6 Effective Strategies for Using ChatGPT to Enhance Your Online Safety

Artificial Intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT, are not only valuable tools for conducting research but can also play a pivotal role in enhancing your online safety. When faced with potential online threats, utilizing ChatGPT for a second opinion can help mitigate risks effectively. Here are some innovative ways to leverage ChatGPT for a safer online experience.

1. Identify Phishing Emails

While many phishing attempts are straightforward, some sophisticated schemes can be quite persuasive. ChatGPT offers a solution to help you discern potentially fraudulent emails. You can either send a screenshot—ensuring sensitive details are concealed—or access the email’s raw source to copy and paste the content. For instance, in Gmail, this can be done by clicking on the three-dot menu and selecting Show original.

ChatGPT will analyze both the body and header of the email, checking for authenticity and providing feedback on whether it seems legitimate or fraudulent. This tool can also be applied to assess phishing websites and deceptive SMS messages.

2. Analyze Commands and Scripts for Malicious Content

When exploring online forums or resources, you may encounter scripts or commands intended for specific tasks on your computer. While most are safe, some may contain harmful instructions, as seen in recent attacks like FileFix. To ensure safety, you can paste any script or command into ChatGPT and request a safety check.

ChatGPT analysing powershell command safety

ChatGPT will elucidate the script contents, helping you verify that no malicious instructions are hidden within. This analysis is particularly useful for reviewing the source code of open-source applications as well.

3. Assess App and Extension Permissions

Malicious applications often request unnecessary permissions that may compromise your security. If you find an app’s permission list suspicious, you can consult ChatGPT to verify whether specific permissions are truly needed for its function. Information about permissions can typically be found on the app or extension’s listing page.

By copying and pasting the permissions list into ChatGPT and describing the app’s purpose, you can gain insights into the necessity of those permissions. Although sharing a direct link to the app can sometimes enhance the analysis, it is crucial to remember that ChatGPT might not always retrieve exhaustive permissions data from links.

4. Simplify Privacy Policies and Terms of Service

Many companies disguise invasive privacy policies and user-unfriendly terms under lengthy legal jargon, making them difficult for the average user to appreciate. ChatGPT can help by summarizing these complex documents and pinpointing concerning clauses.

If you have specific concerns, you can inquire if the policy contains relevant information. Alternatively, you can ask ChatGPT to identify any provisions that might compromise user privacy.

5. Understand Your Online Footprint

Worried about how much personal information is available about you online? If you suspect you’ve been doxxed, ChatGPT can assist. By providing basic details, you can request a comprehensive search that identifies how much information is accessible about you on the internet.

By inputting a prompt such as “Search the web for profiles, bylines, images, posts, forums, public records, and news about me, using the following details: (your information), ” you’ll receive a general overview of what others might find. Although it may not access hidden data from specialized databases, it can deliver valuable insights into your online visibility.

6. Uncover Scamming Tactics

Scammers employ various sophisticated tactics, including calling scams, pig butchering scams, and AI-driven tricks. If you’re feeling uneasy about a suspicious interaction, providing ChatGPT with information about the event can yield critical insights. You can describe the scenario or share the conversation if it occurred on a messaging platform.

ChatGPT can identify known scam techniques, guiding you to recognize the scammer’s intentions. Even with new tactics, it can highlight warning signs to enhance your safety.

While ChatGPT is a valuable resource for assessing potential scams, it is essential to exercise caution and verify the responses it provides. Additionally, utilizing prompt generation tools can help you obtain more precise information from ChatGPT.

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