{"schema_version":"0.10.0","id":"LR-2026-0824","record_version":1,"title":"ARTEX multi-agent framework used by attackers to automate Active Directory compromise","verification":{"human_verified":false,"method":"automated_gate","auto_verified":true,"score":46.8,"score_breakdown":{"source_authority":12.1,"independent_corroboration":7.0,"implicated_party_confirmed":0.0,"citation_integrity":14.0,"specificity":0.0,"completeness":6.4,"unhedged_language":5.0},"checks":{"schema_valid":true,"every_field_cited":true,"quotes_verbatim":true,"source_fetched":true,"distinct_incident":true,"dates_plausible":true,"sources_agree":true,"source_describes_incident":true,"severe_backed_by_source":true,"record_integrity":true,"eligible":true,"about_this_case":true},"gate_version":"gate-2026-10-18.7","cross_check_model":null,"cross_check_agreement":null,"duplicate_of":null,"verified_by":null,"verified_at":"2026-11-03","extraction_run_id":null,"evidence_level":{"level":"preliminary","reason":"1 report: Cyber Security News · subject to change","original_document":null,"reports_total":1,"reports_independent":1,"reports_derivative":0,"developing":true,"disputed":false,"rules_version":"evidence-2026-10-29.1","computed_at":"2026-11-03","history":[{"date":"2026-11-03","from_level":null,"to_level":"preliminary","reason":"1 report: Cyber Security News · subject to change"}]},"sources_hash":"e79eb21a6e48926962d73e16eeeb17d466344e8f58ec8857a4ce207d0cd28766"},"system":{"model_name":null,"model_version":null,"developer":"unknown","harness":"ARTEX","tools_granted":["powershell","credential_access","kerberos_ticket_requests","dcsync","lateral_movement","web_shell_planting"],"permissions_scope":null,"autonomy_level":"unknown","guardrails_present":[],"deployment_context":"production","tier":null,"lifecycle_stage":null,"integration_type":"agentic_with_tools","intended_use":"multi-agent penetration testing and command-and-control platform","safeguard_state":null,"production_intended":null},"event":{"date_occurred":null,"date_disclosed":"2026-11-02","incident_class":"security_compromise","failure_class":"credential_misuse","agent_involved":true,"secondary_failure_classes":["data_exfiltration"],"trigger":"unknown","duration":null,"detection_method":"third_party","summary":"Attackers used ARTEX, an open-source multi-agent penetration-testing and command-and-control platform written in Go, to automate network break-ins. The attacker supplied a goal and stolen credentials, and the framework split the work across six sub-agents that ran PowerShell against domain controllers and federation servers, enumerated managed service accounts and AD CS templates, pulled more than 110,000 Active Directory objects, performed Kerberoasting, and ran DCSync to take the krbtgt key, cloud sync credentials and domain controller hashes. It then attempted lateral movement via Pass-the-Ticket, WinRM, Kerberos relay and Pass-the-Hash; Windows service token limits and endpoint protection blocked some attempts before defenders cut off the server. Google Threat Intelligence Group and Mandiant identified the activity during incident response, seeing use since late August 2026 against government, technology, chemicals, manufacturing and telecommunications organizations.","tags":["agentic-ai","multi-agent","credential-theft","kerberoasting","dcsync","lateral-movement","ai-assisted-cyberattack"],"date_detected":null,"near_miss":null,"root_cause":null,"root_cause_detail":null,"failure_class_detail":"The agent was handed valid stolen logins and used them to run the later attack stages, including DCSync extraction of the krbtgt key and domain controller hashes.","responsible_party":"third_party","adversarial_actor":"external_attacker","input_provenance":null,"time_to_contain":null,"operations_paused":null,"remediation":null,"precursor_events":null},"impact":{"direct_loss_usd":null,"remediation_hours":null,"records_exposed":null,"third_parties_affected_count":null,"severity":"major","severity_because":"Major: a live production compromise across multiple victim organizations in several sectors, with domain controller hashes and the krbtgt key taken.","harm_class":["third_party_security","operational"],"affected_description":"organizations in government, technology, chemicals, manufacturing, and telecommunications","protected_class_involved":null,"data_categories_exposed":["credentials"],"loss_range_usd":null,"reversibility":null,"downstream_exposure_count":null},"evidence":{"sources":[{"url":"https://cybersecuritynews.com/hackers-use-artex-ai-agents/","publisher":"Cyber Security News","date":"2026-11-02","type":"press","title":"Hackers Use ARTEX AI Agents to Automate Active Directory Attacks, Kerberoasting, and Lateral Movement","archived_url":null,"attachment":"first_report","independence":"independent"}],"per_field_confidence":{"system.developer":"D","system.harness":"C","system.tools_granted":"C","system.autonomy_level":"D","system.deployment_context":"C","system.integration_type":"C","system.intended_use":"C","event.date_disclosed":"D","event.failure_class":"C","event.secondary_failure_classes":"C","event.trigger":"D","event.detection_method":"C","event.summary":"C","event.tags":"C","event.responsible_party":"C","event.adversarial_actor":"C","event.incident_class":"C","event.agent_involved":"C","event.failure_class_detail":"C","impact.severity":"C","impact.harm_class":"C","impact.affected_description":"C","impact.data_categories_exposed":"C","impact.severity_because":"C","context.country":"D","context.denominator_available":"D"},"field_citations":{"system.harness":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"ARTEX is a multi-agent penetration testing and command-and-control platform written in Go."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"ARTEX splits the attack into six sub-agents."}],"system.tools_granted":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Once inside, ARTEX ran PowerShell scripts against a domain controller and a federation server."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"After an offline cracking pause, the tool ran DCSync scripts and took the domain krbtgt key, cloud sync credentials, and domain controller hashes."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"ARTEX also tried to move onto domain controllers with Pass-the-Ticket, WinRM, Kerberos relay, and Pass-the-Hash scripts."}],"system.deployment_context":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Victims include organizations in government, technology, chemicals, manufacturing, and telecommunications."}],"system.integration_type":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"The attacker gives it a goal and some stolen credentials, and the framework turns that goal into commands."}],"system.intended_use":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"ARTEX is a multi-agent penetration testing and command-and-control platform written in Go."}],"event.failure_class":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"In several cases, the intruders handed ARTEX valid logins and told it to carry out the later stages."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"After an offline cracking pause, the tool ran DCSync scripts and took the domain krbtgt key, cloud sync credentials, and domain controller hashes."}],"event.secondary_failure_classes":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"In one case, the tool pulled more than 110,000 Active Directory objects and read the Domain Admins group."}],"event.detection_method":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Researchers at Google Cloud’s Google Threat Intelligence Group and Mandiant identified the activity during incident response work."}],"event.summary":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Hackers are now using an open-source AI tool called ARTEX to run large parts of a network break-in on their own."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"ARTEX splits the attack into six sub-agents."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"In one case, the tool pulled more than 110,000 Active Directory objects and read the Domain Admins group."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"It failed in one case because of Windows service token limits, and endpoint protection blocked the rest before defenders cut off the server."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"Researchers at Google Cloud’s Google Threat Intelligence Group and Mandiant identified the activity during incident response work."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"They have seen ARTEX used since late August 2026."}],"event.tags":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"ARTEX splits the attack into six sub-agents."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"Kerberoasting was a key step."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"After an offline cracking pause, the tool ran DCSync scripts and took the domain krbtgt key, cloud sync credentials, and domain controller hashes."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"ARTEX also tried to move onto domain controllers with Pass-the-Ticket, WinRM, Kerberos relay, and Pass-the-Hash scripts."}],"event.responsible_party":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Security teams built this kind of tool for testing, but criminals and suspected state-linked groups have picked it up."}],"event.adversarial_actor":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Hackers are now using an open-source AI tool called ARTEX to run large parts of a network break-in on their own."}],"event.incident_class":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Hackers are now using an open-source AI tool called ARTEX to run large parts of a network break-in on their own."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"The tool can map a Windows network, steal service account passwords, and try to spread to domain controllers with very little human help."}],"event.agent_involved":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"ARTEX splits the attack into six sub-agents."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"The attacker gives it a goal and some stolen credentials, and the framework turns that goal into commands."}],"event.failure_class_detail":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"In several cases, the intruders handed ARTEX valid logins and told it to carry out the later stages."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"After an offline cracking pause, the tool ran DCSync scripts and took the domain krbtgt key, cloud sync credentials, and domain controller hashes."}],"impact.severity":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Victims include organizations in government, technology, chemicals, manufacturing, and telecommunications."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"In one case, the tool pulled more than 110,000 Active Directory objects and read the Domain Admins group."}],"impact.harm_class":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"The tool can map a Windows network, steal service account passwords, and try to spread to domain controllers with very little human help."}],"impact.affected_description":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Victims include organizations in government, technology, chemicals, manufacturing, and telecommunications."}],"impact.data_categories_exposed":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"After an offline cracking pause, the tool ran DCSync scripts and took the domain krbtgt key, cloud sync credentials, and domain controller hashes."}],"impact.severity_because":[{"source_index":0,"quote":"Victims include organizations in government, technology, chemicals, manufacturing, and telecommunications."},{"source_index":0,"quote":"After an offline cracking pause, the tool ran DCSync scripts and took the domain krbtgt key, cloud sync credentials, and domain controller hashes."}]},"notes_on_gaps":"The document is a threat-intelligence press summary, not a single dated incident report. No specific date of occurrence, victim count, loss figure, or country is stated; date_disclosed is taken from the collector-supplied publication date. The underlying model behind ARTEX is never named, so model_name/model_version are null and developer is 'unknown'. Autonomy level is not stated (attackers supplied goals and credentials but human involvement in execution is not described), so it is left unknown. Trigger is unknown because no source names what set the incident off. Detection is attributed to Google Threat Intelligence Group and Mandiant during incident response work, coded as third_party. failure_class is a judgement call: the agent was handed valid stolen credentials and used them for later stages, which best matches credential_misuse, with data_exfiltration as secondary for the 110,000-object pull. The 110,000 figure is a count of Active Directory objects enumerated, not records exposed, so records_exposed is null. No monetary figures are given in any currency. Extractor proposed values without quotes; dropped: ['context.country', 'context.denominator_available', 'event.date_disclosed', 'event.trigger', 'system.autonomy_level', 'system.developer']. Single secondary source; corroborate before upgrading any field to B. [2026-11-03: evidence level set: Preliminary (1 report: Cyber Security News · subject to change)]"},"context":{"industry":null,"org_size_band":null,"country":"unknown","denominator_available":false,"denominator":null,"related_incident_ids":[],"systemic_exposure":null,"shared_model_id":null,"upstream_incident_id":null,"incident_evidence":null,"regulatory":null,"coverage":null}}