China's WeChat makes fix after US firm shows AI hack risk

The WeChat security fix, prompted by US firm Calif's AI-driven vulnerability discovery, highlights the accelerating pace of cyber threat development. Calif reported using AI to find the WeChat flaw in two days and build the "WeWorm" in one week, a process that would typically take months for a larger human team. This speed points to a new era where less-skilled actors can wield advanced cyberattack capabilities, posing an unprecedented risk to ordinary users across Asia. For companies like Tencent, which operates one of the world's most ubiquitous apps, this means a constant, rapid need to adapt defenses against AI-powered threats. While Tencent quickly deployed a fix, the incident underscores the critical need for robust digital defenses across the region. The ability of AI to rapidly identify and exploit vulnerabilities in widely used platforms like WeChat, which is central to daily life for Chinese speakers globally, suggests that cybersecurity will become an even more dynamic and resource-intensive challenge for Asian tech giants and governments alike. This also points to a potential area of cooperation between the US and China on internet safety, despite broader geopolitical tensions, as suggested by Calif's chief Thai Duong.