A hacker said they purloined private details from countless OpenAI accounts-but researchers are doubtful, and the business is investigating.
OpenAI says it's investigating after a hacker claimed to have swiped login credentials for 20 countless the AI company's user accounts-and put them up for sale on a dark web forum.
The pseudonymous breacher published a puzzling message in Russian marketing "more than 20 million gain access to codes to OpenAI accounts," calling it "a goldmine" and offering potential buyers what they claimed was sample data containing email addresses and passwords. As reported by Gbhackers, the full dataset was being offered for sale "for just a couple of dollars."
"I have over 20 million gain access to codes for OpenAI accounts," emirking wrote Thursday, according to an equated screenshot. "If you're interested, reach out-this is a goldmine, and Jesus agrees."
If genuine, this would be the 3rd significant security event 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 City Times, the hacker "stole details about the design of the business's A.I. technologies."
Before that, in 2023 an even simpler bug involving jailbreaking triggers enabled hackers to obtain the private information of OpenAI's paying clients.
This time, however, security scientists aren't even sure a hack took place. Daily Dot reporter Mikael Thalan wrote on X that he discovered invalid email addresses in the supposed sample data: "No proof (suggests) this supposed OpenAI breach is genuine. At least 2 addresses were invalid. The user's only other post on the online forum is for a thief log. Thread has because been erased also."
No evidence this alleged OpenAI breach is legitimate.
Contacted every email address from the purported sample of login credentials.
At least 2 addresses were void. The user's just other post on the forum is for passfun.awardspace.us a thief log. Thread has given that been erased as well. https://t.co/yKpmxKQhsP
- Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) February 6, 2025
OpenAI takes it 'seriously'
In a declaration shared with Decrypt, an OpenAI spokesperson acknowledged the scenario while maintaining that the company's systems appeared safe and secure.
"We take these claims seriously," the spokesperson said, adding: "We have actually not seen any evidence that this is connected to a compromise of OpenAI systems to date."
The scope of the alleged breach sparked concerns due to OpenAI's enormous user base. Millions of users worldwide count on the company's tools like ChatGPT for organization operations, academic purposes, and material generation. A legitimate breach might expose private discussions, commercial projects, and other delicate data.
Until there's a last report, some preventive measures are constantly recommended:
- Go to the "Configurations" tab, log out from all linked gadgets, and make it possible for two-factor authentication or 2FA. This makes it practically 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 manage OpenAI subscriptions. By doing this, it is simpler to find and avoid scams.
- Always keep an eye on the in the chatbot's memory, and understand any phishing efforts. OpenAI does not ask for any individual details, and any payment update is constantly managed through the main OpenAI.com link.