In fact, data leaks are a very sensitive issue when it comes to online security. Unfortunately, the precautions we take to protect our data online are often not enough to ensure that our information is safe.
A data leak occurs when personal information, such as passwords, personal information, banking details, among others, are openly exposed without authorization.
These leaks can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as security flaws in data storage systems, cyber attacks, negligence by companies or employees, among other factors.
Recently, a data leak occurred in a place few expected it to happen: in the ChatGPT. That chatbot has become extremely popular in recent months due to its ability to interact with users by imitating natural language.
However, a cyberattack exploited a vulnerability in ChatGPT’s security, allowing user data from OpenAI’s tool to become inconsistent.
How did it happen?
The leak happened because there was a problem in a program used to make the tool. The problem allowed some people to see information about who was using ChatGPT at the same time.
Additionally, those who signed up for the Plus version of the tool also received emails with incorrect information.
As a result, OpenAI, the company responsible for the tool, had to shut down its servers to fix the problem. However, the flaw was discovered just a few days later by a company specializing in cybersecurity.
Grey Noise, responsible for assessing the “damage”, stated the following:
“While we have no information suggesting that any specific actor is targeting sample instances of ChatGPT, we have observed this vulnerability being actively exploited.
When attackers attempt mass identification and mass exploitation of vulnerable services, ‘everything’ is in scope, including any deployed ChatGPT plugins that utilize this outdated version of MinIO.”
What are the damages?
Shortly after the incident, OpenAI said that, although the leaked information affected several users, the percentage affected was small. That is, around 1.2% of the tool’s Plus subscribers.
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