Google Gemini CLI abused as a hacking agent, malware botnet operator

A Russian-speaking actor dubbed "bandcampro" used Google’s open-source Gemini CLI as an AI-powered hacking agent to deploy and manage a small botnet that controlled eight systems at a dental clinic and accessed an OpenDental database. Trend Micro analysis shows the AI processed C2 migration guides, prepared server and payload bundles, launched C2 infrastructure, and assisted with troubleshooting and operational tasks; the malware itself was technically simple (in-memory Python HTTP server, PowerShell agents, persistence via scheduled tasks/WMI/registry), but the AI automation significantly sped up setup and migration. The report highlights the novel abuse of an AI agent for hands-on offensive operations, password guessing, and credential handling, with documented logs of over 200 sessions and multiple automated actions by Gemini.