ChatGPT for macOS Just Found Violating Apple's Security Policy: How It Affects You

Mac app ChatGPT has encountered a concerning security issue that could have easily compromised users’ conversations and data, according to a new report.

Developer Pedro José Pereira Vieito revealed on Threads that ChatGPT stores its data as plain text, bypassing the security measure. This would allow other apps to easily find and read the data. For example, Pedro José Pereira Vieito could read past conversations between the user and ChatGPT with an app he developed.

Posted by @pvieito

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Apple and OpenAI — (Image credit: OpenAI and Apple)

As The Verge noted, this means that the ChatGPT app did not follow the sandboxing protocol used by the majority of Apple apps. Sandboxing refers to protocols in place that force apps to restrict their data, making it impossible for other apps to access or make changes to the data without express permission.

After contacting OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, The Verge received the following statement from spokesperson Taya Christianson:

“We are aware of this issue and have delivered a new version of the app that encrypts these conversations.”

“We are committed to providing a useful user experience while maintaining our high security standards as our technology evolves.”

An update to the ChatGPT app has since been released for macOS that appears to fix the issue, locking ChatGPT’s data with proper encryption and preventing Pereria Vieito’s method from working.

It’s worth noting that the ChatGPT app is different from the Apple/OpenAI partnership that is part of Apple Intelligence. Apple will likely be much stricter on security details for this specific integration, though a number of app-to-app handoffs will be required for ChatGPT to work.

This issue may have some users concerned about the security of their data and their AI chatbot’s conversations. However, the speed with which Apple and OpenAI fixed the issue should help ease some concerns. To protect yourself and your data, we recommend updating your apps and macOS as often as possible and investing in good antivirus software.