Claude and Grok among AI agents used to automate attacks on Latin American institutions

CyberCartel, a hacking group with a long history of targeting Latin American businesses, has been using AI agents, including SpaceX's Grok and Anthropic's Claude, to automate attacks on financial institutions such as banks and mobile payment apps. Passwords and customer data have been stolen, while individuals' bank accounts have also been accessed with little input from criminals in the latest example of criminals turning to AI-powered cyberattacks. That research comes from a cybersecurity startup called Straiker, with its findings shared by The Information.

While CyberCartel has been an active threat since at least 2012, its new leveraging of the power of AI has leveled up its attacks in recent months. Now, the research shows that the group can attack more businesses at a speed previously not possible when using human-powered hacks. Straiker shared its research with both SpaceX and Anthropic, and both firms are working to lock CyberCartel out of their services. …