China's WeChat makes fix after US firm shows AI hack risk
Tencent has patched a security vulnerability in its WeChat app after a US cybersecurity firm, Calif, demonstrated how AI could be used to create a 'worm' to hijack accounts. The exploit allowed for unauthorized access to messages and calls without user interaction.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the growing threat of AI-assisted cyberattacks, which can significantly reduce the time and resources required to discover and exploit software vulnerabilities.
BEIJING : The operator of Chinese mega-app WeChat said on Sept 9 it had fixed software weaknesses flagged by a US cybersecurity firm that demonstrated how AI could be used to exploit them.
WeChat is ubiquitous among Chinese speakers worldwide, used by more than a billion people for messaging and digital payments among many other features.
The US company, Calif, describes itself as a team of hackers aiming to "make the Internet safer for everybody" by finding flaws in apps and other programmes.
Calif said it had used artificial intelligence (AI) to build a cyberattack "worm" able to spread from phone to phone simply by making calls to WeChat contacts, but had not unleashed it.
"The victim does not need to answer the call, or interact with their phone at all," said a Calif blog post published on Sept 8 about its "WeWorm" project.
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