Experimental virus uses ChatGPT to create emails and become ‘invisible’

A virus created by computer experts demonstrated how by exploiting ChatGPT’s abilities to create messages, evade detection tools, and spread. smart bots can be used for malicious purposesDetails about the experiment were published on the arXiv platform at the end of June.

In the experiment, Computer Science graduate student David Zollikofer and malware researcher Ben Zimmerman developed a file that infects computers in the form of an email attachment. Asked OpenAI’s generative AI model to rewrite code, changing variable names and logic.

The result, called “synthetic cancer,” was a virus with perfect camouflage. Ability to remain invisible to scans performed by security softwareThe malicious file opens Outlook on the victim’s device, writes emails with relevant content using ChatGPT, and attaches itself to the messages.

These emails are sent to the person’s contacts. Spreading malware that, when opened, will do the same on the next deviceThe study authors emphasized that bot-written messages were highly persuasive, making them easy to use in social engineering campaigns.

“Tip of the iceberg”

Those responsible Experimental virus that uses ChatGPT to become invisible and write fake emails They stressed that the malicious file was a “minimum functional prototype” and had still proven effective. They also said that in some cases, the AI ​​was suspicious of the malware’s intentions and did not obey commands.

Given this, Zollikofer and Zimmerman reaffirmed that: More research is needed on the use of AI in malware developmentdrew attention to the risks that technology can bring. Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert and researcher at the University of Surrey, believes that such viruses are just the tip of the iceberg.

“I think we should worry“There are a number of ways that we know LLMs (language models) can be misused, but the scary part is that techniques can be developed by asking for help from the technology itself,” he explained. NewScientist.