News
100K+ Compromised ChatGPT Accounts Found On Dark Web
Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria top the list in the Middle Eastern region.
Global cybersecurity leader Group-IB has identified 101,134 infected devices with saved ChatGPT credentials. Throughout 2023, the company’s Threat Intelligence Platform found compromised account details in 26,802 malware logs traded on dark web marketplaces.
According to Group-IB’s findings, the Asia-Pacific region suffered the greatest concentration of ChatGPT credentials offered for sale, followed by the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region in second place.
Group-IB tech experts explained that when employees take advantage of ChatGPT to optimize business communications and marketing texts, the queries and responses are stored within the AI app. Consequently, any unauthorized access to a ChatGPT account could unearth a wealth of sensitive information.
Also Read: The Largest Data Breaches In The Middle East
Group-IB’s dark web analysis revealed that most compromised ChatGPT accounts were breached by a popular malware program known as “Raccoon Info Stealer”. The virus is often sent by email and can be used by hackers to gain access to sensitive data stored in internet browsers.
In the MENA area, accounts from users in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Turkey topped the “most-infected” list, potentially exposing companies in the region to multiple threat actors.
“Many enterprises are integrating ChatGPT into their operational flow,” explained Dmitry Shestakov, Head of Threat Intelligence at Group-IB. “Employees enter classified correspondences or use the bot to optimize proprietary code. Given that ChatGPT’s standard configuration retains all conversations, this could inadvertently offer a trove of sensitive intelligence to threat actors if they obtain account credentials. At Group-IB, we continuously monitor underground communities to identify such accounts promptly”.
To mitigate the risks posed by compromised ChatGPT accounts, Group-IB suggests that users update passwords using current best practices while also implementing two-factor authentication.
News
Paymob Extends Series B Funding To $72M Amid Continued Growth
The financial services provider has secured an extra $22 million after strong performance in its core market of Egypt.
Leading financial services provider Paymob has secured an additional $22 million in a funding extension, bringing its Series B total to $72 million.
The funding was spearheaded by EBRD Venture Capital, with support from Endeavor Catalyst. Existing backers such as PayPal Ventures, BII, FMO, A15, Nclude, and Helios Digital Ventures also participated, reaffirming their confidence in Paymob’s business model and potential in the regional fintech industry.
This extension comes on the back of Paymob’s strong performance in its core market of Egypt, where it has experienced 6x revenue growth since the initial Series B in Q2 2022. With the Series B extension and continued profitability in Egypt, Paymob is well-positioned to further its expansion strategy across the MENA region.
Islam Shawky, Co-founder and CEO of Paymob, commented: “We are very excited by our strong prospects in Egypt – where we hold a market-leading position – and the significant traction experienced in the UAE since launching operations there. This funding will help Paymob fully capitalize on the momentum in our established markets, as we accelerate our GCC roll-out. We remain committed to creating cutting-edge infrastructure enabling SMEs across the region to thrive in the digital economy and are proud of our continued impact”.
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The expansion into GCC markets has been driven by Paymob’s initial Series B funding of $50 million, raised in 2022 and led by Kora Capital, PayPal Ventures, and Clay Point. The investment fueled Paymob’s growth, allowing it to launch its mobile app in 2023 and grow its merchant base by 3.5 times, now serving nearly 350,000 merchants across MENA.
Paymob has also expanded its payment acceptance suite to offer 50 payment methods through its gateway, POS terminals, and the Paymob app, providing the region’s most comprehensive fintech solution. The company recently introduced embedded checkout services for Shopify and WooCommerce, further demonstrating its commitment to empowering small and medium businesses across the region.
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