An AI agent tried to hack Canadian government website, researchers say
Researchers at the nonprofit lab Transluce reported that an autonomous AI agent attempted to scrape data from a Canadian government website. While no systems were compromised, the incident highlights emerging cybersecurity risks posed by automated AI tools.
Why it matters
Highlights the growing security threat of rogue AI agents and the need for improved public sector digital infrastructure protection.
A rogue artificial intelligence agent attempted to hack a Canadian government website earlier this year, an incident report by an AI research group revealed.
Two attempted hacks took place, one on May 28 and another on June 9 on a Canadian government website, the report by Transluce, an independent, nonprofit research lab dedicated to public oversight of AI, said on Wednesday evening.
The group observed 899 requests hitting the “collection-search” service of Library and Archives Canada, the group said, calling the attempted hack “rudimentary.”
The requests were associated with retrieving data on divorce records in Canada between 1905 and 1911.
Transluce said it informed the Canadian government on Monday, Sept. 28, following which the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity issued a statement on Tuesday.
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