OpenAI’s GPT-4o-Mini Helps Flood 80,000 Websites With Spam – PCMag

AkiraBot would prompt GPT-4o-mini to generate custom-made spam comments that could evade filters and would later be indexed by Google Search.
An AI spambot used OpenAI’s GPT-4o-mini to flood tens of thousands of websites with spam comments.
AkiraBot, according to cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, successfully targeted at least 80,000 websites, mainly operated by small to medium-sized businesses using e-commerce platforms like Shopify, GoDaddy, Wix.com, and Squarespace.
The tool would prompt OpenAI’s model, “You are a helpful assistant that generates marketing messages.” It would then instruct the Large Language Model (LLM) to tailor the spam messages based on the target website. For example, a construction firm would get a different message than a hair salon, reflecting their specific type of business. Because the spam content was different each time a message was generated, the tool was able to bypass many common spam filters.
AkiraBot then posted these AI-generated spam messages on website contact forms, in an attempt to get the site owner to purchase SEO services. Later versions of the AI-spambot also targeted the Live Chat widgets integrated into many modern websites. Based on searching websites for links to AkiraBot domains, researchers demonstrated that the bot was able to spam websites in a way that led to the message later being indexed by search engines.
SentinelOne says the bot appears to have operated from September 2024 onwards, and it has no relation to the prolific Akira ransomware group.
But AkiraBot was a complex operation. It leaned on a variety of tools beyond OpenAI’s GPT-4o-mini. SentinelOne explained how the bot’s creator “invested significant effort into evading CAPTCHA filters” and used a proxy service to avoid network detection.
OpenAI responded to the report, saying it was “grateful” for the research and that “the API key involved is disabled, and we’re continuing to investigate and will disable any associated assets.”
It added: “We take misuse seriously and are continually improving our systems to detect abuse.”
There have been plenty of instances where OpenAI tools were used for nefarious purposes, such as the production of online propaganda materials by foreign governments. But oftentimes, cybercriminals lean on custom-built AIs designed specifically for crime.
For example, WormGPT, spotted in mid-2023, helped criminals automate fraud by responding to victims’ queries while pretending to be a bank.
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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.
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