AI Agents Now Run Ransomware Attacks End-to-End Without Human Operators
SOCRadar documented JADEPUFFER, an AI agent that autonomously executed a ransomware campaign from Langflow exploit through encryption and extortion.
SOCRadar researchers tracked JADEPUFFER, a campaign in which an AI agent planned and executed ransomware without evidence of human approval, entering through CVE-2025-3248, a missing-authentication flaw in Langflow's code-validation endpoint allowing unauthenticated Python execution. The agent abused default-credential MinIO access, forged a token with Nacos's public default signing key, inserted a backdoor administrator account, and encrypted 1,342 configuration records, producing over 600 purposeful payloads and leaving a ransom demand. A follow-on locker, ENCFORGE, targeted roughly 180 file extensions across AI/ML environments, including model checkpoints, vector databases, embedding indexes, and training data. An IoC table attributes the activity to the Lynx/INC Ransomware Group, lists C2 at 45.131.66.106, and links CVE-2026-24858 to the related FortiBleed 14-agent framework campaign.
- Initial access via CVE-2025-3248, a missing-authentication flaw in Langflow's code-validation endpoint
- Agent abused default-credential MinIO and Nacos, forged tokens, added a backdoor admin, encrypted 1,342 records
- ENCFORGE locker targets about 180 extensions across model checkpoints, vector databases, and training data
- IoC table attributes activity to the Lynx/INC ransomware groups, with C2 at 45.131.66[.]106
- FortiBleed shows an intermediate model: a 14-agent AI framework supporting human-operated intrusions
- ATT&CK
- T1190 Exploit Public-Facing ApplicationT1552.001 Credentials In FilesT1078 Valid AccountsT1136 Create AccountT1486 Data Encrypted for Impact
- Threat actors
- JADEPUFFERLynxINC Ransom
- Malware
- ENCFORGE
- Organizations
- SOCRadar
Vulnerabilities mentioned
All| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Signals | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-3248 | Unauthenticated RCE in Langflow /api/v1/validate/code | 9.8 | 100% | KEVRansomwarePoC ×4 | KEV |
| CVE-2026-24858 | FortiCloud SSO Authentication Bypass Across Multiple Fortinet Products | 9.8 | 87% | KEV | KEV |
Indicators of compromise
auto-extracted · verify before use · export allAll| Type | Indicator | Context |
|---|---|---|
| ipv4 | 45.131.66.106 | frastructure tied to the FortiBleed campaign C2 / Source IP 45.131.66[.]106 JADEPUFFER infrastructure associated with initial access |
| ipv4 | 64.20.53.230 | and command-and-control activity Exfiltration / Staging IP 64.20.53[.]230 JADEPUFFER infrastructure referenced for staging or data- |
From the original article
4 min read at cybersecuritynews.com
Ransomware attacks are entering a new phase. Researchers have documented a campaign in which an AI agent planned, executed, and escalated an extortion operation without evidence that a human approved its actions. The operation, tracked as JADEPUFFER, used an exposed AI workflow server to steal credentials, reach databases, encrypt records, and demand payment.
By Tushar Subhra Dutta · cybersecuritynews.com
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