- OpenAI now accounts for 1.1% of all tracked brand imitations, ranking in the top 10
- Microsoft and LinkedIn together still account for 34.2% of all identity theft
- Basic cybersecurity hygiene can prevent many attacks
New research from Check Point has found that ChatGPT is increasingly being targeted by brand phishing attempts, with the company now appearing in the top 10 alongside heavyweights like Microsoft, Google and Apple.
Although ChatGPT only accounts for 1.1% of all branded phishing attempts tracked, this is the first time it has appeared in the top 10 and reflects the attackers’ continued growth.
It records a similar number of attacks against PayPal (1.3%), WhatsApp (1.4%) and Facebook (1.9%), but it is currently far behind Microsoft, which, combined with its subsidiary LinkedIn, accounts for more than a third (34.2%) of all tracked brand impersonations.
ChatGPT Grows as a Spoofed Brand
An example from the second quarter of this year was fake ChatGPT Plus payment failure emails copying OpenAI branding but directing victims to a fraudulent payment page to maliciously collect their payment information.
As for Microsoft, fake support pages warned customers that they needed to update Office for security fixes, but downloading actually installed malware on victim devices.
The attacks on OpenAI are quite ironic, as it is likely that it was the company’s AI tools (among many others) that actually helped attackers write numerous attacks at a lightning pace.
Overall, technology companies were the most targeted, followed by social media platforms in the same vein, and then banking apps.
Despite fluctuations in terms of targeted brands and campaign appearance, the general attack vector remains unchanged, with cybercriminals targeting vulnerable users and emphasizing the urgency of tricking people into not sharing information, credentials and payment details.
Security experts warn potential victims not to click on unfamiliar URLs and open unexpected communications, as well as to protect their accounts with passwords and secure multi-factor authentication (MFA).
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