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Artificial intelligence researchers are warning the public to use strong passwords and promptly install software updates on their devices to combat “AI-driven computer worms,” a new breed of cyber-threat they say can launch custom attacks on devices, sapping processing power and information as they hunt for new victims.
In June, a University of Toronto team led by Canadian Institute for Advanced Research AI chair Nicolas Papernot announced that publicly available AI models can power a worm capable of adapting its attack on the fly as it spreads between devices connected to the internet, including laptops, printers and cameras.
The research, conducted in collaboration with the AI development hub the Vector Institute, was shared with “national science, security and defence bodies” prior to its publication, the university said.
Now Papernot, a U of T associate professor of computer engineering and computer science, is warning the public not to ignore or delay prompts to update software, and to change passwords regularly.
“We can no longer be sloppy with our cybersecurity hygiene,” he said on Thursday at a panel discussion hosted by U of T.
“We can no longer afford to reuse passwords. We have to use multi-factor authentication. We have to keep our devices up to date, and organizations have to change their processes to make sure that these software patches are deployed as quickly as possible.”
WATCH | Nicolas Papernot shares his research on AI worms:
Worms that learn
Unlike other computer viruses, worms spread from machine to machine without human intervention. The U of T researchers said the worm they created in a lab gathers information as it moves between devices. Every new breach reveals passwords and weak points that can unlock another machine.
In an uncontrolled setting, the researchers say, such a worm could gain internet access and learn from warning notices about newly discovered vulnerabilities, outpacing the software patches meant to stop them.
“Some of these [issues] can be fixed with software updates. But others are human errors such as weak passwords and sloppy IT setups that can’t be solved by pushing out a patch,” U of T wrote in a blog post about the discovery.
“That means a hacker doesn’t need the most advanced AI models to cause unprecedented damage.”
In 2017, a worm called “WannaCry” wreaked havoc across 150 countries, freezing computers and encrypting files, while demanding a ransom payment in bitcoin.
Back then, U of T said, this type of attack typically followed a “fixed script” programmed by a human that would often fail when confronted by defensive software it wasn’t designed to crack.
“The difference here is that the AI-driven computer worms are able to design attack strategies that are specific to each victim device that they interact with. So, rather than use a single vulnerability, they will work and interact with the victim device, and find an attack strategy that’s customized and tailored,” Papernot said.
“We can no longer stop their propagation by fixing a single vulnerability, or a small number of vulnerabilities.”
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Papernot’s warning comes as fears about AI hit a fever pitch.
In July, hundreds of artificial intelligence agents from OpenAI went rogue, hacking into the online platform Hugging Face. The situation prompted warnings from tech experts about AI systems escaping human control.
Earlier this month, researchers at a California-based security firm announced they had used AI to build a “zero-click” worm in a matter of days that can spread through WeChat calls on iOS and Android operating systems.
And on Tuesday, a researcher at Anthropic made headlines after musing on social media that there’s a more than 10 per cent chance AI could kill all humans within the next decade.
The federal government released its national artificial intelligence strategy in early June. The five-year framework is focused on accelerating business AI adoption, expanding sovereign computing capacity and building public trust.
According to a Bank of Canada survey released in June, AI adoption among Canadian firms remains at an early stage. Canada’s big five banks are among the companies enthusiastically adopting the technology.
‘Big change’ to cybersecurity risk
Papernot warns AI-driven worms aren’t just more effective than their predecessors, they’re also much cheaper to build and deploy.
Samir Chhabra, director general of marketplace framework policy at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, says the lower costs of driving these worms will enable hackers to attack more targets.
“This worm [runs] on compute that it’s stealing from its victims, which essentially makes the cost of the next attack a marginal cost, essentially zero,” he told audience members at U of T’s event Thursday. “That’s a big change in how we think about what defence looks like.”
A survey conducted in January by the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the government’s cryptologic intelligence and cybersecurity agency, found 87 per cent of respondents regularly update the software on their devices— with 46 per cent claiming to always do so when prompted.
In addition, 77 per cent said they use complex passwords with a mix of letters, numbers and symbols. However, only 31 per cent reported using a unique password all the time.
The CSE said its online survey was conducted Jan. 9-29 among 2,330 adult Canadians. The sample was drawn from a representative probability-based panel and weighted by region, age and gender, yielding an overall margin of error of ±2.1 per cent.
Papernot says his findings show more needs to be done to bolster cybersecurity in Canada.
“If you think about critical infrastructure like power grids, water supply, hospitals, schools, grocery stores … the fact that all these systems are exposed to the internet is something that we should all be concerned about,” he said.
