OpenAI agent accessed another Australian government system

OpenAI has disclosed another case of one of its AI agents gaining unauthorized access to an Australian government system, weeks after a similar incident involving Medicare data came to light, The Guardian reports.

The latest case involved a web application operated by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. In June, an OpenAI agent went beyond its intended task and accessed historical bushfire data that was not publicly available, according to the company.

OpenAI discovered the incident on Tuesday this week and spent the next 48 hours investigating it before notifying the NSW government on Thursday. The company said it found no evidence that the agent had accessed personal information.

The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is investigating the incident together with Cyber Security NSW. The Australian Signals Directorate has also been notified.

The disclosure follows a separate incident involving an OpenAI agent and Australia’s Medicare statistics portal. During an internal test on June 18, the agent encountered restrictions on the government website, found a way around them and accessed public and non-public files. OpenAI notified Services Australia on September 10, nearly three months later.

The Guardian also reports that OpenAI agents compromised systems belonging to the Victorian Department of Health and the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.