Introduction
Have you ever used ChatGPT? What about any similar artificial intelligence?
AI has gotten extremely popular, but it’s not without its risks: Consider ChatGPT, hailed as a cutting-edge solution but in the news recently for less flattering reasons.
June 2022 to May 2023 was a bad year for ChatGPT users…but they didn’t know it until recently.
As it turns out, for that entire time frame, infostealers had leeched 101,134 accounts of critical information using the infamous Raccoon malware.
ChatGPT Hacked Again?
This news actually comes on the back of another hack on ChatGPT earlier this year which exploited their open-source library.
Now they are in hot water for a data breach which has apparently been leaking user information for the past year.
This time, the Raccoon Stealer malware resurfaced to compromise 100K+ user accounts. Although the group that originated the spyware announced they were disbanding in 2022, that doesn’t seem to have stopped the spread of their spyware technology.
Raccoon Stealer infects targeted machines to acquire credentials from their users. The malware is capable of…
- Targeting particular apps
- Recording fingerprint information
- Stealing passwords and log-in information, especially autofill data
- Stealing saved cards and cryptocurrency
- Viewing cookies, programs and more
- Access your downloaded programs, as well as all of their data
- Using hacked accounts for purchases
That’s exactly what happened to over 100 thousand ChatGPT user accounts. Data stolen from included emails, credit card information, cryptocurrency wallet logins and logged archives.
Impacted countries include the United States, Pakistan, France, Brazil, Vietnam, Morocco, Egypt and Indonesia.
Conclusion
Whenever new software is adopted as swiftly and widely as ChatGPT artificial intelligence has been, there are guaranteed to be threat actors looking for exploitable vulnerabilities. New software often has zero-day vulnerabilities, a flood of new users with few taking appropriate cybersecurity precautions, a general lack of user familiarity with naturally opens up room for security risks, and early-stage security configurations which may not be sophisticated enough to combat strong cyberattacks.
If you’re one of the many people around the world eager to adopt new software, take proactive steps to protect your systems:
- Conduct security assessments and evaluations before deployment
- Regularly apply security updates and patches as they become available
- Configure security settings to align with best practices
- Refresh your training to promote awareness and secure usage
- Monitor and promptly address any compatibility issues
- Engage with vendors and developers to ensure ongoing support and prompt response to security concerns
- Implement robust security measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems and secure network architectures
By prioritizing security and taking proactive steps during the rapid adoption of new software, you can better protect your systems and data from potential cyber threats—while still enjoying everything new technology has to offer.
References
