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Events database
Exclusive-How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sites
By Raphael Satter WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Over the past couple of weeks, a cybersecurity researcher watched as a Chinese-speaking hacker broke into websites belonging to more than 100 companies, including farm equipment maker Deere, home appliance company SharkNinja and engine manufacturer Cummins. Yet the hacker did almost none of the work. The cybercriminal instead outsourced the hacking spree almost entirely to artificial intelligence, tasking AI agents with spending hours autonomously
Advanced analysis (spheres, detailed sources, paid analyses)
Event date
exact date
Coverage
8 outlets · 8 articles
first · latest
Reporting countries
Bangladesh, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Portugal +2
English
Countries concerned
China, United States
Technology · intensity 1.5 · tone 0.05
In 5 seconds
Covered mainly by the Western sphere (75%); silent in Global South.
Western 75%Sino-Russian & BRICS 13%Arab-Muslim world 13%Global South 0%
Global sphere reading. The left / centre / right reading is shown in the coverage analysis below.
In 30 seconds
- Confirmed by 8 outlets in 7 countries.
- Ignored by Global South.
- Propagation: first reported by srnnews.com (Portugal), . 6 outlets republished 3 headlines word for word.
Headline clash across the four spheres
Western
- Exclusive-How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sitessrnnews.com · Portugal
- EXCLUSIVE: How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sites reut.rs/4Bk4h7qReuters (Bluesky) · United Kingdom
Sino-Russian & BRICS
Arab-Muslim world
- How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sitescnbctv18.com · Bangladesh
Global South
No outlet in this sphere covers the event: blind spot.
Coverage analysis
Analyzing coverage…
Event sources
- Exclusive-How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sitessrnnews.comPortugalPortugal → United StatesEnglish
- How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of siteslivemint.comINIndia → Unknown countryEnglish
- How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sitescnbctv18.comBDBangladesh → ChinaEnglish
- EXCLUSIVE: How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sites reut.rs/4Bk4h7qReuters (Bluesky)Royaume-UniUnited Kingdom → Unknown countryEnglish
- Reuters: Un hacker a folosit agenţi AI pentru a sparge site-urile a peste 100 de companii, inclusiv Deere, SharkNinja şi Cumminsbursa.roRORomania → United StatesEnglish
- how one hacker used ai agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sites reuters exclusiveCTV NewsCanadaCanada → CanadaEnglish
- How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sites: Reuters exclusivebnnbloomberg.caUnknownCanada → Unknown countryEnglish
- How one hacker used AI agents to break into over 100 company websitesHonolulu Star-AdvertiserÉtats-UnisUnited States → United StatesEnglish