gcdRadar
archive/Patch now/AIR-2024-0005
closedclosed 15 Jul 2024Patch now2 Disclosed vulnerabilityAI

OpenAI ChatGPT macOS App Stored User Conversations in Plain Text

ChatGPT Mac App

OpenAI's ChatGPT application for macOS stored user chat logs in unencrypted plain text files locally. The security flaw allowed potential local access to sensitive conversations until OpenAI released an update.

fix status
Fix status unknown
first report
1 Jul 2024
last update
1 Jul 2024

Timeline · 1

  1. 1 Jul 2024OpenAI's ChatGPT Mac App Stored User Data in Unencrypted Text Files

Sources · 1

Research and catalogues

  1. 2024-07-01
    OpenAI's ChatGPT Mac App Stored User Data in Unencrypted Text Files
    AI Incident Database · incidentdatabase.ai/cite/757

Titles and links belong to their publishers. The summary above is written by gcdRadar in its own words; data is CC BY-SA 4.0.

Classification

lane
Patch now
AI role
Attack on AI
categories
Data leak
severity
2 · Disclosed vulnerability
fix status
Fix status unknown
targets
OpenAI
owasp llm top 10
LLM02:2025 Sensitive Information Disclosure
mitre atlas
no technique for these categories
tags
plaintextlocal-storageprivacychatgpt
dates
happened 1 Jul 2024 · first reported 1 Jul 2024
origin
AI Incident Database
Derived from the AI Incident Database (CC BY-SA 4.0).
record
confidence 0.95 · created 2026-10-18 06:33Z · updated 2026-10-18 06:59Z

Lane, AI role, categories and severity come from the classifier; the OWASP and ATLAS rows are derived from the categories. How these are assigned

Copy a brief

This record as a short Markdown brief, for a ticket, a chat or a coding agent.

the brief as text
# OpenAI ChatGPT macOS App Stored User Conversations in Plain Text

https://gcdradar.vercel.app/incidents/openai-chatgpt-macos-app-stored-user-conversations-in-plain · AIR-2024-0005 · closed 2024-07-15

- Lane: Patch now
- Severity: 2 (Disclosed vulnerability)
- Fix status: Fix status unknown
- First reported: 2024-07-01
- AI role: Attack on AI
- Products: ChatGPT Mac App

## Summary

OpenAI's ChatGPT application for macOS stored user chat logs in unencrypted plain text files locally. The security flaw allowed potential local access to sensitive conversations until OpenAI released an update.

## What to do

No action recorded; read the sources below and the vendor's advisory.

## Latest updates

- 2024-07-01: OpenAI's ChatGPT Mac App Stored User Data in Unencrypted Text Files (https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/757)

## Sources

- 2024-07-01 AI Incident Database: OpenAI's ChatGPT Mac App Stored User Data in Unencrypted Text Files https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/757

Verify against the vendor's advisory before changing production. Data CC BY-SA 4.0, https://gcdradar.vercel.app.

Related

  1. closed
    ChatGPT ChatGPT Account Compromise Leads to Exposure of Private Chat Logs

    Breaches & attacks · Exploited · since 30 Jan 2024

    AI
  2. closed
    ChatGPT Multiple LLM Platforms Expose Thousands of Conversations via Share Links

    Breaches & attacks · Exploited · since 31 Jul 2025

    AI
  3. closed
    ChatGPT CISA Acting Director Uploaded Sensitive Documents to Public ChatGPT

    Breaches & attacks · Exploited · since 15 Jul 2025

    AI
  4. closed
    AWS Bedrock Threat Actors Hijack Cloud-Hosted LLMs via Stolen Credentials

    Patch now · Exploited · since 6 May 2024

    AI
  5. closed
    Common Crawl Live API Keys Discovered in LLM Training Data Archive

    Patch now · Disclosed · since 28 Feb 2025

    AI
  6. closed5.7
    Lobe Chat CVE-2024-37895: Lobe Chat API key leak vulnerability

    Patch now · Disclosed · since 17 Jun 2024 · CVE-2024-37895

    AI