I received the email from OpenAI today at 06:23. I read it three times to be sure I understood the technical details. Mixpanel, a data analytics provider that OpenAI used for web analytics has a security incident and data were exposed.
OpenAI says their systems are safe. They say no passwords or API keys were stolen. Many people will read this and think, “I am safe.”
This is a logical error. You are not safe.
The data stolen from Mixpanel includes your User ID and your Organization ID. It also includes your browser type and your location.
Why is this scary? Because hackers do not need to break code if they can break people. Humans are the weak point in the system.
If a stranger sends you an email, you ignore it. But if an email arrives that knows:
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Your full name.
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That you use OpenAI.
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Your exact internal User ID (which should be secret).
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That you use Chrome on a Mac.
Your brain will recognize the pattern. You will trust it. The probability of you clicking a bad link increases by a significant margin.
This allows for Spear Phishing. This is not a random attack. It is a targeted attack. They have a map of your digital life.
OpenAI is a very smart company. But they trusted Mixpanel. The problem is dependencies. We add tools to our websites analytics, chat bots, trackers. Each tool is a door. We do not hold the keys to these doors.
OpenAI has now terminated Mixpanel. This is the correct reaction. But it is too late. The data is already out.
What You Must Do
You must change your behavior immediately.
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Do not trust your eyes. If an email looks official, it might be fake.
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Check the sender. Look at the address very carefully.
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Use MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication). If you do not have a hardware key (like YubiKey), you are taking an unnecessary risk.
Do not be calm. The data is permanent. The risk is high.
Alexius Dionysius Diakogiannis
Passionate Archer, Runner, Linux lover and JAVA Geek! That's about everything! Alexius Dionysius Diakogiannis is a Senior Java Solutions Architect and Squad Lead at the European Investment Bank. He has over 20 years of experience in Java/JEE development, with a strong focus on enterprise architecture, security and performance optimization. He is proficient in a wide range of technologies, including Spring, Hibernate and JakartaEE. Alexius is a certified Scrum Master and is passionate about agile development. He is also an experienced trainer and speaker, and has given presentations at a number of conferences and meetups. In his current role, Alexius is responsible for leading a team of developers in the development of mission-critical applications. He is also responsible for designing and implementing the architecture for these applications, focusing on performance optimization and security.