Researchers at Palo Alto Networks’s Unit 42 are tracking phishing attacks exploiting interest in generative AI tools. The researchers observed spikes in suspicious domain registrations over the past year that correlated with current news.
“The domain registration trend is clearly correlated to the fluctuating popularity of the topic, with data peaks aligning with major ChatGPT milestones,” the researchers write.
“Following Microsoft's announcement of ChatGPT integration with Bing on Feb. 7, 2023, we observed a surge in the number of new domains where many of them contain both trademarks (e.g., msftchatgpt[.]com). Another significant spike occurred on March 14, 2023, coinciding with the official release of GPT-4. The next peak corresponds to the announcement of new GPTs on Nov. 6, 2023, during which numerous related domains, like gptsotre[.]com, were registered.”
The term “gpt” is used by the majority of these sites, since ChatGPT is one of the most well-known generative AI tools.
“The most abused keyword is gpt, whose suspicious rate is 76%,” the researchers explain. “This word, though not exclusively related to the GenAI topic, demonstrates a significant correlation with it. After filtering out domains unrelated to GenAI, this term was rarely used for domain creation prior to 2023, while its popularity surged along with the GenAI trend.”
The researchers also observed many suspicious domains themed around tutorials for prompt engineering.
“As interest in GenAI grows and more people seek to become experts in its use, prompt engineering emerges as a hot topic,” Unit 42 says. “We also observed that ‘prompt’ frequently coexists with ‘gpt’ and ‘engineering’ in domain names. Our findings suggest that people must exercise caution when visiting websites offering tutorials on prompt engineering, as a significant percentage of them are shady.”
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