Beware of ChatGPT Clones
ChatGPT has changed the role of AI in our daily lives. People are now regularly relying on AI to improve their resumes and write thank you letters . However, with the rise in popularity of ChatGPT comes an almost inevitable influx of scammers, according to Mashable . These scammers create their own free artificial intelligence programs for people who don’t want to pay $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus and target sensitive information and social media accounts in the process.
This does not mean that all tools like ChatGPT are scams. There are many useful and safe third-party tools not created by OpenAI. However, you should be careful with the tools you download and make sure you understand the risks before downloading them.
How 3rd party AI ChatGPT tools can trick you
Back in May, Meta released a full report on how hackers are using browser extensions, ads, and various social media platforms to trick people into downloading malware posing as ChatGPT (some actually have ChatGPT features) to steal their cookies. saved usernames and passwords. and eventually hack into their personal online accounts such as Facebook, Gmail and Outlook. Another report from cybersecurity firm Guardio Labs found a malicious Google Chrome extension that tricks people into thinking it’s an official ChatGPT extension and steals social media credentials.
The Meta report states that during their research, over 1,000 unique ChatGPT-themed malicious URLs were discovered and blocked. After being blocked, many of these hackers began targeting other smaller services such as “Buy me a coffee” – a service used by creators to get support from their audience – to trick people into downloading malware by giving away “Chat GPT 4” which is neither the name of the more powerful paid version of ChatGPT nor its format.
How Third-Party ChatGPT AI Tools Harm You
As soon as you download a malicious copy of ChatGPT—say, a Google Chrome extension that searches your browser for any highlighted keyword using artificial intelligence—you also download malware designed to steal saved passwords and cookie session information from your stories and activities. Once the attackers have your login information, they can do whatever they want with your accounts.
Fraudsters are constantly updating their methods and tools to bypass security protocols, so it’s hard to tell which plugins or extensions are safe and which aren’t. However, there are ways to stay safe.
How to avoid dangerous tools like ChatGPT
The AI landscape is so new that it is difficult to distinguish between a new and promising third-party AI tool and a malicious one. The safest course of action is to do your due diligence before downloading anything not from the official ChatGPT or Open AI site . ( Bing’s take on ChatGPT is also a great free and secure alternative.)
However, if for some reason you’re set on using an unofficial third-party plugin or extension, you should take a close look at the developer’s webpage and user reviews to see what other people’s experiences have been. Open AI also has secure third party plugins that they support .
Just remember that there is only one app for ChatGPT on iPhone and Android . If you find an ad, online search result, Facebook page, or website claiming to be official even though it’s not an app, it’s most likely a scam.