WeChat Worm Can Hijack Accounts Without Victims Answering Calls
Researchers demoed WeWorm, a zero-click WeChat worm hijacking accounts via incoming VoIP calls using a memory corruption flaw; Tencent patched it in August.
Researchers at Calif exploited a memory corruption bug in WeChat's VoIP system, taking over accounts through an incoming call even if the victim never answers or touches the phone. The attacker must already be a WeChat contact, but compromising a friend's account bypasses this, and chained calls spread the worm across three Android and iOS test phones in seconds. Tencent fixed the flaw in Android 8.0.77 and iOS 8.0.76 released in August, and researchers found no evidence of real-world exploitation. WeChat and Weixin reported 1.418 billion combined monthly active users at the end of 2025.
- Zero-click VoIP memory corruption gives full account control: read and send messages, make calls
- Exploit chains across devices; researchers compromised three phones in a demo
- Declining a call blocks that attempt, but attackers can simply retry later
- AI helped researchers find the flaw and build an RCE exploit in about two days
From the original article
3 min read at securityaffairs.com
Researchers built a WeChat worm that spreads through incoming calls without user action. Tencent has blocked the exploit. Researchers at Calif created a WeChat worm that can take over an account through an incoming call, even if the victim never answers or touches the phone.
By Pierluigi Paganini · securityaffairs.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.