Page 51 - Cyber Defense eMagazine October 2023

Technology can operate in those pockets where humans are not typically interested nor effective. Take
a large dataset for example; AI is great at efficiently and effectively analysing these, highlighting
correlations and themes.

By using it to complete laborious, mundane, repetitive jobs quickly and accurately, employees are then
freed up to focus on higher-value tasks, bringing greater value to their roles as more creative, productive
individuals.

ChatGPT has emerged as a shining light in this regard. Already we’re seeing the platform being integrated
into corporate systems, supporting in areas such as customer success or technical support. In this
example, it's been introduced in an advisory role. Employees can use it to scan email text to give an
indication of the tone, gaining a greater understanding of how they are coming across in customer support
interactions, with suggestions for improvements or edits.

The bad: The risks surrounding ChatGPT

Of course, there’s always two sides to the same coin, and reasons for hesitancy around ChatGPT remain.
From security to data loss, several challenges are prevalent on the platform.

For many companies, concerns centre around the potential risk of leaking trade secrets, confidentiality,
copyright, ethical use and more. Further, the ability to verify and rely on the accuracy of data and
subsequent outcomes that ChatGPT provides isn’t certain. Indeed, ChatGPT is a learning platform – if
it’s fed bad data, it will produce bad data.

It’s also important to recognise that ChatGPT itself already suffered a breach in 2023 due to a bug in an
open-source library.

It was named the fastest growing app of all time, having racked up 100 million active users in just two
months – a figure that Instagram only reached after 2.5 years. This broad user base makes it the perfect
platform for threat actors to target with a watering hole attack (one designed to compromise users by
infecting regularly used websites and lure them to malicious websites).

If an attacker is successful in infiltrating ChatGPT – something that can be achieved through potentially
hidden vulnerabilities – they may in turn serve some malicious code through it, possibly affecting millions
of users.

The ugly: Enhancing threat actor tactics

The other concern isn’t centred around the risks associated with using natural language processing
platforms themselves. Rather, it looks at the ways in which threat actors are leveraging them for malicious
means.

According to a survey of IT professionals from Blackberry, more than seven in 10 feel that foreign states
are likely already to be using ChatGPT for malicious purposes against other nations.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – October 2023 Edition 51
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