Cybersecurity researchers have detailed how cybercriminals are using the ChatGPT AI tool was released to the public last month, social media s have been posting their experiences with it, including lots of screenshots showing how they're using the tool to write articles, poems, movie scripts, and more. Many are also using it to write snippets of code, proving that the software is developed enough to do many things that humans can.
According to cybersecurity researchers from create more sophisticated malware, even s with zero coding knowledge or experience are able to use the new AI-based tool to create malicious software.
ChatGPT Being Used To Write Malware
Researchers provided examples of how hackers are using ChatGPT to create malicious hacking tools. In late December, in a thread on an unnamed underground hacking forum, a hacker explained how they were able to create Python-based information-stealing malware using techniques described in research publications. According to the poster, the malware copies documents and images on the compromised system before ing them to a server operated by hackers.
They also revealed that they created Java-based malware that can and run malicious software remotely on compromised systems. Another poster claimed that they also used ChatGPT to write a Python script that they claimed was the first script they ever created using the AI tool. According to R researchers, the script is designed to encrypt and decrypt files, something that can potentially be turned into ransomware.
Creating code with the intention of using it for illegal activities is a violation of Open AI's and conditions. However, there doesn't seem to be any way to take action against malicious actors for now, as all the examples of code shared in forums can be used in a benign fashion. Still, they can also easily be modified to be used as ransomware (or other forms of malware) with just a little more work. ChatGPT can be a great tool for most s. But it can also become a dangerous tool in the hands of the wrong people, which is just one of the many warnings researchers have when it comes to the proliferation of AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT and other products.
Source: Check Point Research