Censys finds 1,465 open control panels of the ARTEX AI attack tool

Censys, a firm that looks at the internet, made a report open on 5 November 2026. It found 1,465 hosts in the world that show an ARTEX console to the open internet. ARTEX is an open-source tool that lets AI agents attack computer systems with small input from people. Known attacks include a campaign against South Korean banks and a breach of ConnectWise customers.

What Censys found

About 650 hosts are in 2 blocks of the same hosting. That gives 815 deployments that look different. Of all hosts, 155 (10.6%) also operate other attack tools, such as Cobalt Strike. Also, 32 hosts have open folders with attack kits.

The AI model link

43 hosts operate software that gives access to AI models. Silas Cutler, a Censys researcher, tells that operators use many agent tools together. Check Point tells that the agents make attacks for a small cost, but they do not always work.

What is not known

The report does not tell who operates most of the hosts. The creator of ARTEX removed the initial code in October 2026 and tells that the tool is only for approved tests. Copies, such as ARTEX PRO, continue to show.

Insight: Attackers also need access to AI models

Past reports show attackers used ARTEX with Claude, Codex, Grok, DeepSeek and GLM models. At this time, 43 hosts operate gateway or reseller software for models. This reads as a new gate to control: the firm that offers model access can see an attack and stop it. The creator removed the code, but copies continue. Model access is a position where a stop can work.