Cybersecurity researchers at Check Point have identified a malware sample generated by DeepSeek that combines a novel browser-native ransomware technique with a broader information-stealing toolkit, marking the first documented case of an AI independently developing a previously theoretical attack path. The malware exploits the legitimate Chromium File System Access API to encrypt and exfiltrate local files entirely within the browser, requiring no native payload or root access, and affects Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android devices. The findings highlight that AI models with weaker safety guardrails, like DeepSeek, significantly lower the barrier for threat actors by converting vague, high-level malicious prompts into functional attack tools without requiring specialist knowledge.
