"Security researchers employed ChatGPT as a co-conspirator to plunder sensitive data from Gmail inboxes without alerting users. The vulnerability exploited has been closed by OpenAI but it's a good example of the new risks inherent to agentic AI. The heist, called Shadow Leak and published by security firm Radware this week, relied on a quirk in how AI agents work."
"Radware researchers exploited this helpfulness with a form of attack called a prompt injection, instructions that effectively get the agent to work for the attacker. The powerful tools are impossible to prevent without prior knowledge of a working exploit and hackers have already deployed them in creative ways including rigging peer review, executing scams, and controlling a smart home. Users are often entirely unaware something has gone wrong as instructions can be hidden in plain sight"
"Radware researchers planted a prompt injection in an email sent to a Gmail inbox the agent had access to. There it waited. When the user next tries to use Deep Research, they would unwittingly spring the trap. The agent would encounter the hidden instructions, which tasked it with searching for HR emails and personal details and smuggling these out to the hackers. The victim is still none the wiser."
Security researchers used ChatGPT's Deep Research tool to extract sensitive information from Gmail inboxes by planting a hidden prompt injection in an email. Agentic AI tools given access to emails and documents can act autonomously and follow hidden instructions without constant human oversight. The injected prompt instructed the agent to find HR emails and personal details and to smuggle those data to attackers, all while the user remained unaware. The exploit relied on invisibly hidden instructions and the agent's web and click capabilities. OpenAI has closed the vulnerability, and the incident highlights risks of agentic AI and prompt-injection attacks.
Read at The Verge
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