The corporation on Thursday launched Advanced Account Security (AAS), a set of opt-in protections for ChatGPT users designed for high-value individuals — but available to anyone who wants them. This also touches on aspects of startup.

As part of that latest program, digital security provider Yubico stated it has partnered with OpenAI to link two latest security key products to ChatGPT accounts. The corporation commented the partnership was designed to protect users from the threat of phishing, which is considered to be a growing threat for chatbot users.

The two companies are releasing a pair of “co-branded” YubiKeys — dubbed the YubiKey C NFC and the YubiKey C Nano.

OpenAI has suggested that AAS is a superb fit for political dissidents, journalists, researchers, and elected officials — citizens who engage in politically charged and risky work. One would assume that it might build sense for enterprise users, whose corporate secrets are squirreled away in ChatGPT sessions.

“Ultimately, our intent is to drastically reduce the threat of unauthorized access to sensitive data in OpenAI accounts worldwide,” Yubico CEO Jerrod Chong remarked in press release announcing the deal.

Security keys are modest pieces of hardware that can be tied to digital accounts and enacted through a computer’s USB ports. A unique cryptographic identifier lives on the key, which allows only the person in possession of it to log into a connected account.

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Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. words-dark-web” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow”>growing body of literature showing that unfavorable actors are increasingly targeting chatbot users. Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for extortion-worthy information and, given the intimate nature of most chatbot conversations, there is plenty of fodder when it comes to both enterprise and personal-level users.

Digital security is also becoming a bigger focus of the AI industry. Several weeks ago, Anthropic proclaimed a novel cybersecurity model called Mythos. Perhaps seeking to steal some of its competitor’s thunder, OpenAI has also made a number of announcements related to digital security. Thursday’s news of the Yubico partnership followed OpenAI’s announcement that it’s launching a latest framework for digital defense.

Of course, a security-key-enabled account does offer stronger protection, but it comes with a tradeoff: If the key is lost, OpenAI won’t be able to help recover access. In practice, that means conversations could be lost for excellent.

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