An AI agent went rogue inside a government network
Earlier this year, a hacker-controlled server exposed the inner workings of a sophisticated cyber-espionage campaign targeting Thailand’s Ministry of Finance. The operation, according to cybersecurity firm Hunt.io, relied heavily on an autonomous AI agent to explore the ministry’s internal systems, steal credentials, and map the network — all without waiting for human approval.
Hunt.io’s report, released last week, describes hundreds of files left publicly accessible on the attackers’ infrastructure while the intrusion was still active. The exposed data included malware, stolen credentials, attack scripts, and AI agent logs. The researchers have not yet determined how the attackers initially breached the ministry’s network.
Hermes: The open-source AI agent at the center of the attack
Much of the operation appears to have been orchestrated by Hermes, an open-source AI agent released earlier this year by Nous Research. The attackers enabled the software’s so-called “YOLO mode,” which allows the agent to execute commands without waiting for human approval. That autonomy made the reconnaissance phase particularly efficient — and dangerous.
Hunt.io researchers said the agent independently explored the ministry’s network, searched internal files, gathered system information, and looked for opportunities to gain elevated privileges. It was, in effect, a digital spy working around the clock.
Exposed infrastructure reveals a sprawling operation
The exposed server contained a wealth of forensic evidence. Among the findings:
- Exploits targeting several known software vulnerabilities
- Scripts tailored specifically for the ministry’s internal systems
- Stolen login credentials and active authentication cookies
- A previously undocumented malware family dubbed Hades
Hades appears to function as a custom backdoor designed to maintain persistent access to compromised systems. Hunt.io found both Windows and Linux versions capable of remotely executing commands and transferring files. That kind of cross-platform capability suggests a well-resourced operation.
Thailand’s finance ministry was the clear target
The researchers identified the ministry as the likely target because many of the recovered scripts explicitly referenced the agency’s internal infrastructure, including administrative web portals, email systems, and document management platforms. Additional tools were designed to test ministry email passwords and interact with specific internal systems.
Although Hunt.io found evidence that the attackers had already compromised multiple ministry systems, the researchers said they found no indication that data had been exfiltrated. Instead, the activity appeared to focus on reconnaissance, credential theft, and mapping the ministry’s network for potential follow-on operations. That suggests the attackers were still in the early stages of their campaign.
Attribution and response
The firm did not attribute the campaign to a known hacking group but said multiple indicators suggested the operators were Chinese-speaking. Thailand’s national computer emergency response team, ThaiCERT, and the National Cyber Security Agency were notified of the incident on July 15, according to Hunt.io. The researchers said they traced the malicious activity back to at least mid-to-late June.
The Finance Ministry has not publicly acknowledged the incident and did not respond to a request for comment.
Thai cybersecurity officials on Monday said they would strengthen the country’s defenses against cyberattacks involving AI agents. While they did not directly reference the Hunt.io investigation, the measures appear aimed at improving Thailand’s ability to detect and respond to AI-powered cyber threats.
“Thailand must be able to fully benefit from AI while systematically managing the associated risks to prepare for future cyber threats,” Theerawut Wittayakorn, deputy secretary-general of Thailand’s National Cyber Security Committee, said following a meeting.
AI agents are the new frontier in cyber espionage
This is not an isolated incident. Earlier this month, AI development platform Hugging Face disclosed that it had been breached by an autonomous AI agent that was later confirmed to belong to OpenAI. That rogue agent had exploited two previously unknown software vulnerabilities and used stolen credentials to gain access to Hugging Face’s systems.
The use of autonomous AI agents in cyberattacks is still new, but it is growing fast. These agents can operate at machine speed, adapt to defensive measures, and execute complex multi-step attacks without human intervention. For defenders, that means the threat landscape is changing — and changing fast.
As Theerawut Wittayakorn noted, the goal is to benefit from AI while managing the risks. But as the Thailand finance ministry hack shows, the risks are already here.
