OpenAI Hack Exposes Employee Forum, Raises Broader Security Concerns

By Madz Dizon

Jul 07 2024, 18:36 PM EDT

OpenAI Hack Exposes Employee Forum, Raises Broader Security Concerns — A photo taken on March 31, 2023 in Manta, near Turin, shows a smartphone displaying the logo of the artificial intelligence OpenAI research laboratory. MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

OpenAI experienced a security breach last year when an unauthorized individual gained access to the company's internal discussions regarding its artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

Hacker Accesses OpenAI Employee Forum

The New York Times reported on Thursday, July 4, that an online forum used by OpenAI employees to discuss their latest technologies was accessed by a hacker.

Fortunately, the breach did not lead to the hacker gaining access to OpenAI's systems, where they develop and store their AI, including the chatbot ChatGPT.

During an all-hands meeting in April 2023, OpenAI executives informed employees and the company's board about the breach. However, they decided not to disclose the news publicly since no data pertaining to customers or partners had been compromised.

According to the report, OpenAI executives downplayed the incident, deeming it not a national security concern as they believed the hacker to be an independent individual without any ties to a foreign government.

As a result of that assessment, OpenAI chose not to notify federal law enforcement agencies about the breach.

Concerns were raised among certain OpenAI employees regarding the recent hack, as it has sparked fears of potential theft of the company's AI technology by a foreign government. This, in turn, has raised questions about the company's security measures and how they are being handled.

In May, OpenAI reported that it had uncovered and disrupted five covert influence operations that aimed to exploit its AI models for deceptive purposes on the internet. The disclosure has once again sparked concerns about the possible misuse of AI technology.

OpenAI was one of the 16 companies that participated in a global meeting in May. During the meeting, these companies pledged to develop AI technologies in a safe manner and to address any concerns raised by regulators worldwide.

OpenAI Establishes Safety and Security Committee

OpenAI revealed the establishment of a safety and security committee that will provide guidance to the board on how to effectively address these concerns in the company's projects and operations.

The committee will carefully assess and enhance OpenAI's processes and safeguards, providing valuable recommendations at the conclusion of the 90-day evaluation period, according to the company's statement.

According to Tech Crunch, it is crucial to treat any security breach seriously. However, the information obtained by the hacker from OpenAI was relatively insignificant compared to the potential access they could have had, including ongoing models, internal systems, and confidential roadmaps.

In April 2023, the company experienced a hack. However, the decision was made by company executives to keep this information private, as no customer or partner data had been compromised. It seems that these executives failed to take into account the potential national security implications of such a hack, as reported by the Times.

In addition, the company operated with the belief that the hacker was acting alone and had no affiliations with any foreign government. According to the report, the FBI was not notified of the incident at that time.