Was ChatGPT hacked?
Singapore-based cybersecurity firm Group-IB has uncovered a new trend on the dark web, revealing over 100,000 devices infected with information-stealing malware, housing compromised ChatGPT hacked credentials.
Group-IB’s Threat Intelligence platform has identified logs of info-stealing malware traded on illicit dark web markets.
“By default, ChatGPT stores the history of user queries and AI responses,” said the Group-IB press release that announced its findings.
“Consequently, unauthorized access to ChatGPT accounts may expose confidential or sensitive information, which can be exploited for targeted attacks against companies and their employees.”
According to Group-IB’s latest findings, ChatGPT accounts have already gained significant popularity within underground communities.
May 2023 witnessed a peak of 26,802 ChatGPT hacked accounts. The Asia-Pacific region exhibited the highest concentration of hacked ChatGPT credentials available for sale throughout the past year.
Report reveals data of the ChatGPT hacked accounts
ChatGPT’s default settings allow users to give prompts, which could give unauthorized parties access to information and use it for targeted attacks against people and businesses.
For this reason, the growing use of ChatGPT by employees in various industries, from software development to corporate communications, has been a big cause of concern for companies.
However, Group-IB’s reports also shed light on the popularity of ChatGPT hacked accounts within underground communities, particularly among Russian hackers exploiting ChatGPT’s limitations to create malware and carry out malicious activities.
The report identified the countries and regions with the highest concentration of devices infected by stealers and holding hacked ChatGPT credentials through the data collected.
The Asia-Pacific region accounted for 40.5% of hacked ChatGPT accounts by info stealers between June 2022 and May 2023.
In the press release, Dmitry Shestakov, Head of Threat Intelligence at Group-IB, stressed upon the importance of vigilance and promptly identifying compromised accounts within underground communities.
Understanding the geo-locations of hacked ChatGPT accounts
To mitigate the risks associated with hacked ChatGPT accounts, the report recommends regular password updates and the implementation of two-factor authentication (2FA).
However, the trend of workers sharing sensitive company data through these AI bots has emerged over the years.
Since the last 24 months, the number of hacked ChatGPT credentials available for sale on the dark web has surpassed 100,000, the report stated reported.
May 2023 witnessed a record-breaking number of compromised accounts, reaching 26,802, a substantial increase from 11,909 in January 2023.
According to Group-IB, the Asia-Pacific area had the most compromised ChatGPT credentials offered for sale over the previous year.
The notorious Raccoon information stealer has gained access to most logs containing compromised ChatGPT accounts, followed by Vidar and RedLine.
Due to their capacity to steal passwords, cookies, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information from browsers and cryptocurrency wallet extensions, information stealers have grown in favor among online criminals.
Logs containing compromised information are actively traded on dark web marketplaces, often accompanied by lists of domains found in the log and information about the IP address of the compromised host.
Using ChatGPT hacks for malicious purposes
According to a post published by MUO (MakeUseOf), the potential of hacking ChatGPT for malicious purposes is a growing concern. Unfortunately, ChatGPT has become a double-edged sword with it being used by cybercriminals on multiple dark web forums.
These ChatGPT hackers seek to develop new malware or enhance existing ones. MUO reports that hackers have used the earlier version of ChatGPT to generate malicious codes — capable of encrypting files.
Although hacking OpenAI products would require exceptional skills, the company has recognized the gravity of the situation and has released multiple updates to develop stringent mechanisms to detect and reject prompts requesting malware creation.
However, despite these efforts, hackers and hacker groups have found ways to overcome these limitations and have relentlessly exploited ChatGPT’s vulnerabilities to suit personal agendas.
By skillfully rephrasing their prompts, these hackers have hacked ChatGPT algorithms and have generated code that can be manipulated and employed in cyberattacks.
A Check Point report found evidence suggesting that hacker groups leverage ChatGPT hacks to create Infostealer malware.
Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means.
The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.
