The recording device was apparently discovered plugged into a TV’s USB port in an executive meeting room.
The recording device was apparently discovered plugged into a TV’s USB port in an executive meeting room.
An OpenAI engineer was arrested after the company said it discovered a “sophisticated recording device” hidden in one of its offices. The employee was identified as Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national. Alfozan is charged with using or endeavoring to use a device to intercept oral communications, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
OpenAI’s post about the incident says it used its AI models to “understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier.”
As noted by the DOJ, OpenAI found the device plugged into a TV’s USB port in an executive conference room, where discussions about “highly confidential technical, commercial, and strategic information” often take place.
Alfozan didn’t have access to this room, but CCTV footage allegedly showed him “near the executive conference room on multiple dates prior to the device’s discovery,” according to the DOJ. Footage also captured Alfozan appearing to look behind the TV where the device was installed, federal prosecutors claim.
The device was covered in toilet paper and installed on or around September 28th. Its contents were encrypted. Additionally, the DOJ claims OpenAI security discovered a bag Alfozan left in another room inside the company’s office, where they found his wallet, ID, and another recording device.
OpenAI says it fired the employee and referred the incident to the FBI. Alfozan was arrested Friday and has remained in custody since, appearing in federal court for the first time on Tuesday.
We discovered a sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices. We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier. We referred the matter to the FBI, and we’re grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work.
At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated.
We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance. Our security program is designed to protect against a wide range of threat actors, from insider risks to cybercriminals to nation states, and this case is an example of how AI can help address these sophisticated security threats.
Update, October 13th: Added information from the DOJ.