Just yesterday, September 23, 2024, OpenAI’s official Newsroom account on X (formerly Twitter), @OpenAINewsroom, was hacked by cryptocurrency scammers.
The hackers posted about a fake token called “$OPENAI,” claiming it would connect AI and blockchain technology. It promised incentives to users that would connect their wallets. If you come across pages like this, don’t connect!
This post included a link to a phishing link designed to mimic OpenAI’s legitimate website. It asks users to connect their crypto wallets, which is likely to steal their credentials.
OpenAI is investigating the incident, this follows previous similar attacks on its accounts.
What Similar Attacks?
OpenAI has faced multiple similar attacks in the past. In June 2023, the accounts of Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki were hacked, promoting a fake $OPENAI token.
Additionally, researcher Jason Wei’s account was compromised around the same time, and identical scam posts were shared.
These incidents show us a troubling trend of targeted phishing campaigns against OpenAI-associated accounts, often linked to fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes.
Generally, I suspect this to be the start of a series of AI-related scams to come. It’s clear we need to keep our eyes peeled, and our wallets close and use these AI tools with more precautions.