“Given the misuse of the tool, the ARTEX project will no longer be updated and will be converted to closed source,” the developer, known as Autumn-27, said in a GitHub post on Oct. 8.
The developer added that no new versions would be released to the public.
The developer said ARTEX was built to help organizations test their defenses and disclaimed responsibility for any illegal use, without referring to the attacks in Korea.
The project’s GitHub page has since been taken down.
U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said on Oct. 7 that a financially motivated actor, likely a Chinese speaker, ran ARTEX on a DeepSeek model to target South Korean financial institutions between late September and early October.
Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and Hana Bank have reported customer data leaks, with Shinhan alone exposing information on about 25,000 customers. NH NongHyup Bank and Woori Bank fended off the intrusions.
The shutdown covers only future versions.
A Korean-language translation of ARTEX, with added detection rules, surfaced on GitHub on Wednesday, a day before the announcement.
AJP Takeaways
- The Chinese developer of ARTEX, an AI penetration-testing tool linked to attacks on South Korean banks, said on Oct. 8, 2026 that the project will go closed-source and get no further updates.
- CrowdStrike said on Oct. 7, 2026 that a likely Chinese-speaking, financially motivated actor used ARTEX with a DeepSeek model against South Korean financial institutions from late September to early October.
- The decision does not cover copies already out there. A Korean-language translation appeared on GitHub on Oct. 7, 2026, a day before the announcement.
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