{
  "entry": {
    "kind": "vuln",
    "slug": "microsoft-china-aligned-storm-0940-ran-the-artex-agentic-pen-test",
    "name": "microsoft-china-aligned-storm-0940-ran-the-artex-agentic-pen-test",
    "vendor": "Microsoft",
    "description": "Microsoft Threat Intelligence reported on 21 October 2026 that Storm-0940, a China-state aligned actor active since 2021, has used ARTEX since as early as September 2026 to automate attacks on hundreds of organizations. ARTEX is an open-source, multi-agent LLM penetration-testing framework (Go, with a Next.js front end) that works with any AI model, runs reconnaissance through exfiltration with little human involvement, and builds a graph of the assets and vulnerabilities it finds. Microsoft attributes the ConnectWise Cloud Backup supply-chain compromise (ConnectWise advisory, 16 October) to the group: holding the identities of several ConnectWise cloud applications, its agents authenticated app-only into customer Microsoft 365 tenants, attempted sign-ins to more than 2,250 tenants, and in some went on to Microsoft Graph reconnaissance, application credential changes for persistence, and changes to users, groups and privileged roles. An earlier password spray from the same infrastructure produced more than 151,000 failed logons, peaking at 2,900 a minute, and some ARTEX-driven intrusions reached privileged cloud access within three hours of first targeting. Microsoft says its own products were not compromised.",
    "website": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/10/21/storm-0940-uses-artex-agentic-ai-connectwise-supply-chain-compromise/",
    "repository": null,
    "documentationUrl": null,
    "license": null,
    "version": null,
    "trustLevel": "advisory",
    "capabilities": [],
    "packaging": null,
    "configFiles": null,
    "category": "agent",
    "updatedAt": "2026-10-21",
    "risk": {
      "score": 75,
      "band": "high",
      "signals": [],
      "dangerousCombos": []
    },
    "dangerousCombos": [],
    "vuln": {
      "id": "microsoft-china-aligned-storm-0940-ran-the-artex-agentic-pen-test",
      "aliases": [
        "ti-158"
      ],
      "title": "Microsoft: China-Aligned Storm-0940 Ran the ARTEX Agentic Pen-Test Framework Against Hundreds of Organizations and Used It in the ConnectWise Supply-Chain Compromise",
      "summary": "Microsoft Threat Intelligence reported on 21 October 2026 that Storm-0940, a China-state aligned actor active since 2021, has used ARTEX since as early as September 2026 to automate attacks on hundreds of organizations. ARTEX is an open-source, multi-agent LLM penetration-testing framework (Go, with a Next.js front end) that works with any AI model, runs reconnaissance through exfiltration with little human involvement, and builds a graph of the assets and vulnerabilities it finds. Microsoft attributes the ConnectWise Cloud Backup supply-chain compromise (ConnectWise advisory, 16 October) to the group: holding the identities of several ConnectWise cloud applications, its agents authenticated app-only into customer Microsoft 365 tenants, attempted sign-ins to more than 2,250 tenants, and in some went on to Microsoft Graph reconnaissance, application credential changes for persistence, and changes to users, groups and privileged roles. An earlier password spray from the same infrastructure produced more than 151,000 failed logons, peaking at 2,900 a minute, and some ARTEX-driven intrusions reached privileged cloud access within three hours of first targeting. Microsoft says its own products were not compromised.",
      "severity": "high",
      "cvss": {
        "score": null,
        "vector": null,
        "version": null
      },
      "cwe": [],
      "attackType": [
        "Supply chain compromise"
      ],
      "componentType": "agent",
      "component": {
        "name": "Microsoft",
        "vendor": null,
        "package": null,
        "ecosystem": null,
        "catalogSlug": null
      },
      "affected": [
        {
          "range": "Microsoft 365 tenants where the affected ConnectWise cloud applications were installed or authorized (Microsoft lists four application IDs), and any organization targeted by ARTEX-driven password spraying. Not a vulnerability in an AI tool.",
          "fixed": null
        }
      ],
      "exploited": false,
      "exploitPublic": false,
      "publishedAt": "2026-10-21",
      "modifiedAt": "2026-10-21",
      "lastVerified": "2026-11-01",
      "references": [
        {
          "type": "article",
          "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/10/21/storm-0940-uses-artex-agentic-ai-connectwise-supply-chain-compromise/"
        }
      ],
      "mitigation": "Keep the affected ConnectWise application connections disabled until ConnectWise issues restoration instructions, but preserve evidence before deleting anything: record each tenant's service principal object IDs for the four application IDs Microsoft lists, export Entra sign-in and audit logs, and review service principal activity from at least 15 October (back to 1 October where logs exist). Look for credential additions, new apps or owners, consent and app-role grants, privileged role assignments and Conditional Access changes, then remove what is unauthorized and rotate credentials. Agent-driven attacks shrink the response window, so alert on app-only sign-ins and credential additions for high-privilege apps rather than relying on a daily review.",
      "detectedByAnomity": true
    }
  }
}