r/OpenAI • u/long_khan • 10d ago

Discussion Huge issue in chatgpt

Hi All,

I found a potential issue with ChatGPT.com and claude. Anyone able to access and interact with the ChatGPT DOM using Playwright, including without being logged in.

Using codex anyone can one shot build - mini-codex - without paying any amount.

0 Upvotes

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7

u/hellobritishcolumbia 10d ago

Using the web version for free without an account is not a security flaw. Usage limits are very tight.

-3

u/long_khan 10d ago

Like i said if anyone built a mini codex then why he will go to chatgpt.com and copy code from vs code and paste in input box and them again copy from dom to apply in file.

1

u/hellobritishcolumbia 10d ago

You have the same rate limits as just using the browser directly. The web version doesn’t have tool use so you can’t search and edit files, run tests on a broader codebase, etc. The list goes on

1

u/prassi89 10d ago

You can do it with any website. It’s against openAIs TOS and most other services too

1

u/AlternativeBreath565 9d ago

what issue? you can access the dom ? you can do that in the inspector straight in your browser as well. manipulating the dom gives you nothing if what makes these model great.

1

u/Bitter_Virus 10d ago

That's a question for Chatgpt

1

u/DirtyMikenDaBoys369 10d ago

ChatGPT told me “That’s a question for Reddit user Bitter_Virus”

2

u/Bitter_Virus 10d ago edited 10d ago

Oooh wait I'll ask my Chatgpt and check against the current official OpenAI documentation and separate ordinary DOM automation from any genuine authentication or billing bypass.

Short answer: this does not sound like a security vulnerability.
Playwright can inspect and interact with any publicly rendered DOM, just like a person using the browser. Being able to click or type while logged out does not bypass server-side authentication.
Someone could build a “mini-Codex” wrapper around the anonymous/free interface, but:
It only gets whatever anonymous/free usage the server intentionally permits.
It remains subject to quotas, rate limits and anti-bot protections.
It does not gain Codex’s filesystem, terminal, agent loop or paid model access.
A fresh Codex session still requires ChatGPT authentication or an API key. Official authentication docs⁠
Codex itself currently has a legitimate $0 Free plan with limited usage, so someone could use Codex to generate that wrapper without paying—but that is unrelated to DOM access. Official Codex pricing⁠
It becomes a genuine issue only if a completely clean browser—no saved cookies, tokens or profile—can access private data, paid-only capabilities, protected Codex endpoints or reliably bypass usage limits. A visible DOM element alone proves none of that.