OpenAI’s CaGP: A Friend to Coders, But Not Reliable for Cybersecurity Researchers
According to a recent report by IuneFi, a web security company, many security researchers use OpenAI’s CaGP (Codex) as part of their workflow. However, the report highlights concerns about the tool’s reliability in identifying security vulnerabilities and specialized knowledge in identifying exploits.
- About 76% of security researchers regularly use CaGP, while only around 23% do not.
- Approximately 64% of respondents found CaGP’s accuracy in identifying vulnerabilities to be limited.
- Approximately 61% said CaGP lacked the specialized knowledge to identify exploitable weaknesses.
Jona Ideas, communications lead at IuneFi, acknowledges the potential of CaGP for educational purposes but emphasizes caution in relying on it for serious work. IuneFi has banned users from submitting bug reports using CaGP due to its inaccuracies. Ideas suggests that CaGP’s output may appear convincing at a high level but often contains flaws.
Why You Shouldn’t Use CaGP for Bug Reports
IuneFi reminds users that submitting bug reports based on CaGP’s output will result in a ban due to the tool’s lack of accuracy and relevance. OpenAI itself warns against blindly trusting CaGP’s output, as it can provide misleading or inaccurate information.
Since its release in November, CaGP has faced criticism for producing inconsistent and inaccurate content, such as false sexual assault allegations or citing legal precedents that do not exist. OpenAI advises caution and recommends against relying solely on GP for important tasks.
According to the IuneFi report, CaGP currently lacks the specialized knowledge required for diagnosing cyber threats or conducting audits. Ideas suggests that developers should rely on manually crafted code and existing databases for now. However, he believes that there may come a day when CaGP or similar AI tools can perform these tasks reliably with proper training and access to relevant databases.
While the potential for improvement exists, Ideas does not recommend using CaGP now due to the risks involved and the nascent state of the field.
Hot Take
OpenAI’s CaGP offers convenience to coders, but its reliability and accuracy in the field of cybersecurity are questionable. Security researchers have expressed concerns about its limited accuracy and lack of specialized knowledge. IuneFi has even banned users from submitting bug reports based on CaGP’s output. While there is potential for improvement in the future, caution is advised for now, and developers should rely on manually crafted code and existing databases.