In May 2024, the official ChatGPT app started rolling out for Mac and many possibilities when interacting with the chatbot. However, it was soon confirmed that not all of them are advantages. According to recent reports, Serious data privacy concerns have been raised because of how conversations are stored and third-party access to sensitive data. Measures have already been taken to mitigate the situation.

Discovered and published on Threads by developer Pedro Vieito, the vulnerability revealed that the app did not use the standard macOS sandbox system. With this, Conversations were recorded in plain text, available to anyone with access to the app.

What is sandboxing and why is it important on macOS?

Sandboxing allows applications to run in isolation. Imagine your computer is like a neighborhood. Each application is like a building in that neighborhood. A “sandbox” is like creating a closed area around each building with its own streets, parks, and stores.

This “isolation” benefits such as security, privacy and stability. This means that vulnerabilities in one place should not affect others, and applications are prevented from accessing data without permission.

In case of MacOS, “sandboxing” was introduced with OS X Lion in 2011. Later, Apple added more security layers to macOS Mojave. but it is still an optional system on macOSbecause some more complex applications require full disk access. It worked on iOS from the beginning.

What can be done about the ChatGPT vulnerability on macOS?

After receiving the report about the security breach, OpenAI The company responsible for ChatGPT has released an update that encrypts stored conversationsWithout further explanation on the matter. Therefore, it is recommended that you update the app to the latest version.

Data privacy is a fundamental issue in the digital age. It is crucial that users are informed about potential risks and take steps to protect their personal information. This case of the ChatGPT app for macOS is a timely reminder of the importance of careful and proactive protection of our data.

Yes, okay. OpenAI policies have already warned us that our conversations with ChatGPT could be used to improve their AI.As mentioned before, there is no guarantee that this data will fall into anyone’s hands. As users, we can take into account some useful suggestions for this and other applications, such as:

• Change the app password frequently.
• Do not share confidential information in the ChatGPT app and where it can be avoided.
• Keep macOS updated with the latest security patches.

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