OpenAI’s ChatGPT app for Mac just experienced a security breach involving two employee devices, according to a report by 9to5Mac. The company is issuing a software update to users that’s rolling out now, but won’t arrive for everyone until June 12.
The why of it all is a bit convoluted, stemming from a security issue involving open-source code. A widely-used open-source library was compromised and two devices at the company were impacted. “Upon identification of the malicious activity, we worked quickly to investigate, contain and take steps to protect our systems,” the company wrote in a blog post.
To that end, OpenAI says it has found no evidence that any user data was accessed. It also says that no systems were compromised. It has hired a third-party digital forensics and incident response firm to get to the bottom of things. “We confirmed that only limited credential material was successfully exfiltrated from these code repositories and that no other information or code was impacted,” it continued.
Mac users are encouraged to update the app when prompted. Beyond that, OpenAI says that additional guidance will be given at a later date. Users on other platforms, like Windows and iOS, don’t have to do anything.
This isn’t the first time the ChatGPT app for Mac has experienced a security issue. Back in 2024, a developer found that it was storing user conversations locally in plain text rather than encrypting them.
