One Hidden Meta Muse Setting Could Let Attackers Turn the AI Assistant Into a Backdoor
Malware already running on a Mac can quietly take over Meta's Muse assistant and use the broad access its owner granted the app, security researcher Patrick Wardle has shown in a proof-of-concept released on September 21. It works by changing a hidden setting so that when the user taps the microphone and dictates a prompt, the words go to the attacker instead of Meta. The flaw is in the Mac version of Muse, and it only works if an attacker can already run code as the logged-in user. It is not a way to remotely break into a Mac. Muse is the personal AI agent Meta launched this month in the United States. Once a user turns it on, it can work across their files, email, messages, calendar, shopping and smart-home apps, using whatever access the person chooses to give it. That access is the point, Wardle says. He urged people not to install Muse, calling it "trivial to turn Muse into the ultimate backdoor." macOS normally prevents one app from accessing ano...
Sep 22, 2026