If you use Zoom, update now: they’ve discovered how to take control of a video call with just 20 prompts to an AI

If you use Zoom, it’s time to update the app as soon as possible. The reason, as so often, is security, since the researchers at A Security have discovered a vulnerability that allowed another participant to take control of a device during any video call. How did they find it? Very easily, with fewer than 20 prompts sent to AI models, one of them publicly available.

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A video call could be enough to take control

As they explain at A Security, the flaw was in Zoom’s annotation system, the tool that lets us draw on the screen during a meeting. A specially crafted message could cause code to be executed remotely on another participant’s device, silently and simply by being on the call.

The bug was present on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and even iOS. Using this exploit, the attacker could access the device’s data, turn on the camera or the microphone and, worst of all, install malware. The risk affected just about any compatible device with the app.

Most strikingly, A Security claims it developed a working exploit in less than 24 hours. We’ve already seen how certain hackers use AI to control computers, while Zoom also integrates artificial intelligence into its platform. Pulling off an attack like this with only 20 messages to an AI, however, highlights the importance of security at a time when nothing seems secure enough.

Zoom has already published the necessary update, so updating the app closes the vulnerability and lets you keep using Zoom with the latest protection. At least, until another AI strikes again.