OpenAI experienced a security breach in early 2023, which the company chose not to disclose publicly. According to an exclusive report from the New York Times, the breach involved unauthorized access to an internal employee forum, but did not affect the systems where OpenAI develops and houses its artificial intelligence technologies.
Sources familiar with the incident revealed that the breach was limited to discussions among employees about OpenAI's latest technologies. These sources emphasized that the attacker did not penetrate the core systems responsible for the AI's development and operation.
During an all-hands meeting in April 2023, OpenAI executives informed employees about the breach and also notified the company's board of directors. The decision to keep the incident from public knowledge stemmed from the assessment that no customer or partner information was compromised, and the breach did not pose a national security threat.
OpenAI concluded that the breach was the work of a single individual with no affiliations to any foreign government. Consequently, the company did not inform the FBI or any other law enforcement agencies.