The point: Automated AI agents without approval mechanisms can be weaponized as tools for cross-network post-exploitation activity.
An attacker deployed the AI assistant Hermes on a rented server, disabled the security prompt for critical commands, and directed it against Thailand’s Finance Ministry. The agent operated autonomously within the ministry’s network.
An attacker installed the widely-used AI assistant Hermes on a rented server and disabled the safeguard that prompts for confirmation during critical system operations. He then directed the system at the network of the Thai Ministry of Finance—the institution responsible for managing the country’s financial budgets and tax collection.
The AI agent operated independently through portions of the ministry’s network, conducted network scanning, identified systems for privilege escalation opportunities, and searched file systems. This use case demonstrates a post-compromise operational scenario: the agent functions as an automated reconnaissance and lateral movement tool that navigates between systems without human intervention.
For CISOs, this case represents a functionally new threat class. While standard automation tools are already established in penetration tests and advanced persistent threat campaigns, AI agents enable a qualitatively different form of network reconnaissance: they can respond contextually to unexpected systems, analyze configurations, and adapt attack paths—all without requiring the attacker to remain permanently present. The disabled security prompt removes the final layer of human control.
Organizations should deploy AI agents in their environments (whether as services, via APIs, or in the cloud) under monitoring with a focus on unusual system calls and anomalous network activity patterns. Equally relevant: supply-chain risks posed by hosted or third-party-operated AI infrastructure from which agents could be directed against internal systems.
Source: thehackernews.com · Published 24 July 2026
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