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Morris II AI worm can steal your private data: What is it and how it works

Morris II: This AI worm can steal data and spread in different systems and it is named after the first-ever internet worm launched on the internet in 1988.

Published on: Mar 7, 2024, 12:22:28 IST
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Artificial Intelligence worm that can steal your private data and even break security walls? Yes, it is here. A report by Wired claimed that researchers from Cornell University, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and Intuit have created a new type of malware called "Morris II" - the first generative AI worm.

Morris II uses a trick called “adversarial self-replication”. (Representational)
Morris II uses a trick called “adversarial self-replication”. (Representational)

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This AI worm can steal data and spread in different systems and it is named after the first-ever internet worm launched on the internet in 1988. Morris II can exploit security weaknesses in AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini as well.

Ben Nassi, a Cornell Tech researcher said as per the report, “It basically means that now you have the ability to conduct or to perform a new kind of cyberattack that hasn't been seen before.”

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How does the AI worm Morris II work?

Morris II uses a trick called “adversarial self-replication” which bombards email system with messages which results it in forwarding messages over and over after which it can access and change data as well as steal information and spread harmful content like malware.

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As per researchers, Morris II can sneak in through texts and images.

What happens after AI is tricked?

After sneaking into AI assistants, Morris II breaches security protocols within AI assistants and poses a threat to user privacy. It can then extract sensitive information from emails, names, phone numbers, credit card details and even social security numbers.

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