ARTEX: Agentic Asbestos

ARTEX is an open-source autonomous penetration testing framework released in July 2026 that uses large language model (LLM) driven AI agents to automate reconnaissance, exploitation, and data exfiltration with minimal human intervention. As of November 2026, over 1,400 exposed ARTEX consoles are active globally. The framework has been linked to attacks on South Korean financial institutions and a supply chain compromise involving ConnectWise. Operators often expose directories containing exploit binaries and post-exploitation tools. The developer removed the repository after public attribution, but archived copies remain in circulation.

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