ChatGPT Directs Users to Malicious Website

The chatbot ChatGPT may provide links to sites containing malware, according to a report by Futurism.

The publication queried OpenAI’s neural network about William Goines, a recipient of the Bronze Star and Commendation Medal, who became the first African American member of the U.S. Navy SEALs in the early 1960s. ChatGPT provided information about him and referred to an unknown site called County Local News for further details.

The suggested site displays malicious pop-ups mimicking updates for Adobe Flash Player and other software.

Clicking the update button opens the site in full-screen mode, showing a series of fake virus alerts.

Allowing notifications from the site will result in them appearing on the desktop.

According to Futurism, ChatGPT recommended County Local News in other queries as well.

Cybersecurity expert Mark Stockley from Malwarebytes noted that such sites can distribute malware.

“Over the past 18 months, we’ve seen a huge surge in scam advertising as a vector for malware distribution. Criminals place ads in legitimate ad networks to lure people to fake websites and trick them into downloading malware disguised as legitimate software,” he noted.

In June, analysts at Elliptic highlighted the growing use of AI in crypto crimes.

Read on Forklog about popular AI-based scams and ways to combat fraudsters in the News+ format.