Beware – OpenAI is being spoofed as part of a larger phishing attack

On November 6, 2024By Littum

New research from Barracuda has revealed threat actors are now using OpenAI in impersonation campaigns targeting businesses across the globe.

The attack uses an email that mimics OpenAI and sends an ‘urgent message’ to victims recommending that they update their payment details for their subscription, all through their handy direct link – a textbook phishing technique.

The operation was far-reaching, with an email sent to over 1,000 users. The first red flag was the sender’s email address, which did not match the official OpenAI domain (eg @openai.com). Instead, it was sent from [email protected].

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Worryingly, the email passed DKIM and SPF checks, meaning it was sent from a server authorized to send emails on behalf of the domain. The language in the email is common to phishing attacks, which pressures the user to act immediately and creates fear and urgency.

This is far from the only AI-related malicious campaign reported in the past few months. Earlier in 2024, a Microsoft report found that 87% of UK organizations are more susceptible to cyber attacks thanks to the increasing use of AI tools.

That’s not to mention the rise in deep fake and convincing AI voice scams that have been targeting businesses and consumers. Already, businesses around the world have lost millions to deep fake fraud, and nearly half have been victims of this type of fraud at some point.

The introduction of machine learning algorithms that can uncover and exploit software bugs means that AI is leading to a dramatic increase in the number of attacks.

Despite this, research suggests that 90% of cyber attacks will still involve an element of human interaction, as with phishing attacks, so the best protection for a business is to ensure that everyone in your organization is trained to detect the signs of an attack.

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