Chinese Hackers Target OpenAI in Phishing Attempt

A group with “clear ties” to China, known as SweetSpecter, attempted a phishing attack on OpenAI employees, according to the AI startup, as reported by Bloomberg. 

SweetSpecter masqueraded as a ChatGPT user and sent emails to the support service. These emails contained malicious attachments that, if opened, could have allowed hackers to take screenshots and extract data. 

The incident occurred earlier this year and was unsuccessful, the company emphasized.

“The OpenAI security team contacted employees who were presumably targeted by this phishing campaign and found that existing safeguards prevented the emails from reaching their corporate inboxes,” the firm noted. 

The startup disclosed information about the phishing attack in a threat report, which describes efforts to combat influence operations worldwide. It reported the removal of accounts linked to Iranian and Chinese groups that used AI for programming, research, and other tasks. 

In February, OpenAI blocked state-linked hackers from accessing ChatGPT.

In August, the company removed a group of Iranian accounts for using the chatbot to create content aimed at influencing the US presidential elections and other topics.