Researchers Build Self-Replicating AI Worm That Operates Entirely on Local, Open-Weight Models
6月 09, 2026
Artificial Intelligence / Network Security
University of Toronto researchers have built and tested a proof-of-concept AI-driven computer worm that uses a locally hosted open-weight large language model to reason its way through a network, generate tailored attack strategies for each target it encounters, and replicate itself, all without human intervention and without touching a commercial AI service. The preprint, posted to arXiv on June 2 and currently under peer review, shows why single-CVE patching breaks down when malware can inspect exposed services, read fresh advisories, and generate a new attack path at runtime. In 15 isolated runs on a deliberately vulnerable 33-host network, the worm identified an average of 31.3 vulnerabilities and gained elevated access on 23.1 hosts, roughly three-quarters of the hosts it actively targeted. It then replicated autonomously to 20.4 of those hosts, or 62% of the full network, over seven days, with no prior knowledge of the network topology and no human input. Traditional worm...
