CloudSEK says hackers used AI agents to probe Central Asian government networks
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CloudSEK disclosed that the hacker group Silent Lynx, suspected of being linked to Kazakhstan, used the open-source AI agent Hermes to probe Central Asian government networks, steal sensitive files, and attempt to penetrate critical infrastructure networks. The agent mainly calls the DeepSeek model. The above conclusions come from CloudSEK's research, and the link between the hacker group and Kazakhstan is described as "suspected."
AI overview based on source reports · Updated 2 days ago
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- Hacker News AIKazakhstan-linked hackers used AI agent to spy on Central Asian governments
CloudSEK found an exposed server belonging to the hacking group Silent Lynx containing over a dozen gigabytes of stolen government documents, hacking tools and records showing an operator used the open-source Hermes AI agent, built mainly on DeepSeek models, for reconnaissance, data collection and erasing traces. The group maintained extensive access to Tajikistan's national railway network from at least mid-August to early October and used a single employee's credentials to reach Tajikistan's national electronic document management platform, also compromising a server supporting Uzbekistan's Smart Forestry initiative. CloudSEK assessed with medium confidence that Silent Lynx is tied to Kazakhstan based on Russian-language communications and test connections from a Kazakh residential internet provider, without establishing any link to the Kazakh government.
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