Explainers
How AI Worms Propagate: The Full Lifecycle, From Adaptive Exploits to Autonomous Inference
AI worms represent a new generation of self-replicating malware that uses large language models to adaptively exploit diverse vulnerabilities and autonomously set up inference on compromised hardware. This four-stage propagation cycle, from adaptive exploitation to autonomous inference, challenges traditional patching defenses, necessitating new containment strategies.
David Katzman·October 15, 2026
