AI agents hacked the hackers, stealing email addresses from security research org
Chained Zammad flaws enabled session hijacking, code execution, and root escalation in seconds
Security research organization DIVD fell victim to hackers who exploited two zero-day bugs in its Zammad support platform. The attackers used the vulnerabilities to hijack sessions, run remote code, and escalate privileges to root access within seconds. The incident, which occurred on September 21, saw the miscreants stealing data from DIVD's volunteer security researchers, including email addresses and potentially other contact details.
DIVD described the attackers as an "agentic AI" due to the suspicious nature of their modus operandi, which involved automated, seemingly logical decision-making and self-justifying code comments. The organization reported the vulnerability to the Zammad vendor, notified Dutch authorities, and advised users to upgrade to the latest version or take their systems offline.
Security researchers commended DIVD's transparency and honesty in responding to the hack, praising its proactive approach to informing other organizations potentially affected by the ransomware.
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