AI worm prototype shows attackers don’t need Mythos to take over your network

Researchers at the University of Toronto created an AI-powered computer worm prototype using only free, small language models (LLMs, which are AI systems trained on large amounts of text) that could self-replicate across a simulated network by finding and exploiting vulnerabilities (security weaknesses) and misconfigurations. The research shows that attackers don't need cutting-edge AI models to launch widespread network attacks, since using paid models would create detection points where safety filters could block malicious prompts.