Meta’s Muse gains users as company patches security flaw and expands AI push

Meta’s new Muse personal AI assistant has climbed to the top of Apple’s App Store after a development effort that drew on thousands of employees and months of testing, according to Business Insider. The agent can perform tasks including sending emails, booking travel, managing meetings and canceling subscriptions.

The early growth has brought increased scrutiny over privacy and security because Muse requires broad access to user accounts. Meta issued a hotfix for its macOS app after security researcher Patrick Wardle discovered a vulnerability that could let malicious software already running on a user’s computer redirect Muse’s cloud-based transcription processing to an attacker-controlled server. Wardle’s proof-of-concept attacks used Muse to take pictures and write malicious files without alerting the user in many cases, The Verge reported.

Meta said the flaw was a local privilege-escalation issue rather than a remote exploit and argued that the practical risk was low because an attacker first needed code running under the user’s account. The company patched it within hours of publication of the findings.

Meta is also extending its AI products to corporate customers through a new Meta Enterprise Platform. The initiative will include Muse, Meta Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code. Meta hired MongoDB chief executive Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the business; MongoDB named former CEO Dev Ittycheria interim chief while it searches for a permanent replacement.

Muse has also drawn attention for its ability to identify and cancel recurring subscriptions, one example of how personal AI agents could automate consumer financial tasks.