123 Reg discloses 'AI cyberattack' on customer data, suspects China nexus

UK domain registrar 123 Reg has suffered an artificial intelligence-driven cyberattack that exposed customer data. The intrusion on 18 September compromised customer contact details, VAT numbers, and product information. Company investigators suspect a Chinese state-sponsored group carried out the breach, tracing attacker infrastructure to IP addresses in China and Singapore. The firm found AI attack tools on Chinese systems, including exploitation frameworks and code open-sourced by Anthropic. Company chiefs believe the culprits may be the same group that abused Claude Code to target at least 30 other organisations.