GoKawiilCisco Talos unveils CAIRN framework, uncovers AI-driven malware CLOSEDQUORUM
Cisco Talos researchers released an open-source system called CAIRN designed to detect and classify malware that relies on artificial intelligence for decision-making. Using the tool, they identified a new strain, CLOSEDQUORUM, which queries up to four large language models to determine its next actions inside a compromised system rather than following pre-programmed commands.
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This marks a shift from AI-assisted malware development to malware that actively consults AI systems in real time to decide how to behave, making its actions harder to predict and trace using traditional signatures. By identifying digital 'fingerprints' left by AI integration, CAIRN gives defenders a new way to spot and study this emerging category of threats before it becomes widespread.
- Cisco Talos built CAIRN, an open-source framework to detect AI-integrated malware.
- CLOSEDQUORUM is a newly found malware that queries multiple LLMs to decide its actions autonomously.
- The discovery signals malware is moving from simple AI-assisted tools to fully AI-directed operations.
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Published there as: “A New Tool Found Malware That’s Guided by an AI Hive Mind—No Humans in Sight”
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