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WormGPT — The Dark web’s version of ChatGPT
What happens when you take the handcuffs off GPT?
July 13: cybersecurity advisors SlashNext detail that a ‘blackhat’ alternative to ChatGPT has been found, and is being promoted across hacker forums.
With the advent of ChatGPT and large language models, it’s unsurprising that sinister chatbot applications are beginning to be unearthed.
WormGPT, a generative AI model trained on the GPT-J language database, was recently uncovered by security firm SlashNext as a new method for cybercriminals and bad actors to deploy business email compromise (BEC) attacks (i.e. phishing scams). Among other nefarious tools, they found in their investigation.
For any bad actors perusing the hacker forum on which the tool was promoted, the module can provide a means for more sophisticated email attacks, of which the cybersecurity firm said that the emails generated by the module were surprisingly convincing.
Coming in at a considerable €60 a month (or €550 a year), the tool even refers to itself as “the biggest enemy of the well-known ChatGPT”.
Training the Worm
Allegedly, WormGPT has been trained with sources beyond an ethical locus — it includes a broad training database of potentially illicit material, including…