Crooks don't need ChatGPT to social-engineer victims

John had been browsing online for a new pair of shoes when he came across an ad for a shoe company's chatbot. He decided to check it out and start a conversation with the bot. Little did he know that the bot was actually a fake and had been designed by scammers to steal his personal information.

This is just one example of how chatbots are being increasingly used by scammers and hackers to deceive victims. While chatbots have become popular among businesses for providing customer service and support, they've also become an easy tool for cybercriminals to conduct social-engineering attacks.

Real-life examples

One of the most notable instances of this was in 2016 when a chatbot named Liza was created to impersonate a human being and convince victims to click on a malicious link. The chatbot was able to deceive many people into clicking on the link, which led to their computers being infected with malware.

Another example is the recent surge in scams involving fake customer support chatbots. Scammers have been creating fake versions of popular chatbots used by companies such as PayPal, Apple, and Amazon, in order to trick victims into giving up their login credentials and other personal information.

Main companies in the article

• PayPal
• Apple
• Amazon

Conclusion

It's clear that chatbots have become a new tool for scammers and hackers to use in their social-engineering campaigns. However, this doesn't mean that chatbots themselves are inherently dangerous. Rather, it's important for companies to take steps to ensure that their chatbots are legitimate and not being used for malicious purposes.

Some critical comments in 3 points:

1. Companies need to implement stricter security measures when it comes to their chatbots, such as using encryption and multi-factor authentication.
2. Users should be educated on how to recognize and avoid chatbot scams, which often involve requests for personal information or money transfers.
3. Regulators need to keep pace with the evolving ways in which cybercriminals are using chatbots for social engineering, and take appropriate action to deter such practices.

Reference URLs and further readings:

• https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/scammers-are-creating-fake-customer-support-chatbots-steal-your-info-n1018021
• https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/chatbots-the-next-big-thing-in-cybercrime-/d/d-id/1328506