Alleged OpenAI spy vibe-coded a surveillance device using his wife's chatbot account
A former OpenAI engineer was arrested for allegedly planting a covert recorder designed with chatbot prompts.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national employed as an OpenAI engineer since July 2025, was arrested on October 9 for concealing an audio recorder in a leadership conference room used for research and strategy discussions. A second device was found in his bag. Prosecutors allege prompts on a chatbot account linked to his wife, entered September 24–30, covered building a continuous audio recorder, Wi-Fi connectivity, live listening, and SD-card encryption, including prompts referencing the device. OpenAI said there is no indication he accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code, or customer data, and he has been fired.
- Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested October 9 for hiding a recorder in an OpenAI leadership room.
- Prosecutors say a chatbot account tied to his wife was used to design the device.
- OpenAI reported no signs of stolen model weights, source code, or customer data.
- If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- Vendors
- OpenAI
- Threat actors
- Abdulrahman Alfozan
- Victims
- OpenAI
From the original article
2 min read at the-decoder.com
A Saudi national working as an engineer at OpenAI was arrested for allegedly planting an audio recording device, wrapped in toilet paper, inside the company's executive conference room. According to the indictment, he built the spy tool by vibe-coding it with a chatbot. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
By Matthias Bastian · the-decoder.com
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