OpenAI rolls out imperfect fix for ChatGPT data leak flaw

Dec 22, 2023 ·

OpenAI, a research lab focused on artificial intelligence, has released an imperfect fix for a vulnerability in their ChatGPT language model. The flaw was discovered by security researcher Adam Kelleher, who published his findings in a blog post on December 22nd. The vulnerability affected the ChatGPT model, which is a large-scale language model developed by OpenAI and released at the end of 2020.

The flaw allowed a malicious actor to send carefully crafted messages that would gain access to private data within the model. This data includes usernames, emails, IP addresses, and other sensitive information. OpenAI responded quickly to the report and issued a patch to address the vulnerability.

OpenAI noted that the patch was not a complete solution and there are still some risks associated with using the model. The patch only prevents malicious actors from retrieving private data from the model. It does not protect against data leakage from user interactions with the model. Additionally, while the patch addresses the risk of malicious actors sending messages to exploit the flaw, it does not prevent users from maliciously manipulating the model output.

OpenAI also announced that they are in the process of creating a more robust system to mitigate the risk of data leakage. They plan to release this update in the near future. In the meantime, they have asked all users of the model to be vigilant when interacting with the model.

In conclusion, OpenAI has provided an imperfect fix for the ChatGPT data leak vulnerability. While the patch prevents malicious actors from gaining access to private data, it is up to the users to remain vigilant when using the model. OpenAI is still planning to provide a more robust system to mitigate data leakage risks but, until then, users must take extra steps to ensure the safety of their data and interactions with the model.