OpenAI announces new advanced security for ChatGPT accounts, including a partnership with Yubico

OpenAI takes account security seriously.

The company launched on Thursday Advanced account securitya set of opt-in protections for ChatGPT users, designed for high-value individuals, but available to anyone who wants them.

As part of that new program, digital security provider Yubico announced it’s partnering with OpenAI to connect two new security key products to ChatGPT accounts. The company said the partnership aims to protect users from the threat of phishing, which is considered a growing threat to chatbot users.

The two companies are releasing a pair of “co-branded” YubiKeys, called the YubiKey C NFC and the YubiKey C Nano.

OpenAI has suggested that AAS is a good fit for political dissidents, journalists, researchers and elected officials – people who engage in politically charged and risky work. One would assume this might make sense for business users, whose corporate secrets are siphoned off in ChatGPT sessions.

“Ultimately, our intention is to dramatically reduce the threat of unauthorized access to sensitive data in OpenAI accounts worldwide,” Yubico CEO Jerrod Chong said in a press release announcing the deal.

Security keys are small pieces of hardware that can be attached to digital accounts and run through a computer’s USB ports. The key contains a unique cryptographic identification code, allowing only the person in possession of it to log in to a connected account.

If the threat of phishing ChatGPT accounts seems somewhat abstract, there is one growing body of literature showing that bad actors are increasingly targeting chatbot users. Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for extortion-worthy information, and given the intimate nature of most chatbot conversations, there’s plenty of fodder when it comes to both business and personal users.

Digital security is also becoming an increasing focus of the AI ​​industry. A few weeks ago, Anthropic announced a new cybersecurity model called Mythos. Perhaps in an attempt to steal something from the competition, OpenAI has also made a number of announcements related to digital security. Thursday’s news of the Yubico partnership followed that of OpenAI announcement that it is launching a new framework for digital defense.

Of course, an account with a security key provides better protection, but there is a trade-off: if the key is lost, OpenAI cannot help restore access. In practice, this means that conversations can be lost forever.