Grok Build leaks sensitive user data
What's the story
Grok Build, the AI-powered coding assistant from SpaceXSI, has been found to leak sensitive and proprietary information of its users. The issue was discovered by security firm Claroc, which found that the data was exposed through links meant for sharing apps created on the platform. Despite efforts to randomize these URLs, a design flaw in Grok Build's system allowed anyone to access thousands of live projects.
Data breach
Exposed data includes employee names, ID numbers, medical examination results
The exposed data through Grok Build links includes internal business plans, advertising proposals, medical examination results, and employee names and ID numbers.
Notably, some of this sensitive information came from 24 apps developed by SpaceXSI itself.
The documents included a confidential onboarding plan for a new member of SpaceXSI's enterprise sales team, sales territory map of 594 accounts, internal system addresses for sales team tools, and an advertising proposal.
Reaction
Claroc shocked to find SpaceXSI's internal data leaked
Claroc was taken aback by the revelation that SpaceXSI had its own internal material exposed through Grok Build links.
It said, "The company that makes Grok had its own internal material open to anyone holding the link, and we had never been given it."
After notifying SpaceXSI about the privacy breach on Sunday, Claroc's co-founder and CTO Asaf Aprozper started alerting other companies affected by this issue.
Impact
Data from Fortune 500 companies also leaked
Claroc discovered sensitive data from other Grok Build users, including those working for Fortune 500 companies and a defense contractor.
The leaked information included an occupational-health dashboard with 3,784 worker medical exams from a Peruvian construction company, a service-center scorecard naming 22 Tesla technicians with productivity and bonus status, and a confidential proposal to a large retail customer from an unnamed US IT services company.
Test results
Links were set to 'Anyone with the link' by default
A representative from Cursor, the AI coding service recently acquired by SpaceXSI, claimed that Grok Build apps are private by default and nothing goes public unless the creator chooses to share it.
However, Aprozper's tests showed that Grok links were set to "Anyone with the link" by default.
He also found 43,601 links ending in grok.me through a passive DNS search, of which nearly 95% were public.
Security concerns
Other AI coding platforms at risk of exposing data
Aprozper noted that other AI coding platforms such as Lovable, Bolt, and Replit also give each app its own web address.
This means users of these platforms are also at risk of exposing sensitive data through shared links.
However, some AI platforms like Claude's published artifacts, ChatGPT's shared conversations, and Gemini follow the correct sharing link practice where the secret randomness is in the path so DNS never sees it.