Currently, ChatGPT stands as one of the most used applications on the internet. With its exceptional intelligence, it has attracted a massive user base comprising millions of individuals worldwide.
Unfortunately, recent events have raised concerns as hundreds of thousands of ChatGPT accounts were compromised, with India and Pakistan being hit the hardest.
According to a new report by Group-IB, a leading cybersecurity firm headquartered in Singapore, over the period between June 2022 and May 2023, more than 100,000 OpenAI ChatGPT credentials have emerged on underground online marketplaces.
Group-IB’s investigation uncovered approximately 101,134 infected devices containing stolen ChatGPT credentials.
The report revealed that the Asia Pacific region experienced the highest number of ChatGPT accounts compromised by information stealers, accounting for 40.5% of the total incidents recorded between June 2022 and May 2023.
The Middle East and Africa ranked second with 24,925 instances, followed by Europe with 16,951 incidents.
In terms of specific countries affected, India had the highest number of compromised ChatGPT credentials, totaling 12,632. Pakistan followed closely with 9,217 compromised accounts, while Brazil had 6,531 instances. Bangladesh had the least number of reported cases, with 2,463 compromised accounts.
Info stealers refer to a category of malicious software designed to collect stored information from web browsers, including cookies, browsing history, bank card details, crypto wallet information, and more.
These info stealers are also capable of extracting data from instant messaging applications, emails, and other sensitive information present on a victim’s device.
Operating without discrimination, this type of malware can infect multiple computers simultaneously through methods such as phishing or other diverse techniques in order to gather data.
In order to reduce the risks associated with compromised ChatGPT accounts, Group-IB recommends that users take certain precautions. This includes regularly updating passwords and implementing two-factor authentication (2FA).
By enabling 2FA, users will be prompted to provide an extra verification code, usually sent to their mobile devices, as an additional layer of security before accessing their ChatGPT accounts.
Source: Group IB
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