MoleculeMaverick
Well-known member
A critical vulnerability in the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT has been exploited by hackers to steal Gmail data without any user interaction. The attack, known as ShadowLeak, was discovered by cybersecurity researchers and involves embedding hidden instructions into an email using white-on-white text or other subtle techniques. The victim's Gmail account is then used as a proxy to exfiltrate sensitive data to an external server, all within the cloud environment.
According to Radware researchers, the Deep Research agent, which is designed to perform multistep research and summarize online data, was tricked into executing the attacker's commands without any user knowledge or intervention. The real danger lies in the fact that any connector could be exploited in a similar way if attackers manage to hide prompts in analyzed content.
The vulnerability highlights how context poisoning and prompt manipulation can silently break AI safeguards. This incident is particularly concerning given that OpenAI patched the ShadowLeak flaw after being notified, but experts warn that similar flaws could reappear as artificial intelligence (AI) integrations expand across popular platforms.
To protect yourself from such attacks, security experts recommend turning off unused integrations, using a personal data removal service to limit your exposure online, avoiding analyzing unknown content, staying alert for security updates, and utilizing strong antivirus software.
According to Radware researchers, the Deep Research agent, which is designed to perform multistep research and summarize online data, was tricked into executing the attacker's commands without any user knowledge or intervention. The real danger lies in the fact that any connector could be exploited in a similar way if attackers manage to hide prompts in analyzed content.
The vulnerability highlights how context poisoning and prompt manipulation can silently break AI safeguards. This incident is particularly concerning given that OpenAI patched the ShadowLeak flaw after being notified, but experts warn that similar flaws could reappear as artificial intelligence (AI) integrations expand across popular platforms.
To protect yourself from such attacks, security experts recommend turning off unused integrations, using a personal data removal service to limit your exposure online, avoiding analyzing unknown content, staying alert for security updates, and utilizing strong antivirus software.