While the world has been leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in writing content, coding etc., ChatGPT’s criminal doppelganger WormGPT has surfaced to support cyber criminals in creating human-like phishing emails.
What is WormGPT?
WormGPT is a malicious variant of OpenAI’s ChatGPT that was released by a black hat hacker. Leveraging the 2021 GPTJ large language model developed by EleutherAI, the AI tool is designed specifically for malicious activities, as per a security firm.
Cybercriminals are becoming proficient in WormGPT, which uses outstanding grammar across several languages to automate phishing emails and enable business email compromise (BEC) attacks. It is similar to ChatGPT without any ethical restrictions.
Yes, you heard it right! A security firm has experimented with WormGPT and the details are alarming, hinting at the dangerous revolution this malicious AI tool can create in the world of email phishing.
Researchers from the said cybersecurity company instructed WormGPT to write an email that would persuade an account manager to pay a fake invoice, and it produced a ‘remarkably persuasive’ email. The team was able to obtain the sophisticated tool through a website linked to cybercrime.
By producing human-like writing based on the input it receives, the new cyber weapon WormGPT is intended to revolutionise phishing attacks. This is a whole new method of compromising company emails.
Features and Subscription Details of WormGPT
Strangely, WormGPT doesn’t employ OpenAI’s technology. It is built using the GPT-J open-source big language model, which was created in 2021. It includes over 6 billion parameters and offers a number of features, such as limitless character support, chat memory retention, and code formatting skills.
Additionally, WormGPT has been trained on malware-related datasets and its performance can be compared to a vintage GPT-3 model.
Furthermore, WormGPT is a subscription-based service that costs 100 euros per month or 550 euros annually. By contrast, the “private setup” would cost enemies 5000 euros. Malicious users may get a 5% discount by using the promo code “SAGE.” Buyers must reach out to the developer via Telegram.
Why Malicious AI Tools like WormGPT is a Serious Concern?
Phishing attacks are among the most well-known and widespread types of cyberattack, frequently carried out through social network postings, text messages, or emails sent under a fictitious identity,
The ability of chatbots like WormGPT to craft convincing human-like emails is made possible by the quick advancements in generative AI, which makes it more difficult to detect fake communications.
Additionally, the use of WormGPT has made it possible to have conversations without much direct input and automatically create convincing false emails that are customised to recipients. This broadens the attack area and raises the likelihood of success.
Malicious actors are already supplying forums on the dark web with their own customised modules that are taught expressly to assist with cybercrimes.
And since they will have access to more data and be able to handle more challenging issues, following versions of massive language models will be worse.
How to Check if Email is Valid or Fake?
Here is our guide to checking if the received email is valid or fake and malicious:
1. Send a Test Email
Users can send test emails to the address, and if the ‘Address Not Found’ prompt or ‘Email not delivered’ is received, then it is a fake email. This is because an email sent to a fake address shall bounce back.
Although this strategy is the simplest, we advise against using it on multiple emails as it will increase your bounce rate, can get your address added to the spam list and damage your reputation.
2. Search Google for Email Address
Although this approach won’t reveal if an email address is fake, it could reveal whether it is legitimate. Nowadays, individuals post their email addresses all over the internet, whether it be on their websites or social media accounts.
Since it won’t harm your domain’s reputation, this strategy could be useful if you simply need to verify a small number of email addresses.
3. Use Email Verification Software
The easiest approach to determine whether an email address is authentic is to use email verification software, which can quickly validate email addresses. Even though the features and the maximum monthly email addresses one may validate vary significantly amongst email chequers, they are all quite simple to use.
4. Consult a Security Expert
Anitech advises you to take assistance from a security expert to help you in creating a security framework that can spot and block spam or phishing emails.
Anitech’s Guidance on Securing Emails
As an experienced cyber security firm that has been closely following the updates received on WormGPT, Anitech and its experienced consultants can assist you in securing emails.
We can help organisations in implementing robust email security measures and test the existing ones for any flaws.
Additionally, we advise implementing strict email verification and training employees on how to spot fake emails.
To help us assist you further, call us at 1300 802 163 or e-mail – sales@anitechgroup.com
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