# Hundreds of Artex hacking tools exposed online

> Security researchers found over 800 publicly accessible copies of a Chinese-made AI penetration testing tool, potentially enabling cyberattacks on unsuspecting targets.
- Title: Hundreds of Artex hacking tools exposed online · TechCrunch
- Summary: Security researchers found over 800 publicly accessible copies of a Chinese-made AI penetration testing tool, potentially enabling cyberattacks on…
- Keywords: artex, cybersecurity, cyberattack, censys, crowdstrike, connectwise, korean finance, microsoft, ai hacking tools, penetration testing, TechCrunch
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/06/hundreds-of-artex-ai-hacking-tools-found-publicly-exposed-to-the-web
- Author: Zack Whittaker
- Published: 2026-11-06T18:44:38+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: artex, cybersecurity, cyberattack, censys, crowdstrike, connectwise, korean finance, microsoft, ai hacking tools, penetration testing, technology, startups
## Hundreds of Artex tools exposed
Cybersecurity firm Censys identified more than eight hundred distinct deployments of Artex accessible from the web without needing a password to log in.
## What is Artex
Artex is a Chinese-made open source autonomous penetration testing tool that automatically probes computer systems for weaknesses. It was publicly released in July.
## Why exposure is dangerous
The software does not require internet access to function. Hundreds of exposed systems increase the chance someone will find and misuse them for cyberattacks.
## Korean finance attacks
Security companies linked Artex to cyberattacks against the Korean finance industry in September. CrowdStrike attributed them to a Chinese-speaking hacker who left an open directory hosting the system.
## ConnectWise breach
Artex was used in an attack on IT support giant ConnectWise in October, allowing Chinese-linked hackers to spy on thousands of organizations whose data is hosted in Microsoft's cloud.
## Simple vulnerabilities exploited
Many attacks linked to Artex involved exploiting weak or known passwords and lack of multi-factor authentication. The findings show simple misconfigurations can expose both attackers and targets.
## Artex goes closed-source
Artex announced it would go closed-source, limiting further releases to paid customers. Dozens of copies of Artex's code remain available on code-sharing sites for active attacks.
## Key takeaway

Censys discovered more than eight hundred exposed deployments of Artex, a Chinese AI hacking tool, accessible without passwords and linked to cyberattacks on Korean finance and ConnectWise.