Darknet Markets and forums have seen a rise in discussions over ChatGPT… But not in the same way that the AI model has been spoken about across the internet elsewhere. These chats speak particularly about ChatGPT premium accounts and purchasing them on the Darknet. In this article, we will explore the recent uptick in ChatGPT-related activity on the Darknet.
Why People Want ChatGPT On The Darknet
ChatGPT, a language model based on the GPT-3.5 architecture, is known for its advanced conversational abilities and has been widely adopted by individuals and organizations alike. Its abilities have made a phenomenal impact across the globe.
The platform is free to use in almost every country on Earth. It is perhaps one of the greatest inventions in recent history and as a result jumped to over 1.6 Billion users over the last 5 months.
However, not every country has access to its premium feature, and many countries have banned the platforms’ use entirely due to their various concerns. Prominent names have shared their concerns on how the language model could bring more damage than good in its current state and at its current growth.
Some issues include that ChatGPT could be forced to follow a biased narrative, provide misinformation, be used to collect information, the total dependence on the model, and its active use as a method for cybercrimes.
Since the product is not available to everybody, users on the darknet have seen it as an open market. According to Check Point, there are many vendors that have jumped at the opportunity.
Now, CPR also warns that there is an increase in the trade of stolen ChatGPT Premium accounts, which enable cybercriminals to get around OpenAI’s geofencing restrictions and get unlimited access to ChatGPT.
Check Point
Why Selling ChatGPT On The Darknet is a Problem
The main issue with this comes with the ethics behind how vendors are accessing these new accounts. The large majority of the accounts being sold were activated and stolen as ATOs (account takeovers). The accounts were taken through Bruteforcing tools, stolen credit cards, and malicious API applications.
Unfortunately, a VPN alone does not do the job of bypassing these restrictions entirely. ChatGPT requires more information. To sign up, users need to provide an email address, birth date, name and surname, and phone number to verify.
Users who might be interested in stolen ChatGPT accounts (even paying for free ones) include citizens from Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, and Italy. These are all countries where ChatGPT is banned, and it seems more countries are looking at stopping or limiting the use of the platform.
There is also a large community that is not keen on providing any KYC information (i.e, phone number) as a method of using the platform and would prefer to purchase an account through the Darknet.
Accounts Acquired Through SilverBullet
Silverbullet is a marketing technology company that specializes in providing solutions for data privacy and compliance. The company offers a suite of products and services designed to help businesses navigate the complex landscape of data regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, and ensure that their marketing practices are compliant with these regulations. However, their software can be used for wrongdoings too.
“This software can be used for scraping and parsing data, automated pen testing, unit testing through selenium, and much more. This tool is also frequently used by cybercriminals to conduct credential stuffing and account checking attacks against different websites, and thus steal accounts for online platforms.”
According to CheckPoint,
The suite of tools can be configured to carry out a few specific actions. Whether it’s general checking or brute-forcing websites in order to steal account information. In this case, cybercriminals have used Silverbullet to check a set of credentials for OpenAI’s platform in an automated way. This allowed to essentially them to steal accounts on a large scale.
The process is fully automated and can initiate between 50 to 200 checks per minute (CPM), with the added support of proxy implementation which allows it to bypass different protections on websites against such attacks.
This vendor in particular offered both to sell GPT accounts, but also to configure Silverbullet as a service to capture new accounts.
Vendor “GPT4” made various offers and has received a lot of requests for his service over the last months.
Get Your Lifetime ChatGPT Premium for Just $24.99!!!
One user advertised on Dread and on Libre that they are selling “lifetime chatGPT Premium” accounts for just $59.99, while OpenAI’s original pricing of this service costs $20 per month. They even offer a service where you can share the account with another individual for $24.99. In his advert, the vendor promises a “100% satisfaction guaranteed.” Looks like the darknet offered a ChatGPT service before OpenAI could!
While many may feel skeptical of this service, there are a number of users who have shared their positive experiences with his offer. Though only time will tell as his initial offering took place less than a month ago.
As ChatGPT puts it when we asked Why would somebody sell ChatGPT accounts on the darknet
“Cybercriminals who have stolen ChatGPT accounts can sell them on the darknet to buyers who are willing to pay for access to the premium features of the model. This can be a lucrative business for the cybercriminals, as they can sell the accounts for a significant profit. Another reason is to gain access to sensitive information. Cybercriminals who purchase ChatGPT accounts on Darknet Markets may be able to use them to access sensitive information, such as intellectual property, trade secrets, or personal data. This information can then be sold to other criminals or used for further criminal activities.”
Conclusion: A Lucrative Business for Cybercriminals
ChatGPT accounts are particularly sought after in countries where ChatGPT is banned or limited. This created an open market where DN Vendors have taken advantage of this demand by selling stolen accounts on the darknet. In fact, recently hackers leaked over 100K ChatGPT credentials on the darknet. If this is what you’re looking for… Just make a quick search for ChatGPT accounts on Dread, and you’ll be good to go!
Hey there, I’m a dark web geek who’s been around for the last 8 years. More precisely, I’m livedarknet’s senior content writer who’s been writing about darknet marketplaces, tutorials, and cybersecurity stuff for educational purposes.