This week on Tech Times' Weekly Wrap sees significant news from researchers who looked into what ChatGPT can access online, and it was seen that it divulges the contact information of users through a simple trick. This goes alongside the massive scams present now in Booking.com, with threat actors using stolen accounts from the dark web.
Moreover, the study behind the risky passwords of 2023 was also released, detailing what is most likely to get hacked or easily guessed by others.
ChatGPT Reveals Real Phone Numbers, Email Addresses
Researchers from Google DeepMind, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon University, ETH Zurich, The University of Washington, and the University of California Berkeley share their latest findings that ChatGPT divulges real contact information using a simple trick. Through this, they were able to ask the AI chatbot into giving legitimate user information including phone numbers and email addresses.
They detailed how they were able to do so, and this is by making ChatGPT repeat the same word forever, with one centering on "poem," and the chatbot did so until it stopped to give a real phone number and email address of a real-world CEO.
It was also said that ChatGPT gave the contact information of a US-based law firm when asked to repeat the word "company."
Read Also : Genetic Testing Firm 23andMe Confirms Hackers Accessed 14,000 Customer Accounts, Including Ancestry Data
Booking.com Scams Use Stolen Accounts Amidst Holiday
This holiday season, many are planning to get out of town or the country, and some may have already booked their stays through online platforms, but it was recently found that Booking.com scams are growing now. This is through threat actors buying stolen accounts from the dark web, where it is seeing a massive demand now from the community, to trick customers.
According to SecureWorks, the October 2023 attack saw the infamous Vidar infostealer which was able to loot hotel credentials via Booking.com and pose as the company via Booking.com's management portal.
While Booking.com itself was not compromised, real hotels and companies with listings on the platform may steal guest information and sensitive data whenever they wish to.
Risky Passwords of 2023: Here is the List
Different types of cyberattacks and threats are present online, but it could be as simple as a hacker being able to easily crack your password because of poor combinations. While there are websites that rate the strength of a password whenever changing or creating one, there are still risky passwords that are accessible and easily guessed, with a list of what they are this 2023.
If your password has these words or combinations, your account is more likely to get compromised.
- Using names like 'Michael' or 'Ashely'
- Using football teams including 'Liverpool' or 'Barcelona'
- Using fictional characters like 'Superman,' 'Hello Kitty,' or 'SpongeBob'
It is important to create a strong password for your account at all times, with the recommended one containing at least 12 characters, using special numbers or symbols and combining both the upper and lowercase letters.
