{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/hackers-impersonate-ai-bots-to-hunt-for-credentials-in-credential-hunt","json":"https://digestai.news/story/hackers-impersonate-ai-bots-to-hunt-for-credentials-in-credential-hunt.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/hackers-impersonate-ai-bots-to-hunt-for-credentials-in-credential-hunt.md","slug":"hackers-impersonate-ai-bots-to-hunt-for-credentials-in-credential-hunt","headline":"Hackers impersonate AI bots to hunt for credentials in credential-hunting campaign","summary":"Hackers are impersonating AI services like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity to scan websites for passwords, API keys, and cloud credentials. The campaign, identified by Cequence researchers, uses about 32 fake bot identities to bypass security checks, targeting financial, retail, telecom, energy, and software firms from late September to late October. The scanners made 50–190 requests per target in eight seconds, focusing on sensitive files like configuration and SSH keys, but no confirmed thefts were linked to this activity yet. The attackers rotated through over 300 cloud addresses in a week, making IP-based defenses ineffective, and distorted AI bot traffic metrics at some organizations by generating over 80% of labeled AI requests—many of which were malicious scans rather than legitimate activity.","keyPoints":["Hackers impersonate 32 AI bots, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, to scan for credentials in credential-hunting campaign","Scanners made 50–190 requests per target in eight seconds, targeting 48% of Cequence-protected organizations on one October day","Attackers used over 300 cloud addresses in a week, evading IP-based defenses and distorting AI bot traffic metrics"],"whyItMatters":"This campaign exposes how impersonating trusted AI services can bypass security controls, risking credential exposure and privilege escalation. Organizations must verify bot identities beyond claimed names to prevent credential theft and false positives in monitoring systems.","category":{"slug":"society","name":"Society & Work","url":"https://digestai.news/category/society"},"entities":{"companies":["ChatGPT","Claude","Perplexity","OpenAI","Anthropic","Meta"],"models":[],"people":["Will Glazier"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-11-02T03:01:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-02T03:01:00Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"cybersecuritynews.com","title":"Hackers Impersonate ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity AI Bots to Hunt for Passwords and API Keys","url":"https://cybersecuritynews.com/hackers-impersonate-ai-bots","publishedAt":"2026-11-02T03:01:00Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Hackers impersonate AI bots to hunt for credentials in credential-hunting campaign\", 2 November 2026, https://digestai.news/story/hackers-impersonate-ai-bots-to-hunt-for-credentials-in-credential-hunt","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Hackers impersonate AI bots to hunt for credentials in credential-hunting campaign","datePublished":"2026-11-02T03:01:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/hackers-impersonate-ai-bots-to-hunt-for-credentials-in-credential-hunt"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}