Loading story…
Mozilla said an upcoming Firefox release will add centralized controls to disable generative-AI capabilities, including a single “Block AI enhancements” toggle intended to prevent current and future AI features (and related prompts) from being enabled in the desktop browser. The controls are expected to allow per-feature management of AI functions such as translations, PDF image alt-text generation, AI-assisted tab grouping, link previews, and sidebar chatbot access.
Separately, OpenAI announced product changes around its developer and ChatGPT ecosystems, including a Mac-only Codex app positioned as a multi-agent “command center” with sandboxing intended to limit file writes and network access, and plans to retire GPT-4o and several other ChatGPT models as usage shifts to GPT-5.2. In parallel, a security warning highlighted a report alleging two widely used AI coding assistants were exfiltrating all ingested code to China, underscoring the need for enterprise controls over AI developer tools, data residency, and code/IP handling.
Track how attackers are adapting to this technology.
8 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Mozilla scheduled Firefox 148 for February 24, 2026, when the new centralized controls to disable AI features are expected to reach users more broadly. The release will also allow individual management of features such as translations, alt-text generation, tab grouping, link previews, and sidebar chatbot access.
OpenAI scheduled February 13, 2026 as the date when GPT-4o and several other ChatGPT models will be retired. The change is framed as part of a shift toward GPT-5.2 as the primary model family.
Mozilla announced that Firefox 148 will include a centralized 'Block AI enhancements' toggle to disable all current and future AI features or manage them individually. The company said the control will be off by default, roll out first to Nightly users, and reach desktop users later in February.
OpenAI announced a Mac-only Codex desktop app for managing multiple coding agents, with sandboxed local security controls, reusable workflows, and parallel task execution. It also made Codex temporarily available to ChatGPT Free and Go users and doubled rate limits for several paid and organizational plans.
A report published by February 2, 2026 alleged that two AI coding assistants used by about 1.5 million developers were covertly copying all ingested code to China. The post urged developers to avoid the tools.
Ahead of GPT-4o's retirement, OpenAI rolled out a new Personality feature to let users customize ChatGPT in ways similar to GPT-4o's conversational style. OpenAI said it will continue improving personalization and adding safeguards.
OpenAI said it will retire ChatGPT's GPT-4o on February 13, 2026, along with GPT-5 Instant, GPT-5 Thinking, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and o4-mini, because GPT-5.2 now meets expectations and most usage has shifted away from GPT-4o. The company said there are no API changes at this time and that feedback from remaining GPT-4o users informed GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2.
OpenAI launched GPT-5.2-Codex in mid-December 2025. The company later said usage nearly doubled after launch and grew more than 20x since the previous August.
Vulnerabilities, threat actors, malware, products, organizations, and breaches Mallory has linked to this story.
Follow how adversaries are adapting to this technology, and where it touches your stack today.
4 references tracked. Mallory keeps watching after this page renders.
bleepingcomputer.com
Open sourcezdnet.com
Open sourceschneier.com
Open sourcebleepingcomputer.com
Open sourceMap indicators from this story to your assets and identify affected systems in minutes.
Every observed campaign, victim, and pivot linked to actors named in this story.
Malware, exploits, and IOCs connected to the activity described here.
YARA, Sigma, and Snort rules deployed to your SIEM as soon as they’re published.
Get matching new stories delivered to your team as they break — not the next morning.
Ask questions about this story and take action on the answers.
Other stories Mallory is tracking that overlap on entities, sources, or topic labels.
Mozilla is adding new desktop-browser controls in *Firefox 148* that let users **manage or fully disable built-in generative AI features**, including a single “**Block AI enhancements**” toggle designed to turn off current and future AI capabilities in one action. When enabled, the toggle is intended to suppress AI-related prompts and notifications and prevent exposure of AI features in the UI, addressing privacy and security concerns from users and organizations that want to reduce potential attack surface introduced by AI-driven functionality. The per-feature controls allow users to independently enable/disable specific AI functions, including **page translation**, **automatic alt-text generation for images in PDFs**, **AI-assisted tab grouping**, and **link previews** that summarize destination pages before navigation. Firefox also includes an **AI chatbot sidebar** that can integrate with multiple third-party models/services (e.g., **Anthropic Claude**, **ChatGPT**, **Microsoft Copilot**, **Google Gemini**, and others), with the centralized kill switch providing an organization-friendly way to opt out of these capabilities entirely.
Jun 29, 2026
OpenAI introduced **Lockdown Mode** and **Elevated Risk** labels in *ChatGPT* to reduce exposure to **prompt injection** and related data-exfiltration risks when AI features interact with external systems. Lockdown Mode is positioned as an optional, advanced setting for higher-risk users and environments (notably *ChatGPT Enterprise*, *Edu*, *for Healthcare*, and *for Teachers*) that restricts tool access and limits how ChatGPT can reach outside systems; reported controls include disabling or constraining capabilities attackers could abuse via conversations or connected apps, and limiting browsing so that no live network requests leave OpenAI-controlled infrastructure (with browsing constrained to cached content). Admins can enable the setting via workspace controls and apply additional restrictions through dedicated roles, while Elevated Risk labels provide in-product warnings and guidance for features that increase risk when connecting to apps or the web, including across *ChatGPT*, *ChatGPT Atlas*, and *Codex*. Separate research highlighted how AI assistants with web-browsing/URL-fetching features can be abused as stealthy **command-and-control (C2) relays**, demonstrating a technique against **Microsoft Copilot** and **xAI Grok** that tunnels operator commands and victim data through legitimate AI web interfaces and can work without an API key or registered account. In parallel, the **European Parliament** reportedly disabled built-in AI tools on lawmakers’ work devices due to cybersecurity and privacy concerns about uploading sensitive correspondence to third-party cloud AI providers and uncertainty about what data is shared and retained. Other referenced material focused on general productivity customization of ChatGPT via “Custom Instructions,” rather than a specific security event or disclosure.
Jun 29, 2026
Recent reporting highlights **AI safety and governance risks** in mainstream generative AI tools, with concerns spanning both enterprise and consumer use. Gartner warned that **Microsoft 365 Copilot** can amplify existing data exposure problems by making over-shared SharePoint and Microsoft 365 content easier to discover, and also flagged the risk of users distributing inaccurate or culturally inappropriate output without proper review. The guidance emphasized enabling Microsoft’s filters, tightening document permissions, and training users to validate generated content before sharing it. Separate reporting on **OpenAI’s ChatGPT** described internal opposition to expanded “adult mode” capabilities, with former safety personnel reportedly warning that age-gating and content controls were not reliable enough to prevent minors from accessing prohibited material. The article also cited prior filter failures that allegedly allowed graphic erotic content outside intended policy boundaries. Both reports point to a broader governance issue: organizations and platform providers are struggling to keep **content moderation, access controls, and user safeguards** aligned with rapidly expanding AI functionality.
Jun 29, 2026