Security researchers discovered a significant vulnerability in the initial releases of the ChatGPT desktop application for macOS. The app stored user chat histories locally on the system in unencrypted plain text rather than utilizing secure memory allocations. Because the application bypassed Apple’s native sandboxing restrictions, any other local process or malicious app could easily access the sensitive logs. OpenAI responded by rolling out an emergency software update to properly encrypt conversation histories stored on Mac devices. Users of the ChatGPT macOS app are strongly urged to download the latest version or reinstall the application to ensure their data remains secure.

Full report : A newly discovered vulnerability in OpenAI’s macOS desktop app bypassed standard sandboxing and stored sensitive conversations unencrypted on local drives.