GPT Injection: A Growing Cybersecurity Threat for AI-Dependent Startups

The emergence of GPT, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer, as a powerful tool has revolutionised various industries with its potential to innovate and streamline processes. However, alongside these benefits, it brings along a significant security risk that needs to be addressed urgently: GPT Injection.

What is GPT Injection?

GPT Injection refers to the act of deliberately inputting malicious prompts or commands into GPT-based systems. This can result in unintended consequences such as data leaks or the abuse of the AI system's capabilities. The repercussions of this type of cyber attack can be far-reaching and devastating for businesses and users alike.

A Growing Hacking Community

As GPT continues to gain traction in the tech world, it is anticipated that a new hacking community will emerge, focusing primarily on GPT Injection. By exploiting the inherent vulnerabilities of GPT-based systems, these hackers can potentially compromise sensitive information or manipulate AI capabilities for nefarious purposes.

The Importance of Security

As businesses and individuals increasingly rely on the power of AI, it is crucial to remain vigilant about the potential risks associated with this technology. By proactively addressing potential threats, we can effectively mitigate the impact of GPT Injection and similar cyber attacks.

To combat this growing threat, organisations must prioritise the following:

1. Implementing robust security measures to protect their AI systems
2. Regularly updating and monitoring AI models to detect and address vulnerabilities
3. Educating employees about the risks associated with GPT Injection and other AI-related threats
4. Collaborating with other stakeholders, such as AI developers and cybersecurity experts, to share knowledge and best practices

Example in the Wild

• Reversing the task prompt for creating HTML apps
• Jailbreakchat

Ideas on how to protect prompts

• Double GPT Check: The easiest way is to create a prompt and let GPT validate the output you want to return to your user
• Preflight Prompt Check: Perform a preflight check using a special prompt designed to detect user input manipulation. Use a randomly generated token to verify the integrity of the input.
• Input Allow-listing: If the task requires specific formatting for user input, create an allow-list of accepted characters or patterns to minimize the chance of injection.
• Input Deny-listing: If allow-listing is not feasible, create a deny-list to block specific characters or terms that could facilitate exploitation.
• Input Length Restriction: Limit the maximum length of user input to reduce the chances of successful injection attacks.
• Output Validation: Validate the format of the model's output to detect anomalies that could indicate a successful injection attack.
• Monitoring and Audit: Authenticate and identify users of the service when possible, detect malicious accounts, and implement monitoring and incident response mechanisms.

Sources:

• Paper About Prompt Injection
• Blog Post

Conclusion

The rapid advancement of AI technologies such as GPT brings with it immense potential for innovation and growth. However, it also presents new cybersecurity challenges that must be addressed to ensure the safety and security of businesses and users. By acknowledging the risks of GPT Injection and taking proactive steps to safeguard against such threats, we can harness the power of AI while minimising the potential for harm.