Technologies

ChatGPT Bug Exposed Some Subscribers’ Payment Info

Investigation into a bug that exposed chat history titles reveals additional issues.

OpenAI temporarily disabled ChatGPT earlier this week to fix a bug that allowed some people to see the titles of other users’ chat history with the popular AI chatbot. In an update Friday, OpenAI said the bug may have also exposed some personal data of ChatGPT Plus subscribers, including payment information.

«Upon deeper investigation, we also discovered that the same bug may have caused the unintentional visibility of payment-related information of 1.2% of the ChatGPT Plus subscribers who were active during a specific nine-hour window,» OpenAI said in the update.

The bug, which has now been fixed, allowed some people to see another user’s first and last name, email address, payment address, last four digits of a credit card number and credit card expiration date. Full credit card numbers were not exposed, OpenAI said. The company said it believes the number of people «whose data was actually revealed to someone else is extremely low.»

In a tweet Wednesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said a significant issue in ChatGPT was the result of a «bug in an open source library.» On Friday, the company said the «bug was discovered in the Redis client open-source library» that OpenAI uses to cache user information in its server.

While it’s unclear the exact number of people impacted, it’s a reminder to be cautious when using ChatGPT and other new AI tools, many of which are still in beta or testing phases. OpenAI on Friday said it has notified affected users that their payment information may have been exposed.

OpenAI released ChatGPT late last year, and by January, the service was estimated to have reached 100 million active users. It’s been followed by a surge in new AI tools and services from companies including Microsoft, Google and Adobe.

The ChatGPT bug gained notice earlier this week after OpenAI confirmed to Bloomberg that some people saw the titles from other people’s chat history instead of their own. However, the «substance of the other users’ conversations was not visible,» according to Bloomberg. When someone is using ChatGPT, a chat history with the service shows up along the left-hand side of the website, letting people continue past conversations.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.

Technologies

iPhone 17 Preorders Spike and Overall Phone Sales Aren’t Slowing Down Despite Tariffs

Global smartphone shipments saw a notable increase in the third quarter of 2025. Plus, preorders for Apple’s new iPhone 17 beat out the iPhone 16.

Despite tariffs and market uncertainty, global smartphone shipments increased 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year, according to the International Data Corporation. Additionally, preorders for the iPhone 17, which launched last month, outpaced last year’s iPhone 16.

These increased sales include premium phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung foldables, suggesting yet again that pricier phones still sell in periods of economic strain. It’s a remarkable achievement, says IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, citing shrewd financing options as the reason people keep buying these high-end phones, which cost anywhere from $800 to nearly $2,000.

«[Phone makers] have mastered the art of innovation not only in hardware and software to entice upgrades but also in removing purchase friction. They have flawlessly combined cutting-edge devices with innovative financing models and aggressive trade-in programs that make the upgrading decision a ‘no-brainer’ for consumers,» Popal said in an IDC press release.

Apple sold 58.6 million iPhones this quarter, an increase of 2.9% over the same period in 2024, with more preorders for the iPhone 17 series than its predecessor. But Samsung wasn’t far behind, with its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 selling better than all of the company’s prior foldables. The company still reigns atop the phone market with 61.4 million phones sold, representing 19% of the market in the third quarter of this year — an increase of 6.3% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Apple lands slightly behind Samsung with 18.2% market share this quarter.

The other phone makers trailing Apple and Samsung are, in order: Xiaomi, with 13.5% of the market; Transsion, with 9%; and Vivo with 8.9%. The remaining companies in the phones industry, from Chinese stalwarts like Oppo and Honor to Motorola and Google, make up the remaining 31.4% of the market for the quarter. All told, 322.7 million phones were sold, up from 314.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to IDC.

IDC’s findings for the third quarter continue the small but steady growth of phone sales over the year, including a modest 1% increase in the preceding three months — which includes the April deadline when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs. In the second quarter, IDC cited midrange devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and other phones that started incorporating AI. But even persistent tariffs haven’t slowed down people’s appetites for pricier phones in the third quarter.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.