Source URL: https://embracethered.com/blog/posts/2025/chatgpt-chat-history-data-exfiltration/
Source: Embrace The Red
Title: Exfiltrating Your ChatGPT Chat History and Memories With Prompt Injection
Feedly Summary: In this post we demonstrate how a bypass in OpenAI’s “safe URL” rendering feature allows ChatGPT to send personal information to a third-party server. This can be exploited by an adversary via a prompt injection via untrusted data.
If you process untrusted content, like summarizing a website, or analyze a pdf document, the author of that document can exfiltrate any information present in the prompt context, including your past chat history.
AI Summary and Description: Yes
**Summary:** The text discusses a security vulnerability in OpenAI’s ChatGPT related to the “safe URL” feature, which allows for potential information exfiltration via prompt injection. This highlights risks for users processing untrusted content and their exposure to data leaks.
**Detailed Description:**
The primary focus of this text is on a specific security issue concerning OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform. The vulnerability relates to how the “safe URL” rendering feature may be exploited by an adversary to exfiltrate personal information. Here’s an in-depth analysis of the points raised in the text:
– **Vulnerability Exploitation**: The text identifies a bypass in the “safe URL” feature, which if manipulated, allows adversaries to send data to a third-party server.
– **Prompt Injection Threat**: It mentions the concept of prompt injection, which involves injecting malicious scripts or commands into prompts that ChatGPT processes. This could allow attackers to manipulate how data is handled and potentially access sensitive information.
– **Risk of Untrusted Content**: A significant risk is emphasized regarding processing untrusted content. If users summarize websites or analyze documents without ensuring their authenticity, they may inadvertently expose personal and contextual information to malicious actors.
– **Exfiltration of Data**: The ability for document authors to extract any information from the prompt context—including previous chat history—highlights the serious implications of this vulnerability for privacy and data security.
**Key Implications for Security Professionals:**
– Security and compliance professionals must be wary of the implications of AI models like ChatGPT when processing untrusted or sensitive data, given the potential for data leakage.
– Organizations should consider implementing stricter guidelines around how generated content is handled and what data is inputted into AI models to mitigate risks.
– Awareness and training regarding prompt injection and similar vulnerabilities should be included in security protocols and employee education.
**Recommendations:**
– Conduct thorough assessments of AI tools and their features to identify potential vulnerabilities.
– Regularly update security measures and protocols to address emerging threats related to AI and cloud computing.
This analysis underscores the need for vigilance and proactive measures in AI security and highlights the complexity of navigating privacy concerns in the age of generative AI technologies.