What is ChatGPT?

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has gained immense popularity, transforming the way we communicate with technology. One notable breakthrough is ChatGPT. But what is ChatGPT? An AI chatbot, Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer or ChatGPT has been trained on a vast amount of data via the internet. This makes it capable of generating human-like text and engaging in conversations. But the potential of this AI goes beyond just chatbots or virtual assistants. It can offer numerous technological benefits that could revolutionize industries.

ChaptGPT can handle customer inquiries, generate content, assist with language translation, provide user recommendations, and much more. Using diverse resources across the internet, it generates unique responses by collecting information without relying on a specific source. However, while there are many advantages to this technology, its ability to mimic human conversation has raised many red flags. Concerns have been expressed by notable cybersecurity companies regarding the potential for hackers to exploit ChatGPT for phishing and other malicious attacks.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is a form of cyberattack where cybercriminals attempt to trick you into revealing sensitive information, such as your passwords, credit card numbers, or personal data. This is done by posing as a trustworthy source. Unfortunately, phishing scams can come from anywhere. One of the most popular ways is through deceptive emails and text messages, coming from a bad actor imitating someone you know. Although, websites mimicking the appearance of legitimate organizations, such as your bank, social media platforms, or online retailers are just as common.

Often disguised as urgent or important messages, phishing attacks prompt you to click on malicious links or provide confidential information. Phishing attacks can result in identity theft, financial loss, or other detrimental consequences. As phishing techniques continue to evolve and become more sophisticated, it is crucial for individuals and organizations to be vigilant and take preventive measures. Be cautious of unexpected emails or messages, verify the legitimacy of websites, and regularly updating your passwords can protect you against potential phishing threats.

Pros & Cons of ChatGPT

Pros

This technology isn’t just beneficial for scammers, but can be used by everyone, from writers to teachers to online retailers. By generating content ideas and providing creative suggestions, creative professionals have found an invaluable tool in ChatGPT. Teachers and educators can use the program as an educational instrument, offering personalized learning experiences. The AI can also act as a virtual tutor, providing guidance and feedback to learners. Another benefit is enhancing the customer experience. ChatGPT can understand and interpret user queries, offer relevant suggestions, and provide real-time assistance.

One other fascinating aspect of ChatGPT is it can bridge language barriers by providing real-time translation services. Interpreting and translating text in multiple languages, it can make communication seamless and accessible for users speaking different languages. This can be valuable in global businesses, travel and tourism, and other industries that require multilingual communication. ChatGPT can also assist users with visual impairments by providing text-to-speech capabilities, making online content more accessible and inclusive.

Cons

As mentioned before, ChatGPT can be used by cybercriminals to launch more proficient phishing attacks. Not only can it be used for phishing attacks, but the AI can create malicious lines of code used in ransomware and malware infections. Unfortunately, this technology can also generate fake news articles and use social media to spread the news far and wide. In a 2019 study, it was found that fake news costs the global economy $78 billion each year.

Conclusion

In truth, 95% of all data breaches are caused by an employee mistake, while 40% of cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses. With the rise of both AI technology and cyberattacks, the importance of protecting you and your employees is more important than ever. No company that uses technology is 100% secure but laying the groundwork with proper cybersecurity measures can help!

1. Watch Out for Phishing

80% of cybersecurity incidents stem from a phishing attempt. Keep an eye out for typos, poor graphics and other suspicious characteristics can be a telltale sign that the content is potentially coming from a “phish.” Don’t click unfamiliar links, and always double check the spelling in the URL. Ask yourself why the sender would be asking to get this information from you. If you find yourself questioning content, don’t be afraid to reach out to our help desk!

2. Update Your Password

Having unique, long, and complex passwords is one of the best ways to immediately boost your cybersecurity. It’s no longer recommended to use “simple” passwords such as “123456” or “iLoveyou123!” or “Letmein88@”. In fact, if any of these resemble your own, update them immediately as they are in the top 20 most hacked passwords!

According to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), one of the best methods is “to rely on a series of words and use memory techniques, or mnemonics, to help you remember how to decode” your password. For example, instead of “mydog1!”, change it to “iLtwMD” for “[i] [L]ove [t]o [w]alk [M]y [D]og”. Then, to strengthen the password, add numerals and characters. So, ““iLtwMD” becomes “iL2w!M_D6”. When possible, use the longest password (8-64 characters) you can for extra security!

It can be frustrating to remember numerous passwords, but don’t repeat them across multiple accounts. If you do and a hacker gets hold of one password, they’ll have access to all your accounts! Remember to use complex passwords, do not use words that can be found in the dictionary, or passwords based on personal information.

3. MFA

By enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA), you can drastically reduce the chances of a cybersecurity breach. MFA prompts you to input a second set of verifying information such as a secure code sent to a mobile device or to sign-in via an authenticator app. In fact, according to Microsoft, MFA is 99.9 percent effective in preventing breaches. Therefore, it is a must for any individual that is looking to secure their devices and accounts.

At TREYSTA, we recommend MFA from Cisco’s DUO. It works based on a zero-trust philosophy, assuming that no part of your business system can be trusted. By doing so, zero-trust adds another layer of protection to your business. If a password has been compromised, you still have the added security of MFA protecting your information.

TREYSTA is Here for You

In the ever changing world of technology, cybersecurity can be a scary topic. But by partnering with a local IT company, TREYSTA can remove the worry that comes with protecting your IT systems. We work with all small-to-medium-sized businesses and organizations throughout Central PA and Northern MD. We know that your business needs to focus on your mission without worrying about IT issues. We’re your local IT company to make sure your organization continues to succeed by ensuring the reliability of your IT systems.

Our staff of IT professionals follows a proven formula to deliver world class results to all of our clients. With offices in Gettysburg and York, we’re right in your backyard. Let us take away your anxieties when it comes to IT support and IT solutions.

Give us a call, or send us a message, and speak to one of our local IT service professionals today about how TREYSTA can be a strategic partnership for your organization.]