Meet ChatGPT’s Arch-Nemesis!

Question: What’s one thing that every superhero has? #admiration

Answer: An enemy! One person or a group that sees the world in a very different way and lives to spread chaos and confusion, no matter what consequences arise. #BadPeople

In fact, the most famous superheroes have that one recurring name that keeps popping up and is often dubbed as the arch-nemesis. Superman has Lex Luthor, Batman has Joker, The Fantastic Four has Doctor Doom, Charles Xavier has Magneto and although it isn’t a cinematic superhero, ChatGPT now has its own arch-nemesis: WormGPT!

According to reports, the author of the tool described it as the "biggest enemy of the well-known ChatGPT" that "lets you do all sorts of illegal stuff."

To be fair, this chatbot is probably going to be public enemy number one to everyone on the planet, save cybercriminals. That’s because it’s a tool designed specifically for them!
 
So, what’s this chatbot all about? Is it really the evil twin of top GenAI tools? Let’s dig in!

What Is WORMGPT?

 

• WormGPT is a generative AI module built on the GPTJ language model (2021) and offers features like unlimited characters, can format codes and can remember chats.

• It is a tool that’s being advertised on underground forums and sold to cybercriminals, to be used for nefarious purposes and allows its users to employ it for any type of malpractice or illegal text generation.

• According to a blog post written by security researcher Daniel Kelley, “This tool presents itself as a blackhat alternative to GPT models, designed specifically for malicious activities.”

What Can WORMGPT Do?

 

• Primarily, the tool can be used to create highly complex phishing and business email compromise (BEC) attacks and other such malicious activities.

• According to Daniel Kelley, “Cybercriminals can use such technology to automate the creation of highly convincing fake emails, personalised to the recipient, thus increasing the chances of success for the attack.”

• While OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard are working hard to restrict negative usage and outcomes from their tools, WormGPT has no such boundaries. Essentially, it can assist cyber criminals in producing highly effective emails, scams, phishing emails and business email compromise (BEC) attacks. All without the need for high proficiency to use such tools!

 

What Other Malicious Uses Of AI Are There?
 

• According to reports, another generative AI tool aligned to aid bad actors, known as PoisonGPT, focuses on how technology can help spread fake news and misinformation online.

• Other than these tools, cybercriminals make use of AI tools to create fake videos that impersonate people’s friends, family members, colleagues and more, by which they can trick people into transferring money, bank account details, card details or sharing personal information.

Considering that tools made specifically for atrocious and harmful purposes exist, it’s no wonder that industry experts signed a letter looking to pause the advance of artificial intelligence until there were strong enough rules and regulations in place to guide its progress.

Generative AI has often been described as a powerful tool. Of course, the developers of WormGPT aren’t fans of Spiderman, or else they would’ve imbibed Uncle Ben’s signature phrase, “With great power comes great responsibility”!

However, one thing is sure, WormGPT is a big threat to businesses worldwide. The only way for companies to stay prepared is by upskilling their employees. Employees need to be made aware of the kind of malicious emails they can receive, avoid interaction with strangers (like Mamma told us!) and double check or verify the chats they come across in case bad actors are acting well as known associates!

What other measures do you think companies can use to be safe from these GPT-powered hackers? Let us know in the comments below!