The group held Tajikistan railway access from at least mid-August through early October and used one employee's credentials to reach a national document platform. Researchers also found a compromised Uzbekistan forestry server and unconfirmed Turkmenistan phishing preparations.
Unconfirmed: CloudSEK rates the Kazakhstan link at medium confidence and did not establish Turkmenistan attack success or a government tie.
- The agent handled reconnaissance, collection, and trace removal, including some commands without extra approval.
- The operator used Russian and controlled the agent through a Telegram bot.
- Stolen files included thousands of 2026 Tajikistan Defense Ministry documents.
- Malicious Turkmenistan-themed files were created and tested in October.
- Silent Lynx is also tracked as Cavalry Werewolf and YoroTrooper and has been active since at least 2022.
Impact: Stolen government documents, credentials, and network access
- ATT&CK
- T1566 PhishingT1078 Valid AccountsT1070 Indicator RemovalT1213 Data from Information Repositories
- Products
- Hermes
- Threat actors
- Silent LynxCavalry WerewolfYoroTrooper
- Organizations
- CloudSEK
- AI models
- DeepSeek
From the original article
3 min read at therecord.mediaSuspected Kazakhstan-linked hackers used an artificial intelligence agent to help spy on Central Asian governments, steal sensitive documents and infiltrate critical infrastructure networks, according to new research.
therecord.media
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