A Chinese-speaking threat actor has used the DeepSeek AI model through the open-source Hermes Agent framework to conduct autonomous cyberattacks against exposed servers with minimal human involvement, according to a new report from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit42 research division.
The attacker, operating under the aliases “knaithe” and “KnYuan,” leveraged DeepSeek as a reasoning agent to drive an autonomous offensive operation. After receiving an initial instruction via Telegram, the AI agent independently found internet-facing systems, downloaded public exploit code from GitHub, and attempted to compromise targets without further human guidance.
Unit42 researchers found that the Hermes Agent conducted autonomous vulnerability enumeration against exposed servers. The agent identified 84 exposed Langflow servers through the FOFA search engine and assessed them for exploitation. It downloaded a public exploit from GitHub and attempted to use it against the targets, though the attack ultimately failed due to configuration requirements.
The incident marks a significant escalation in AI-powered cyberattacks, demonstrating that large language models can now drive end-to-end offensive operations. Unlike previous AI-assisted attacks that required constant human oversight, this campaign operated with remarkable autonomy once given an initial directive.
Notably, the researchers observed that DeepSeek did not implement the same safety controls that blocked similar attempts on competing platforms like Claude and ChatGPT. Unit42’s report, published July 30, is the first confirmed real-world proof that AI provider safety controls have measurable operational value as a defensive mechanism against misuse.
The findings raise urgent questions about the security implications of open-weight AI models that lack the guardrails built into commercial alternatives. As AI models grow more capable, the gap between providers that enforce safety restrictions and those that do not could become a critical factor in global cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity experts warn that this type of autonomous attack capability could lower the barrier for less skilled threat actors to conduct sophisticated operations. The ability to simply instruct an AI agent via a messaging app and let it handle the technical details of vulnerability discovery and exploitation represents a new frontier in cyber threats.
Sources: BleepingComputer, Palo Alto Unit42, Help Net Security
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