Hackers using ChatGPT to improve cyberattacks, reveal Microsoft and OpenAI

New Delhi, Feb 14: Microsoft and OpenAI on Wednesday said hackers are using large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT to improve their existing cyber-attack techniques.

The companies have detected attempts by Russian, North Korean, Iranian, and Chinese-backed groups using tools like ChatGPT for research into targets and build social engineering techniques.

In partnership with Microsoft Threat Intelligence, OpenAI disrupted five state-affiliated actors that sought to use AI services in support of malicious cyber activities.

“We disrupted two China-affiliated threat actors known as Charcoal Typhoon and Salmon Typhoon; the Iran-affiliated threat actor known as Crimson Sandstorm; the North Korea-affiliated actor known as Emerald Sleet; and the Russia-affiliated actor known as Forest Blizzard,” said Sam Altman-run company.

The identified OpenAI accounts associated with these actors were terminated. These bad actors sought to use OpenAI services for querying open-source information, translating, finding coding errors, and running basic coding tasks.