ChatGPT: Fast, Clever, Increases Productivity And Is Exceptionally Good At Writing Phishing Emails

ChatGPT is an AI currently under test for anyone that wants to use it. Although marketed as an AI it is more of an aggregator of content when used for research purposes. So if you asked it about business cybersecurity services, for example, it would give you all the information it can find perfectly curated.

As well as curating content and providing information, ChatGPT can write essays, emails, and blog posts within defined parameters. It isn’t Shakespeare but it isn’t shaky rubbish either, which is probably the standard we mere mortals achieve.

So, you say ChatGPT, write an essay on Star Wars, 1000 words concentrating on Darth Vader and it will deliver you said essay.

This has not gone unnoticed by nefarious types, sadly, who have discovered that ChatGPT can write a good phishing email. So, let’s explore this in more depth.

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ChatGPT Obeys The Law

If you ask ChatGPT to write you an effective phishing email it will give you a stern lecture on why it isn’t going to do it and why you shouldn’t be participating in it and rightly so. Ask it to write an email about tech support and to download files for ‘your safety’ and it gets right on it.

This is quite unnerving. Often phishing emails are exposed because they are written by people who do not have a good command of the English language. They make grammar and spelling errors which undermines their efforts to trick you out of your passwords and other personal data.

Now, with ChatGPT churning out the emails the nefarious types that want to steal your stuff have a good free new weapon to do that. It makes spotting phishing emails that little bit more difficult.

If you run your own business you may want to be concerned. Hacking attacks of every kind have been directed at businesses of every size, including phishing emails. If you have staff that are under pressure it becomes very easy to make a mistake. More sophisticated language, and official logos and it becomes easy to miss if an email communication is genuine.

Tips To Protect Yourself From Phishing

ChatGPT or human phishing emails can be spotted if you take the following steps:

Check email addresses– Often this is a big giveaway. The email may come from a well known brand but a check on the email address shows that the domain is something completely different. Consider this a red flag.
Don’t open links– If you get an unexpected email never open links. This can be a gateway into a world of pain as god knows what starts installing itself on your system.
Never download files– Like above never download a file no matter how tempting. It is probably something that is not going to be very nice.
Bring in professionals– Professional cybersecurity teams can educate staff, check the system for intrusions and conduct penetration testing to identify threats and then take action to sure up your system.

ChatGPT in of itself is not a weapon, but it can be used as one. So protect yourself.