Microsoft Is Spying on Users of Its AI Tools

Microsoft Is Spying on Users of Its AI Tools

Microsoft announced that it caught Chinese, Russian, and Iranian hackers using its AI tools—presumably coding tools—to improve their hacking abilities.

From their report:

In collaboration with OpenAI, we are sharing threat intelligence showing detected state affiliated adversaries—tracked as Forest Blizzard, Emerald Sleet, Crimson Sandstorm, Charcoal Typhoon, and Salmon Typhoon—using LLMs to augment cyberoperations.

The only way Microsoft or OpenAI would know this would be to spy on chatbot sessions. I’m sure the terms of service—if I bothered to read them—gives them that permission. And of course it’s no surprise that Microsoft and OpenAI (and, presumably, everyone else) are spying on our usage of AI, but this confirms it.

Tags: artificial intelligence, cyberespionage, espionage, Microsoft

Posted on February 20, 2024 at 7:02 AM • 6 Comments

Gideon •

February 20, 2024 7:53 AM

OpenAI are “spying” on ChatGPT sessions the same way that email providers “spy” on your email to filter spam. This sounds like a variation on “Google is reading your email”.

Snarki, child of Loki •

February 20, 2024 8:55 AM

Years ago, when governments were considering “banning” crypto, I came up with a program to turn random bits (i.e., encrypted data) into “Vogon Poetry”.

Now that AI-training is scraping websites, if I can get a way of detecting when that’s happening, I’ll redirect the web-scraper to a cgi producing Vogon Poetry from /dev/random. They can drink from the firehose, and nice to know that old software still has utility.

echo •

February 20, 2024 8:59 AM

Microsoft and third parties spying on end users isn’t a surprise. It would happen anyway. We know that. The difference is who does it and whether it’s siloed or not.

I can’t comment on Microsoft AI tools being used for coding as I’ve never tried it but for the stuff I have tried with Microsoft Image AI their database is polluted and their filters are junk. ChatGPT is so generic it’s not worth the bother.

Actually, thinking of the list of usual suspects, I read a good essay the other week which explained why the US can be monopolar. The basic gist was that the expertise and knowledge was there but the second it hit the upper tier reporting in to cabinet level jobs the bandwidth throttled massively before hitting a huge opportunity cost for high level political decisions hence not being able to politically track multiple targets. It sounds plausible.

There’s bigger questions about AI. Who frames it? Who uses it? How it’s being used. It’s not just a straightforward linear minded thing in its own echo chamber full of chiseled men and sweaty bearded hackers under the heel of [dogma of choice] tyrants feeding back on itself. That… would… be… silly…

I can’t easily find a single article which is properly up to date in all the areas to discuss the topic. No wonder AI data is polluted…

One reason why military AI simulations which rapidly escalate to global thermonuclear war may do this for a reason. They’re kinda, like, missing all the other stuff? Huh?

As for all those clowns in Russia, Iran, and China stuck using the 21st Century equivalent of computer magazine cover-discs you haven’t got anything we want. Stop objectifying women and beating your wife. Find another job. You’ll be happier.

https://womenlovetech.com/women-artificial-intelligence/

From transportation and education to media, customer service, and healthcare and wellness—industries are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence into their systems. Without more representation of women, the data these industries work off of and use to improve their operations will be deeply inaccurate. We don’t just need more women researching AI; we must have them. Continuing to leave them out is not an option. It is vital to the growth and success of AI itself and our growth as a society, and our ability to advance.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67217915

Mr Chambers also says that women may fear having their ability questioned, if they use AI tools.

“Women are more likely to be accused of not being competent, so they have to emphasise their credentials more to demonstrate their subject matter expertise in a particular field,” he says. “There could be this feeling that if people know that you, as a woman, use AI, it’s suggesting that you might not be as qualified as you are.

“Women are already discredited, and have their ideas taken by men and passed off as their own, so having people knowing that you use an AI might also play into that narrative that you’re not qualified enough. It’s just another thing that’s debasing your skills, your competence, your value.”

Or as Harriet Kelsall puts it: “I value authenticity and human creativity.”

Just a wannabe techguy •

February 20, 2024 9:22 AM

“AI”- what could possibly go wrong?

Clive Robinson •

February 20, 2024 9:42 AM

@ Bruce, ALL,

Re : Just saying yer know…

“And of course it’s no surprise that Microsoft and OpenAI (and, presumably, everyone else) are spying on our usage of AI, but this confirms it.”

As I’ve noted a few times already AI is rather more than just “spying” in the current sense of the word.

As I’ve said “AI is the ultimate surveillance tool” we currently have, and it’s use will be forced onto us one way or another Microsoft and OpenAI are just the start of it and if certain “Venture Capitalist”(VC) investment houses have their way they will pump-n-dump LLM’s way above anything tech has ever seen before and not constructively but destructively from the get go.

People should remember the secret behind AI’s as surveillance tools is the “Be” path of,

“Bedazzle, Beguile, Bewitch, befriend, and Betrayal.”

And by far the majority of Internet users will walk some or all of those stages and will end up harmed in ways that few can currently imagine.

I’d like to think the warning would be heeded but history says otherwise.

wiredog •

February 20, 2024 9:51 AM

I suspect they’re doing lookups to see where the connections are coming from and, if the connections are from $BadPlaces, doing a deeper dive. As far as listening in general, how else are they going to improve the user experience? They record everything and send bits that the AI had a harder time dealing with to Real People(TM) to review. Just the way Apple, Amazon, and Microsoftd do with voice controlled evices.

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