A hacker broke into John Deere and SharkNinja with an army of AI agents

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/STKS533_AI_AGENTS_HACKING_A-1.png?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">A hacker broke into more than 100 websites using an army of AI agents that mostly operated on their own, according to <a href="https://norforge.com/blog/inside_cairn">findings from the AI security firm Norforge</a>. Though Norforge doesn't name the targets, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/how-one-hacker-used-ai-agents-few-thousand-dollars-break-into-scores-sites-2026-10-19/"><em>Reuters</em> reports</a> that the victims included companies like John Deere, SharkNinja, and Cummins.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1001427/ai-is-supercharging-hacking-and-your-local-hospitals-and-banks-arent-ready">Concerns over AI-powered cybersecurity breaches</a> have grown as the technology grows more advanced, with hackers using the tools to carry out large-scale attacks. At the same time, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/996563/ai-safety-research-metr-redwood-openai-anthropic">rogue AI agents are carrying out attacks</a> of their own after escaping from testing environments.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Researchers at Norforge uncovered the attacks through exposed work on Cai …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1013643/ai-agents-hack-john-deere-shark-ninja-cummins">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>