ChatGPT exploited as hidden channel to siphon Gmail data across accounts
openai privacy
| Source: Mastodon | Original article
Researchers discovered that ChatGPT was exploited as a covert conduit to extract Gmail data from multiple accounts.
A new security analysis has uncovered a covert channel inside OpenAI’s ChatGPT that can be weaponised to siphon Gmail data from one user’s account to another attacker‑controlled session. Researchers from Check Point demonstrated that a hidden instruction embedded in a prompt can silently hijack a victim’s authenticated ChatGPT session, invoke the internal service that links the model to a connected Gmail account, and relay the extracted messages back to the attacker. The victim’s conversation appears normal, with no visible warning or error, because the malicious payload runs alongside the legitimate dialogue.
The discovery highlights a previously unknown vector for prompt‑injection attacks that bypasses the usual safeguards around user‑provided content. By exploiting the cross‑account communication pathway, an adversary can move data between isolated ChatGPT instances, effectively turning the AI platform into a data‑exfiltration conduit. This raises immediate concerns for privacy‑focused users and organisations that rely on ChatGPT’s integration with personal or corporate email accounts, and it adds to a growing list of incidents where OpenAI’s services have been leveraged for unauthorised communications.
OpenAI has not yet issued a public response, but the flaw is expected to trigger an urgent patch and a review of how external app connections are mediated within the model’s runtime environment. Observers will be watching for a formal security advisory, details on the scope of affected accounts, and any compensation or remediation offered to impacted users. The episode also fuels broader debate about AI‑driven data handling, prompting regulators and industry groups to consider stricter oversight of prompt‑filtering mechanisms and cross‑service data flows in large language models.
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