- Microsoft is a major financial backer of OpenAI and uses its AI technology
Hackers linked to the governments of Russia, North Korea, and Iran have turned to ChatGPT to experiment with new methods of carrying out online attacks, OpenAI and Microsoft announced Wednesday.
OpenAI and Microsoft announced that accounts linked to hackers have been shut down as the companies ramp up efforts to prevent state actors from using popular AI chatbots maliciously.
Microsoft is a major financial backer of OpenAI and uses its AI technology, known as large language models (LLM), in its own apps and software.
“The objective of Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI, including the release of this research, is to ensure the safe and responsible use of AI technologies like ChatGPT,” Microsoft said.
According to the company, hackers are using LLMs to “advance their objectives and attack technique.”
OpenAI’s services, which include its world-leading GPT-4 model, were used for “querying open-source information, translating, finding coding errors, and running basic coding tasks,” the company behind ChatGPT said in a separate blog post.
According to Microsoft, Forest Blizzard, a group linked to Russian military intelligence, turned to LLMs for “research into various satellite and radar technologies that may pertain to conventional military operations in Ukraine.”
The use was “representative of an adversary exploring the use cases of a new technology,” Microsoft added.
Emerald Sleet, which is linked to North Korea, researched on think tanks and experts associated with the communist regime, as well as content that could be used in online phishing campaigns.
Crimson Sandstorm, which is linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, used ChatGPT to programme and troubleshoot malware, as well as to learn how hackers can avoid detection, according to Microsoft.
OpenAI stated that the danger was “limited,” but that the company aimed to stay ahead of the evolving threat.
“There are a handful of malicious actors that require sustained attention so that everyone else can continue to enjoy the benefits,” OpenAI said.
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