Researchers have discovered what they are calling the “first known AI-powered ransomware”, though it has yet to be deployed.

ESET researchers have dubbed the malware PromptLock, finding that it has the power to exfiltrate, encrypt, and potentially even destroy data.

So far, PromptLock has yet to be found in attacks, and is currently thought to be a proof-of-concept model or at least a work in progress.

The malware uses the gpt-oss:20b model from OpenAI via the Ollama API which it uses to generate malicious Lua scripts it can then execute.

“PromptLock leverages Lua scripts generated from hard-coded prompts to enumerate the local filesystem, inspect target files, exfiltrate selected data, and perform encryption,” said ESET researchers.

Cyber-criminals would use a proxy running from the compromised network to a remote server with the malicious model in a method that aligns with the “internal proxy” technique that is growing in popularity among cyber-criminals.

The ransomware is written in Golang, which, according to the researchers, is a cross-platform language with high versatility which has built up popularity in the malware community. Researchers have identified both Windows and Linux variants of the malware/

The scripts can exfiltrate and encrypt data, as well as target file inspection and perform filesystem enumeration.

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For its encryption, the model uses the SPECK 128-bit encryption algorithm.

The discovery of this AI-powered ransomware, even if it remains as a work in progress, points to the troubling trend of AI being used for malicious intent in more sophisticated and complex ways.

AI is already being used by threat actors, lowering the barrier to entry to low-skilled cyber-criminals to generate effective campaigns when it comes to social engineering and phishing. The development of an AI-powered malware with the ability to encrypt and delete data is the stuff of nightmares, potentially opening up a new frontier of cyber threats.