How OpenAI is defending ChatGPT Atlas from attacks now - and why safety's not guaranteed

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• OpenAI built an "automated attacker" to test Atlas' defenses.
• The qualities that make agents useful also make them vulnerable.
• AI security will be a game of cat and mouse for a long time.

OpenAI is automating the process of testing ChatGPT Atlas, its agentic web browser, for vulnerabilities that could harm users. At the same time, the company acknowledges that the nature of this new type of browser likely means it will never be completely protected from certain kinds of attacks.

The company published a blog post on Tuesday describing its latest effort to secure Atlas against prompt injection attacks, in which malicious third parties covertly slip instructions to the agent behind the browser, causing it to act against the user's interests; think of it like a digital virus that temporarily takes control of ...