ChatGPT Targeted by Russian-Linked Hackers
OpenAI has announced that the recent issues affecting the operation of ChatGPT and its developer tools were a result of a DDoS attack, as reported by TechCrunch.
During the attack, users received notifications of system overload, and many were unable to access the service. The disruptions persisted for approximately 24 hours. Initially, OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, attempted to attribute the problems to new platform features, but the company later acknowledged a deliberate attack had occurred.
OpenAI updated its incident report page, stating that they continue to observe "intermittent outages" with ChatGPT and its API, which allows developers to integrate the ChatGPT model into their own applications. In the latest update on the company's website, it was disclosed that the disruptions were "related to abnormal traffic patterns indicative of a DDoS attack." Such attacks typically involve an attempt to overwhelm an online service by flooding it with a higher volume of requests than it can handle.
The responsibility for this attack was claimed by a hacker group known as "Anonymous Sudan," suspected of having Russian ties. Additionally, the company Anthropic has also faced similar issues with its artificial intelligence, though it remains unclear whether there is any connection between these two incidents. All problems resulting from this attack are related to ChatGPT and its API disruptions, and the company is actively working to address them.
It is worth noting that in early October, the chatbot ChatGPT received a significant update. It now includes a neural network capable of understanding voice commands, responding with synthesized speech, and recognizing the content of images. According to OpenAI's press release, these new features offer a more intuitive form of interaction, allowing users to engage in voice conversations or visually convey information to ChatGPT.
Developers have also given ChatGPT access to the internet and links to the sources it draws information from, enabling users to fact-check the chatbot's responses. Currently, this feature is available only through a paid subscription.
OpenAI acknowledges that these new capabilities come with potential risks. For example, a system capable of generating voices can be exploited by wrongdoers to impersonate others and engage in fraudulent activities. As a result, the company is currently restricting the use of this technology to voice-based chats.