Microsoft-owned ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is currently facing a cybersecurity threat from a group of individuals who identify themselves as Palestinians. They have declared their intention to carry out various cyber-attacks on the AI-based conversational bot. The group demands that the platform cease its support for Israel and discontinue what they perceive as desensitization of Hamas.
This cyber threat follows a similar pattern seen earlier in the year when the Russian intelligence-funded hacking group, Killnet, issued a statement targeting ChatGPT for its support of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. In this recent case, supporters of Hamas are threatening to escalate their attacks unless specific actions are taken, including the removal of Tal Brado, the Chief Researcher, or implementing changes to the machine learning tool to acknowledge the challenges faced by Hamas.
Notably, this marks the first recognized threat against a software platform driven by artificial intelligence, suggesting a potential trend of such intimidations in the future.
In November 2023, an unnamed hacking group executed a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on the ChatGPT platform. This involved flooding the platform with fake web traffic generated by bots, rendering it unavailable to users for several hours from November 8th to November 17th, 2023. The responsibility for the attack was initially claimed by Anonymous Sudan, but some media reports suggested it might have been a response to Satya Nadella’s company decision to dismiss OpenAI Chief Sam Altman. This decision was later reversed and garnered attention on Google and Reddit.
The incidents raise concerns about the potential for future retaliatory attacks in the technology industry. To mitigate such threats, a proactive approach to in-house cybersecurity solutions is crucial. Additionally, leaders in the technology sector may consider refraining from disclosing their perspectives on current events in the political, economic, and social spheres, especially on company social media platforms. This approach could help reduce the risk of becoming a target for politically motivated cyber-attacks.
