Cisco Talos discovers trojan VOLTA, which uses AI to analyze whether a victim is worth attacking
The cybersecurity team Cisco Talos has discovered a new type of Windows malicious trojan named VOLTA. It collects data such as browsing history, cryptocurrency wallets, browser extensions, text documents, and chat records, and uploads them to online AI products such as Anthropic Claude to generate summaries, so that hackers can assess the value of the victim's information. After completing data collection and value assessment, VOLTA attempts to delete itself to reduce traces. Cisco Talos believes that this type of malware shows that AI is changing the way hackers operate, and may expose large institutions and executives to more precise attacks. Ordinary users' browsing history, spending habits, and social relationships may also be used for profiling analysis.
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The trojan disclosed by Cisco Talos hands victim data to online AIs such as Claude for value assessment, demonstrating a new way for attackers to screen targets.
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Hackers Develop New Malicious Trojan VOLTA, Using AI to Analyze Whether Victims Are Worth Breaching
2026-11-02 19:53 IT Home - Yangzai
IT Home, November 2 news: According to foreign media outlet Tom's Hardware, the cybersecurity team Cisco Talos has discovered a new type of Windows malicious trojan named VOLTA. The trojan integrates AI models, enabling it to analyze victims' personal data, assess the value of the information therein, and attempt to self-delete after completing the relevant operations, in order to reduce the risk of discovery and tracking.
According to reports, VOLTA is capable of collecting various types of sensitive information from victims' devices, including web browsing history, cryptocurrency wallets, browser extensions, text documents, chat records, and more, and uploading the corresponding files to online AI products such as Anthropic Claude to generate summaries for hackers' reference. After completing data collection and value assessment, VOLTA then attempts to delete itself, in order to reduce the traces of attack left behind and increase the difficulty for security personnel to investigate and track it.
Cisco Talos believes that this type of malware indicates that AI technology is gradually changing the way hackers operate. Traditional large-scale indiscriminate attacks not only easily expose the attacker's tracks, but also require a large investment of time waiting for potential returns, with the final payoff also subject to considerable uncertainty. In contrast, the approach of first collecting data and then using AI to assess the value of targets helps attackers screen for more profitable targets, and may expose large institutions, executives, and other groups to more precise cyberattack risks.
However, ordinary users should not let their guard down because of this. Even if the files on a personal computer lack direct economic value, information such as browsing history, consumption habits, life trajectories, and social relationships may still be used for user profiling analysis. Attackers can leverage AI to mine personal preferences and potential weaknesses from this data, and then plan more targeted scams, social engineering attacks, and other malicious activities, further increasing the difficulty of protecting personal information.