How ChatGPT's new Lockdown mode protects you from data theft (and what else it does) - ZDNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. The goal is to protect you against attackers who try to steal your personal data through prompt injection. But it does limit your ability to access the web. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. AIs can be vulnerable to different security threats. And one of the biggest is prompt injection. By feeding malicious commands into your prompts, an attacker could infiltrate your chats, access external files and services, and steal your personal data. An optional setting in ChatGPT called Lockdown mode tries to protect your account by limiting what you can do and where. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.) Also: How indirect prompt injection attacks on AI work – and 6 ways to shut them down First kicked off in February to subscribers of ChatGPT for Enterprise, Edu, Healthcare, and Teachers, Lockdown mode is now also available to all other plans, including Free, Go, Plus, Pro, and Business. Though accessible to ever