{"id":6034,"date":"2023-07-18T09:07:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T14:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/?p=6034"},"modified":"2023-07-18T09:07:23","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T14:07:23","slug":"when-chatgpt-gets-hacked-how-to-safeguard-your-data-in-the-generative-ai-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/when-chatgpt-gets-hacked-how-to-safeguard-your-data-in-the-generative-ai-era\/","title":{"rendered":"When ChatGPT gets hacked: How to safeguard your data in the generative AI era"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AChatGPT can perform various tasks. It can compose poems, brainstorm blog ideas, and rapidly produce drafts of everything from short stories to research papers (albeit with dubious levels of accuracy due to its tendency to \u201challucinate\u201d). What it can\u2019t do, however, is guarantee that the data you feed into it won\u2019t fall into the clutches of cybercriminals.<\/p>\n

Bad actors will inevitably target any program or system businesses rely on and find cracks in its defenses \u2013 generative AI solutions are no exception. ChatGPT<\/a> has already experienced security issues, and hackers have stolen credentials for thousands of accounts via malware, catering to the demand for the information people disclose in prompts for generative AI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you plan on utilizing ChatGPT or another generative AI tool to transform your business processes, you must also take steps to address the new security vulnerabilities presented by these programs. Here\u2019s everything you should know about the potential data security<\/a> dangers of AI and what you can do to keep your risk level as low as possible.<\/p>\n

The cybersecurity hazards of generative AI<\/h2>\n

Cybercriminals have already utilized \u201cinfo stealing\u201d malware to pilfer over 100,000 ChatGPT account credentials and put them up for sale on the dark web, according to the Singapore-based cybersecurity company Group-IB<\/a>. Since ChatGPT maintains a chat history containing all the prompts and information you\u2019ve entered, a compromised account could potentially expose company secrets.<\/p>\n

For example, Samsung has run into issues with employees feeding sensitive information to ChatGPT, according to an April 2023 Gizmodo article<\/a>. One individual copy-pasted the source code for a faulty semiconductor database, while another submitted proprietary code seeking assistance with fixing equipment, as reported by local Korean media.<\/p>\n

In addition to hacking and human error, flaws in the program itself are also cause for concern. In March of this year, OpenAI disclosed<\/a> that a bug in an open-source library allowed some ChatGPT users to see snippets of other users\u2019 chat histories. The same bug might have exposed payment-related information (including first and last names, email addresses, payment addresses, credit card types, card expiration dates, and the final four digits of users\u2019 cards) for 1.2 percent of ChatGPT Plus subscribers active during a particular nine-hour period. OpenAI has since patched the bug and taken steps to improve its system\u2019s information security.<\/p>\n

How to leverage AI without exposing sensitive data<\/h2>\n

The info-stealing malware that harvests login credentials operates by infecting an end user\u2019s computer via phishing or another method and then collecting data from web browsers, email, instant messaging programs, and other systems and software on the machine, according to Group-IB. Subsequently, to reduce your odds of data exposure via ChatGPT and other generative AI systems, you should take the following preventive steps:<\/p>\n