# Researchers used AI to build a WeChat worm that spreads through phone calls

> Researchers at Calif, a Palo Alto security firm, say they used AI to build a worm that propagates through WeChat calls, and the mechanics are unnerving. According to The Next Web, the malware can take over an account while the phone is still ringing, then use that hijacked account to reach the victim's contacts and spread further. It is a proof of concept, not a live outbreak, but it demonstrates a genuinely new kind of attack surface. What makes it notable is how AI lowers the effort. Building a self-propagating exploit that abuses a messaging app's calling feature used to demand deep, specialized skill. Increasingly, models can help assemble the pieces, which means the pool of people capable of producing sophisticated malware widens. The demonstration lands amid mounting anxiety about AI-assisted cyberattacks, from agents escaping test environments to automated vulnerability discovery. A worm that infects you the instant you receive a call, on an app used by more than a billion people, is exactly the sort of scenario defenders now have to take seriously. The researchers' point is less 'this is happening' than 'this is now buildable.'

_Section: [Daily AI Updates](https://www.wortins.com/daily-ai) · Source: The Next Web · Published Thursday, September 10, 2026_

## Wortins' read

Researchers at Calif, a Palo Alto security firm, say they used AI to build a worm that propagates through WeChat calls, and the mechanics are unnerving. According to The Next Web, the malware can take over an account while the phone is still ringing, then use that hijacked account to reach the victim's contacts and spread further. It is a proof of concept, not a live outbreak, but it demonstrates a genuinely new kind of attack surface. What makes it notable is how AI lowers the effort. Building a self-propagating exploit that abuses a messaging app's calling feature used to demand deep, specialized skill. Increasingly, models can help assemble the pieces, which means the pool of people capable of producing sophisticated malware widens. The demonstration lands amid mounting anxiety about AI-assisted cyberattacks, from agents escaping test environments to automated vulnerability discovery. A worm that infects you the instant you receive a call, on an app used by more than a billion people, is exactly the sort of scenario defenders now have to take seriously. The researchers' point is less 'this is happening' than 'this is now buildable.'

## Source

[Read the full story at The Next Web](https://thenextweb.com/news/wechat-worm-ai-calif-tencent-zero-click)

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