Fake ChatGPT apps are now sprouting like mushrooms online after the sudden popularity of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. As the AI chatbot has impressively taken the world by storm, hackers are now mimicking ChatGPT to create malicious apps that spread malware not only to Android phone users but to Windows PC and laptops as well.

These fake apps look a lot like the ChatGPT chatbot of Open AI. But this malicious software primarily distributes malware after phishing its victims.

(Photo : NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
Illustration picture shows the ChatGPT artificial intelligence software, which generates human-like conversation, Friday 03 February 2023 in Lierde.

Fake ChatGPT Apps Spread Malware

As per a recent report by Bleeping Computer, ChatGPT first saw the light of day last November. But since then, it has instantly grown in popularity with a staggering 100 million users as of January 2023.

In fact, the AI chatbot has stormed the headlines since the start of the year.

On top of that, the struggling search engine of Microsoft, Bing,  gained popularity after gaining a new chatbot feature shortly after ChatGPT took off.

With that, Google is also working to bring AI chatbot to its search engine, introducing the Bing AI rival, Bard.

Given this unprecedented popularity of OpenAI, hackers are now riding on its massive fame. Bleeping Computer notes in its report that threat actors are capitalizing on the limitations of the free version of ChatGPT.

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Hackers Mimic ChatGPT

OpenAI recently introduced a paid tier of ChatGPT, which starts at $20 a month. It ditches some restrictions of the AI chatbot that free users have to settle with.

And as such, hackers are now offering free access to the premium ChatGPT tier. It should remove all the limitations that the non-paid version has, luring some frustrated free users.

These Fake ChatGPT apps mimic how the real AI chatbot looks like, pretending to offer free access to its paid version.

Bleeping Computer notes that security researcher Domimc Alvieri alerted that a fake ChatGPT app, which is one of the platforms that hackers use, spreads a Redline malware that steals the info of its victims.

Dark Reading reports that the malicious app pretends to be a Windows desktop client of ChatGPT. So instead of accessing the chatbot using a browser. This vows to work like a full-blown app for PC users.

However, it is worth noting that ChatGPT has no official Windows desktop client.

Apart from the fake Windows app, Alvieri also noted another malicious ChatGPT app, which made its way to the Google Play Store for Android devices. It distributes malware that steals the clipboard contents of its victims.

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