Researchers show worm that can spread through WeChat without you lifting a finger

Security researchers at Calif Research have demoed something that sounds like pure science fiction: a worm that spreads through WeChat calls across iPhone and Android.

The unsettling part is that the victim does not have to do anything at all. You do not need to answer the call, and even if you do, you hear nothing unusual. Still, the attack succeeds in the background.

The truly remarkable thing is the pace. The team used AI to find the vulnerability itself, and the first working exploit was ready in about two days. The full worm took just over a week more to finish.

By comparison, a worm of this caliber would traditionally have taken a larger team several months to develop. In other words, AI has turned this kind of work from a project into a cozy evening in (albeit an unpleasant one).

For most Danish individuals and businesses, WeChat is not part of daily life, so there is no reason to react right now. But the case is a clear marker: watch for updates if you use WeChat for business, and in general see it as further proof that AI is making security research, both the good and the shady kind, dramatically faster.