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Attackers hijack at least 17 exposed Cairn AI pentest panels

2 sources · 2 articlesFirst reported Updated ()5
What's new

First merged summary.

Merged summary · x-ai/grok-4.7 · rewritten as coverage arrivesSummaries by Vani AI

NorForge says unauthenticated access to at least 17 exposed Cairn panels let attackers add SSH keys, deploy Poseidon, and steal API keys.

NorForge says attackers injected tasks into at least 17 internet-exposed panels for Cairn, a platform that lets AI agents pursue goals on their own. The panels included red-team, bug-bounty, and CTF systems as well as panels tied to suspected criminal use. Intruders used open administrative access, not a newly disclosed vulnerability, to create projects and order agents to add SSH keys for the kali user, run commands, and harvest credentials and model API keys. On October 21, cluster AIA0009 ran a Base64 script that launched Poseidon, a Go implant from the Mythic framework. NorForge tracks AIA0009 and AIA0010 and says only AIA0009 deployed malware. It advises isolating agent tasks, keeping panels off the internet, rotating exposed keys, and checking authorized_keys.

Key facts
  • At least 17 exposed Cairn panels received similar injected tasks.
  • Activity was first seen on October 20, 2026; reconnaissance may date to October 10.
  • AIA0009 favors persistence and malware; AIA0010 emphasizes discovery and credential theft.
  • Poseidon was fetched from 199.91.220.129:28471 and reportedly used Bunny.net CDN.
  • NorForge lists three defanged Poseidon servers and one ELF SHA256.
  • NorForge could not confirm container escapes or a shared operator.
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Timeline

dated events in the reporting · oldest first
  1. Oct 10, 2026Related reconnaissance possibly began, according to NorForge. · GBHackers
  2. Oct 20, 2026Injected tasks on exposed Cairn panels first seen. · Cyber Security News
  3. Oct 21, 2026AIA0009 ran a Base64 script that launched Poseidon. · Cyber Security News
  4. Oct 27, 2026NorForge public reporting described clusters AIA0009 and AIA0010. · GBHackers

What each outlet adds

beyond the shared facts
  • Cyber Security NewsGives the ELF hash count, three command servers, and cleanup advice.
  • GBHackersNames open admin access, download host, and differing cluster goals.
Products
Cairn
Threat actors
AIA0009AIA0010AstraRCE
Malware
PoseidonMythic
Organizations
NorForgeGambit Security

Coverage

oldest first · one row per article · UTC
  1. · 3d ago Cyber Security NewsFirst report

    Attackers hijack exposed Cairn panels to plant backdoors and steal API keys

    NorForge saw injected tasks on at least 17 panels add SSH keys, run Poseidon, and harvest model API keys.

  2. · 3d ago GBHackers

    Attackers hijack 17 exposed Cairn AI pentest panels, deploy Poseidon

    NorForge tracks clusters AIA0009 and AIA0010 using open admin access, not a newly disclosed vulnerability.