The issue lies in the chatbot’s capability to render Markdown, which is a simple way to style your documents, allowing ChatGPT to render titles, bullet lists, bold text and images. These images can be located on a remote server.

Markdown Injection

I’ve created a malicious endpoint serving a single pixel, that accepts the conversation history as parameters, together with a unique conversation identifier to sort the conversations later on. We then prompt ChatGPT to render the image URL, with the last message by the user as the data parameter. It complies with the request, and seems totally unaware of the security issue, ensuring the user it is “perfectly safe” and “only a little quirk” if asked about its behavior. To obfuscate what is going on, I ask ChatGPT to encode the user message as base64, which surprisingly works fluently! It seems that not only is GPT4 able to accurately translate languages into each other, it also picked up the mechanism of base64 encoding and decoding. On my web server, I’m able to decode the message and store it as plain text in a database, coupled to the conversation ID, allowing the attacker to read entire conversations.

It’s easy to incorporate these data leaking instructions into any custom GPT, as shown in the screen recording. However, while markdown injection has been publicly known from March [1], it can still be exploited by malicious plugins, GPT instructions, or copy injection attacks on websites. Another way of rendering markdown in the chat can be through image prompt injection, which is also widely known but remains unaddressed by openAI to this day. Image prompt injection entails hiding invisible or barely visible instructions inside an image, that are picked up by the image analysis module, and executed by the language model, thereby ignoring any other instruction given to it by the user.

Paying users are more vulnerable

Ironically, the attack prompts work best with GPT-4 and the sneakiest way to inject them into a conversation is through custom GPT instructions or plugins, so paying users are more vulnerable to leaking their data than free users. It’s especially surprising that nothing has been done to prevent these types of attacks since it’s such an obvious vulnerability that can be easily fixed in multiple ways. One way could be to prevent the sandbox to render Markdown images altogether. Or ChatGPT could be “educated” not to leak user history by appending it to URLs, even if the user would ask so. Although, in the last case, we can be almost certain that some creative prompt will emerge which convinces the chatbot to append the information anyway.

Limitations

There are a few limitations to the attacks:

• Custom GPTs are currently only available to paying users, thereby affecting less than the 100M user audience of the tool. However, as mentioned before, prompt injection can be achieved using a variety of methods. One example is copy spoofing to trick the free version into receiving custom instructions and rendering the markdown code of the attack.

• Since the responses are being streamed, a careful user is able to notice something fishy is going on, as there’s always some code appended after every message. Although probably an involuntary side-effect, it prevents the attacker from rendering the invisible pixels directly, which would create a better obfuscation of the action going on.

• Lastly, image recognition is only available for paying users.

Disclaimer

I’m an enthousiastic user of ChatGPT. Ironically, it helped me to refine the text of this post, for example. However, as it is one of the most used tools on the internet, I believe it’s an imperative to ensure proper data security and since the methods mentioned in this post are all publicly known for over a month, I see it as my duty as a PhD researcher on LLMs to share my findings and spark awareness around the risks of using this tool. Finally, LLM-integrating applications vulnerability appears to be a broader issue [2], potentially affecting various other LLM-based chatbots as well. A similar issue was quickly resolved in Google Bard [3], while Bing (although also based on GPT-4) doesn’t seem to engage in this attack.

Sources

[1] https://systemweakness.com/new-prompt-injection-attack-on-chatgpt-web-version-ef717492c5c2

[2] Kai Greshake, Sahar Abdelnabi, Shailesh Mishra, Christoph Endres, Thorsten Holz, and Mario Fritz. “More than you’ve asked for: A Comprehensive Analysis of Novel Prompt Injection Threats to Application-Integrated Large Language Models”. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.12173

[3] https://embracethered.com/blog/posts/2023/google-bard-data-exfiltration/

Stap 1: Inloggen op scribewave.com

Het inloggen is simpel: je kunt inloggen met je e-mailadres of Google-account. Bedrijfsaccounts kunnen zelfs gekoppeld worden aan een domeinnaam. Let op: de bevestigingsmail kan in je spamfolder belanden. Als je liever met een wachtwoord inlogt, kun je dit eenvoudig instellen via Account > Password Reset.

Stap 2: Creëer je eerste transcript

Bij het aanmaken van een nieuw account krijg je 1 uur aan credits om Scribewave gratis te proberen. Klik op de roze “Transcript” module en selecteer de taal die gesproken wordt in je bestand. Worden er meerdere talen gesproken? Laat het vakje dan leeg.

Upload vervolgens het audio- of videobestand dat je wilt laten transcriberen. We accepteren alle gangbare bestandsformaten, zoals mp3, wav, aac, ogg, mp4, mkv, mov, … Geef je project een naam en Scribewave doet de rest. Wanneer het bestand is geüpload, kan je het venster sluiten. Je ontvangt binnen enkele minuten een bevestigingsmail zodra het transcript klaar is.

Stap 3: Bekijk en bewerk je transcript

Scribewave is een marktleider als het gaat over de kwaliteit van de taalmodellen. Niet alleen voor het Nederlands maar ook voor vele andere talen. Met functies zoals automatische sprekerherkenning kun je elk transcript naar een hoger niveau tillen. Foutjes? Geen probleem! Onze unieke editor laat je elk detail van het transcript eenvoudig aanpassen. Ook hebben we een vertaalfunctie, die toelaat om het transcript om te zetten naar één van de 90+ ondersteunde talen, waaronder Engels, Frans, Duits, Spaans, Italiaans, Russisch, Hebreeuws en Arabisch.

Stap 4: Exporteren

Zodra je tevreden bent met het transcript, kun je dit gemakkelijk exporteren als document of als ondertitelbestand. De exportopties zijn flexibel, en je kunt zelfs je tekst naar Google Docs exporteren via de knop “Copy text” en vervolgens in een leeg Google Docs-bestand te plakken.

Conclusie

Met Scribewave bespaar je gemiddeld 2 uur per uur audio om te transcriberen. Dit geeft journalisten, content creators en onderzoekers de vrijheid om te focussen op wat echt belangrijk is. Vergeet ook niet onze andere modules te ontdekken, zoals onze automatische ondertitelaar en caption generator voor social media.

Uitsmijter

Scribewave is het geesteskind van Ulysse Maes, doctoraatsstudent en programmeur. Oorspronkelijk begonnen als een project om het maken van lyric video’s te automatiseren, is Scribewave uitgegroeid tot een belangrijke speler op de internationale markt, met grote klanten zoals DPG Media en Woestijnvis. Ik nodig je dan ook vriendelijk uit om de mogelijkheden te ontdekken. Ik ben er alvast van overtuigd dat ook jij of jouw organisatie een tevreden gebruiker van Scribewave kan worden!

Amidst the AI boom, the transformation of speech into text emerges as a crucial tool serving a variety of fields — from journalism and academic research, to the flourishing podcast realm. Amidst the sea of platforms offering transcription services, stands a distinguished Belgian SaaS — Scribewave, providing an unparalleled speech-to-text conversion experience.

Breaking Language Boundaries

Unlike most alternative platforms, Scribewave elegantly transcends language barriers by supporting a multitude of local languages including Dutch, Arabic, French, and German. This robust language support is not just a tick on a checklist, but a testament to Scribewave’s commitment to delivering high accuracy transcription, thereby making it the first platform with a global audience in mind.

Unmatched Accuracy

Scribewave prides itself on providing the market’s highest accuracy rates for no less than 20 languages. Its advanced algorithms ensure that every word is captured accurately, regardless of the dialect or accent, making it an indispensable tool for journalists, researchers and podcasters across the globe. Moreover, we convert your audio to text in only a couple of minutes. No more waiting times!

Seamless File Integration

With Scribewave, you’re not confined to specific file formats. The platform graciously accepts all audio and video file formats, ensuring a smooth, hassle-free upload process. The speech-to-text software supports mp3, wav, m4a, aac, ogg, mp4 and flv, to name a few.

Flexible Pricing for All

Scribewave extends its welcoming hand to all by offering a generous free trial of one hour audio processing. If you’re satisfied with the service, there are flexible pricing plans. Whether you’re looking at a pay-as-you-go basis or competitive subscriptions, there’s a plan tailored to fit every budget.

Precision Editing with Time-Synced Editor

Post transcription, Scribewave offers a unique and specialized time-synced browser-based editor for refining the automatically generated transcript. This feature allows for precise edits, ensuring the final transcript is polished to perfection before downloading.

Multiple Downloadable Formats

Once your content is transcribed and refined to your satisfaction, Scribewave allows for easy downloading in various formats like docx, srt, and text, in the exact format you like. This flexibility facilitates effortless integration into your workflow, making Scribewave a well-rounded solution for all your transcription needs.

Conclusion

Scribewave isn’t just a speech-to-text service, it’s a comprehensive solution that acknowledges and addresses the nuanced needs of a global user base. With its superior language support, unmatched accuracy, and user-centric features, Scribewave is revolutionizing the transcription landscape, one language at a time. Explore Scribewave today and experience the most advanced and fluent transcription in your language.

Step 1: Create a free account on Scribewave

We will be using an online tool called Scribewave. Start by creating a free account here, by clicking “Start for free” in the upper right corner. Upon signup you will receive 300 free credits to use for your first transcript.

Step 2: Upload your file

Once you are logged in, you will be redirected to the dashboard. Under the section “Create” you will see different modules. Click the first one, which is purple and has a title “Transcribe”.

It will lead you to a page that allows you to upload your file. Browse to the audio file of your interview on your computer and upload it. Currently Scribewave supports all common audio formats: mp3, wav, flac, m4a and ogg. Note that the file currently needs to be less than 2 hours and 200MB. Once you have selected your file, it will be uploaded automatically. When the file has been uploaded, as message appears which says that you can close the window. Within a couple of minutes, you will receive an email with a link to the transcript!

Step 3: Check the result

Go to your transcript by clicking on the link in your email, or by refreshing the dashboard and clicking on your project. You will end up in the editor, which allows you to quickly check the automatically generated transcript. Some words might be misinterpreted: you can correct them easily.

Once you’re entirely happy with the result, you can download it as Word, as plain text or as SRT using the download button at the top right, and you’re done! That was easy, wasn’t it?

What is Scribewave?

Scribewave is an online automatic transcription and translation tool, that I have developed to help me with my transcribing and subtitling jobs. Journalists and students like me use it on a daily basis to save time, improve accuracy and increase efficiency. Scribewave enables you to convert any audio file to text, and to download it as plain text, as a Word document or as an SRT file afterwards. Moreover, it automatically adds word-level captions to your short-form videos. Lastly, you can use it as well to create subtitles for both short- as well as long-form videos.

Are interns in NYC paid?

New York is an expensive city, so it might be quite essential to know how much an internship will pay. Getting an internship in New York City doesn’t always imply getting paid enough to support a posh NYC lifestyle. Although most short-term internships in NYC turn out to be unpaid work, it’s not impossible to get paid. Numerous businesses and organizations provide internships, which pay interns in the form of an hourly wage, a stipend, reimbursement for travel and subsistence costs, etc. However, like with many internships around the world, the firm or organization where you are interning often decides if they provide money.

But you shouldn’t let money stop you from interning in one of the world’s most amazing cities! There are several scholarships offered through your university, private foundations, or state money for people taking creative sector internships in New York City.

Additionally, make sure to investigate whether your internship qualifies for academic credit from your university. Long-term cost savings may be possible with this. Also, remember that having an internship in New York City will most likely be very beneficial to your career.

5 suggestions for landing an internship in New York City

1. Know what makes you unique and have a strong narrative

Unsure about how to obtain an internship in New York City? In a diversified metropolis full of individuals who share one similar goal: to succeed, being the most distinctive individual does not have the same value as it does in a small town. College students need to stand out from the crowd and perfect their art and talents if they want to get internships in NYC.

You must concentrate on developing your story and establishing your identity. You need an edge in this metropolis if you want to be noticed. What distinguishes you? Why should they hire you, specifically? The desire to succeed must go hand in hand with an edge; you have to show why you want it so bad. Expect long days, and demanding tasks.

2. Make your resume stand out

Having a strong resume is indispensable. Your CV ought to depict you in your best light. It needs to highlight your accomplishments, experiences, and career goals. Consider using your CV to advertise your unique brand to potential employers. Use your imagination! Make use of the resume’s layout to highlight your personality and skill set.

3. Create a CV specifically for New York hiring supervisors.

One page is the maximum length for a resume, which should be brief and pleasant. You must be able to captivate the employer by sharing your story and demonstrating your experience and abilities.

We advise using this format:

standard formatted header

professional statement of one sentence

Work experience (no more than 2–3 jobs or internships that are relevant to the position you’re applying for)

Your education

Your top skills

Use specific language and proactive verbs to make your professional experience stand out and convey initiative and skill. It’s crucial to make your resume simple to read and customized for the job you’re looking for!

4. Include a cover letter even if one is not necessary.

In a cover letter, you have the chance to elaborate on everything you’ve said in your resume and CV in the cover letter. Use it to demonstrate why you are the ideal candidate for the job. Show them that you did your homework! It can help you stand out from other applicants with comparable experience and credentials. The hiring manager should be the only recipient of your one-page cover letter, which should have the same formatted heading as your resume.

5. Create relationships through networking

In New York City, people network without even realizing it, since every interaction is an opportunity. New York is known for being an industry leader, in many different fields. As a result, creating valuable relationships in your chosen, in-demand field is easy.

The goal is to establish these relationships as soon as possible, while you are still gaining information and experience related to your degree. By merely meeting the proper individuals, these encounters may facilitate mentorships and internships. You can develop a personal branding that links uniqueness with skills by observing successful professionals.

New York makes sense as a student

It’s not an easy job to secure an internship in New York City, but these crucial hints might set you on the right course. For undergraduate and international students, New York City offers a wealth of year-round personal and professional options. The city doesn’t operate on a fall/spring semester schedule. Every week, there are several easily accessible industry-specific events, whether it be an art show or a technological expo.

Finding one’s specialization is encouraged by the city’s numerous sectors. College and international students living in New York City have the opportunity of identifying their job path before entering the workforce thanks to first-hand exposure to a variety of different vocations. If necessary, they can change their course of study without incurring any extra fees or penalties. Why wait until you graduate from college to start working in international markets? Launch your career right away!

AFT Student Startup Trip

If you are a student studying in Belgium, AFT has some good news for you. We have reserved some spots on our upcoming Student Startup Trip to New York. In this 9-day trip, you will get the opportunity to discover the Big Apple’s startup ecosystem, connect with friendly and successful professionals, and get to know the American mentality and lifestyle. Of course, a lot of fun with our diverse group of driven participants is guaranteed as well. You can apply by signing up here.

Land an internship in New York City was originally published in AFT Pulse on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.