Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are set to revolutionize the way work, automating common tasks to help us all be more productive. Unfortunately, AI can also be used for illegal activities – as the new WormGPT system shows.

What is WormGPT and what does it do?

By now you have probably heard of ChatGPT, the generative AI engine which provides highly accurate answers to questions. The genius of ChatGPT is how accurate and human-sounding those responses are, particularly when the AI engine is asked to ‘write’ something quite long and complex, like a blog article or a poem.

Now hackers have got into the game with WormGPT, a generative AI platform designed to assist with criminal activities. According to researchers, WormGPT is being promoted on darknet forums as “biggest enemy of the well-known ChatGPT that lets you do all sorts of illegal stuff.”

Specifically, WormGPT automates the creation of highly convincing fake emails that are personalized to the recipient. Because of this high degree of personalization, they are far more likely to trick people into disclosing passwords or installing malware.

Is there anything else I need to know?

At present, WormGPT is primarily concerned with writing effective phishing emails. But like ChatGPT, WormGPT can be used to write code automatically – including malware and cybersecurity exploits. It is likely that these AI tools will help hackers develop malware faster – which means we may see an increase in new attacks in the near future.

At the same time, criminals are also investing resources into ‘breaking’ other generative AI platforms. Some bad actors are now promoting “jailbreaks” for ChatGPT, hacks designed to extract sensitive information. Others are using the built-in API to manipulate to manipulate ChatGPT itself. They are generating output that could involve disclosing sensitive information, producing inappropriate content, and executing harmful code.

Should I be worried?

Although new techniques are emerging all the time, there has not been a significant spike in AI-influenced cybersecurity incidents. As always, you are strongly advised to stay alert – the malware may change, but the methods used to infect your devices remain the same.

And no matter how cybersecurity threats change, antimalware will remain an important – and extremely effective – defense. Don’t leave yourself unprotected – download a free trial of Panda Dome today.