Hackers weaponise ChatGPT to spread malware on Facebook

Luke Meredith

The hype around artificial intelligence (AI) programmes, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has caught the attention of the entire technology world in recent months. This is even the case for hackers, who have begun to use this technology to engage in malicious activities online, according to a new report.

Meta, the parent company of social media platform Facebook, has issued a warning to its social media users regarding new malware threats. These includes threats that weaponise the current popularity of AI.

The company claims it has found a number of new families of malware making use of tools such as ChatGPT to hack into Facebook users’ accounts.

In a new security report, Meta says:

“Over the past several months, we’ve investigated and taken action against malware strains taking advantage of people’s interest in OpenAI’s ChatGPT to trick them into installing malware pretending to provide AI functionality.”

The report notes the increasing presence of dangerous web browser extensions that pretend to offer functionality with ChatGPT. While some extensions of this kind do offer the features advertised, they also include malware that can be used to access the device of a user.

Once a user downloads the malware, hackers can attack and, in certain instances, are able to take control of accounts belonging to businesses, and begin allowing permission for hackers to advertise through businesses.

Meta says it has discovered over 1,000 different URLs offering malware disguised as ChatGPT, as well as a range of other AI tools, and has taken action by preventing sharing of them on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

As exciting as the development of AI is for the tech world, its dangers should be treated with an equal level of caution, especially on social media platforms where important personal and business information may be spread.

To learn more about how you can use social media effectively in your business, talk to our experts at Engage Web today.

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Luke Meredith

Content Editor at Engage Web

At home in both the digital sector and the world of communications, Luke thrives on deadlines and has held roles in healthcare, retail and digital marketing, gaining a sound knowledge of a wide range of sectors. He’s a massive swot as well, holding a first-class degree in BA Communication and Media, and now uses his writing skills and keen editorial eye in his role as Content Editor here. Luke helps to oversee our clients’ content requirements, while also looking after a pool of freelance writers across three continents.

Hackers weaponise ChatGPT to spread malware on Facebook