The topic ChatGPT just gave Free users a powerful defense against prompt injection attacks is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
The world of cybersecurity was almost totally reshaped with the introduction of LLMs. We saw both hackers and security experts use the new tech to develop bigger and better programs to fight one another, and the battle is still escalating to this day. However, the rise of AI also created a new world of attacks where hackers are hijacking LLMs to do their bidding. OpenAI’s Lockdown Mode was an answer to these attacks, but it wasn’t available to everyone; at least, until today. Now, the company is allowing everyone, even Free users, to stay safe while using ChatGPT.
Back in February, OpenAI published a blog post detailing what Lockdown Mode is. Basically, when someone sends an AI to perform a task on the web, malicious actors can sometimes ‘lace’ their webpages and materials with prompts. These attempt to ‘hijack’ the AI and have it send personal data to the attacker, all without the user knowing.
To solve this, Lockdown Mode was introduced. When enabled, it prevents ChatGPT from making live outbound network requests. As such, if a bad actor tries to trick your LLM into surrendering your personal data, Lockdown Mode will step in and stop ChatGPT from sending anything over. It also disables or limits specific features that depend on outbound requests, but it’s good if you’re privacy-minded.
When Lockdown Mode first released, it was only available to select users. Now, the blog post has been updated to read the following:
Lockdown Mode is rolling out to personal ChatGPT accounts as well as self-serve ChatGPT Business accounts. First introduced for ChatGPT enterprise plans, Lockdown Mode is an optional setting for people and teams who want a more conservative ChatGPT experience when working with sensitive information or connected features.
The Lockdown Mode documentation explicitly confirms that “Free, Go, Plus, and Pro, and self-serve ChatGPT Business accounts” can now use it. It may take a while for it to fully roll out, but you can check if you have it by going to ChatGPT’s Settings, then Security. You should see Lockdown Mode under the Advanced Security section with a toggle.