A hacker said they purloined private details from countless OpenAI accounts-but researchers are doubtful, and the business is examining.

OpenAI says it's examining after a hacker claimed to have swiped login qualifications for 20 million of the AI firm's user accounts-and put them up for sale on a dark web forum.

The pseudonymous breacher a cryptic message in Russian marketing "more than 20 million gain access to codes to OpenAI accounts," calling it "a goldmine" and offering prospective buyers what they claimed was sample data containing email addresses and passwords. As reported by Gbhackers, the complete dataset was being marketed "for simply a few dollars."

"I have more than 20 million gain access to codes for OpenAI accounts," emirking composed Thursday, yewiki.org according to a translated screenshot. "If you're interested, reach out-this is a goldmine, and Jesus agrees."

If genuine, this would be the third significant security event for the AI business considering that the release of ChatGPT to the general public. Last year, a hacker got access to the business's internal Slack messaging system. According to The New York Times, the hacker "took details about the design of the company's A.I. innovations."

Before that, in 2023 an even simpler bug involving jailbreaking prompts allowed hackers to obtain the personal data of OpenAI's paying clients.

This time, nevertheless, security scientists aren't even sure a hack happened. Daily Dot reporter Mikael Thalan composed on X that he discovered invalid email addresses in the expected sample information: "No proof (recommends) this supposed OpenAI breach is genuine. At least two addresses were invalid. The user's just other post on the online forum is for a stealer log. Thread has actually given that been erased also."

No proof this supposed OpenAI breach is genuine.

Contacted every email address from the purported sample of login qualifications.

At least 2 addresses were void. The user's only other post on the online forum is for a stealer log. Thread has actually because been erased too. https://t.co/yKpmxKQhsP

- Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) February 6, 2025

OpenAI takes it 'seriously'

In a declaration shared with Decrypt, an OpenAI spokesperson acknowledged the situation while maintaining that the company's systems appeared safe and secure.

"We take these claims seriously," the spokesperson said, adding: "We have actually not seen any proof that this is connected to a compromise of OpenAI systems to date."

The scope of the alleged breach triggered concerns due to OpenAI's huge user base. Millions of users worldwide count on the company's tools like ChatGPT for service operations, instructional functions, and content generation. A genuine breach might expose personal conversations, business projects, and other delicate data.

Until there's a final report, some preventive steps are always recommended:

- Go to the "Configurations" tab, log out from all connected devices, and allow two-factor authentication or 2FA. This makes it virtually impossible for a hacker to gain access to the account, even if the login and passwords are jeopardized.

• If your bank supports it, then create a virtual card number to manage OpenAI subscriptions. This way, it is simpler to find and prevent fraud.
• Always watch on the discussions stored in the chatbot's memory, and be mindful of any phishing attempts. OpenAI does not request for any individual details, and any payment update is constantly dealt with through the main OpenAI.com link.