Microsoft and Copilot Uncover Vulnerability to Rapid AI Worm Spread
copilot microsoft
| Source: Mastodon | Original article
Microsoft Copilot is vulnerable to AI-worm propagation. A security flaw allows malicious code to spread through infected files.
Microsoft Copilot has been found to expose a vulnerability to AI-worm propagation, allowing malicious instructions to spread silently through ordinary enterprise workflows. A security researcher demonstrated how Microsoft Word documents can be turned into carriers for self-propagating AI worms by hiding malicious prompts inside seemingly benign files.
This matters because the worm can manipulate and alter sensitive data, such as financial figures in reports, and then embed its own code into new documents generated by Copilot. The ability of these AI worms to self-propagate makes them particularly dangerous, as they can spread chaos without being detected.
As we reported on July 29, document-borne AI worms can self-propagate through Copilot for Word, and this new finding highlights the ongoing risks associated with AI-powered tools. What to watch next is how Microsoft responds to this vulnerability, particularly given that a security researcher has been working with the company since March 2026 to address the issue. Despite multiple updates to Copilot, the vulnerability remains, and it is crucial for Microsoft to provide a more effective solution to mitigate the risks of AI-worm propagation.
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