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A hacker said they purloined private details from millions of OpenAI accounts-but scientists are skeptical, and the business is investigating.
OpenAI says it's examining after a hacker claimed to have swiped login credentials for 20 million of the AI firm's user accounts-and put them up for sale on a dark web online forum.
The pseudonymous breacher posted a cryptic message in Russian marketing "more than 20 million gain access to codes to OpenAI accounts," calling it "a goldmine" and offering possible purchasers what they claimed was sample data containing email addresses and passwords. As reported by Gbhackers, the full dataset was being sold "for just a few dollars."
"I have over 20 million gain access to codes for OpenAI accounts," emirking wrote Thursday, according to a translated screenshot. "If you're interested, reach out-this is a goldmine, and Jesus concurs."
If genuine, this would be the third major security incident for the AI company considering that the release of ChatGPT to the general public. Last year, a hacker got access to the company's internal Slack messaging system. According to The New York Times, the hacker "stole details about the design of the business's A.I. technologies."
Before that, fishtanklive.wiki in 2023 an even simpler bug involving jailbreaking prompts enabled hackers to obtain the personal information of OpenAI's paying clients.
This time, however, aren't even sure a hack occurred. Daily Dot press reporter Mikael Thalan wrote on X that he found invalid email addresses in the expected sample data: "No evidence (suggests) this supposed OpenAI breach is legitimate. A minimum of 2 addresses were void. The user's just other post on the forum is for a thief log. Thread has since been deleted as well."
No evidence this supposed OpenAI breach is legitimate.
Contacted every email address from the purported sample of login qualifications.
A minimum of 2 addresses were invalid. The user's only other post on the online forum is for a stealer log. Thread has since been erased too. https://t.co/yKpmxKQhsP
- Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) February 6, 2025
OpenAI takes it 'seriously'
In a declaration shared with Decrypt, wikibase.imfd.cl an OpenAI representative acknowledged the scenario while maintaining that the company's systems appeared safe.
"We take these claims seriously," the representative said, including: "We have actually not seen any proof that this is connected to a compromise of OpenAI systems to date."
The scope of the alleged breach sparked concerns due to OpenAI's huge user base. Countless users worldwide depend on the business's tools like ChatGPT for service operations, academic purposes, asteroidsathome.net and material generation. A legitimate breach could expose private discussions, commercial jobs, and other sensitive data.
Until there's a final report, some preventive steps are constantly advisable:
- Go to the "Configurations" tab, log out from all connected gadgets, and allow two-factor authentication or 2FA. This makes it virtually difficult for a hacker to gain access to the account, even if the login and passwords are compromised.
- If your bank supports it, then create a virtual card number to handle OpenAI memberships. In this manner, it is simpler to find and avoid scams.
- Always keep an eye on the conversations kept in the chatbot's memory, and be mindful of any phishing attempts. OpenAI does not request for any individual details, and any payment update is constantly handled through the main OpenAI.com link.