Cybersecurity concerns are escalating in the digital world. This time, over 100,000 ChatGPT accounts have fallen victim to a malware stealer, resulting in a highly predictable outcome: data breaches. How did this happen?
A Vast Number of ChatGPT Accounts Affected by Malware Stealer
If you are still a loyal ChatGPT user, it seems you need to exercise greater caution. According to information from tom’sHardware, at least 100,000 ChatGPT accounts have been compromised by a malware stealer attack.
This was confirmed by Group-IB, a Singapore-based cybersecurity company, which recently disclosed that the data or credentials of ChatGPT account owners affected by this malware varied between June 2022 and May 2023.
The company also revealed that most of the victims hailed from the United States, France, Morocco, Pakistan, Brazil, and notably Indonesia, which contributed the highest number of compromised ChatGPT accounts through the infamous stealer-as-a-service method.
Dark Web Trade Begins
The theft of information was not the endgame; the next predictable step was the dissemination or sale of the data on forums or the dark web. Group-IB confirmed that all ChatGPT accounts affected by the malware attack have started to be sold on the dark web.
“Based on our data, approximately 26,802 accounts had their data stolen in May 2023, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for the highest number of leaked information or data in the past year. All the circulating data is still being traded on the dark web.” – Group-IB
The cybersecurity company also added that the data compromised includes visited domains and the IP addresses of the victims. The information-stealing malware, known as “The Raccoon,” has successfully infected and compromised 78,348 accounts for sale by malicious actors.
In conclusion, exercise extreme caution when typing information into ChatGPT, as the consequences of this ongoing situation remain uncertain.
