Apple alleges ex-employee exploited bug after joining OpenAI
Lawsuit claims former engineer accessed confidential files after departure
Apple alleged that a former engineer exploited a previously unknown software flaw to access confidential company files after leaving for OpenAI, according to a lawsuit accusing the artificial intelligence company of trade secret theft.
Apple alleges former engineer exploited zero-day vulnerability
In a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple claimed former systems electrical engineer Chang Liu exploited what it described as a "rare" authentication bug after joining OpenAI.
The company said the flaw, classified as a zero-day vulnerability, allowed Liu to continue accessing Apple's internal network weeks after his employment ended.
Apple said it has since fixed the vulnerability and terminated the former employee's access after discovering the alleged security breach.
Confidential product files allegedly downloaded
According to the lawsuit, Liu downloaded dozens of confidential hardware-related files containing information about unreleased products, engineering presentations, technical specifications and proprietary project data.
Apple also alleged that Liu retained his company-issued laptop after leaving and used the Apple-issued laptop of another employee, Yu-Ting Peng, while she was still employed by the company.
The lawsuit further claims Liu did not report the security flaw or delete the software that allegedly enabled continued access to Apple's systems.
Message allegedly revealed ongoing network access
Apple said server logs showed Liu accessed its cloud-based engineering repository in February 2026 after discovering his credentials still worked because of the authentication vulnerability.
The complaint alleges Liu messaged Peng saying, "LOL, I found out I can access the [network storage], so funny."
Apple said it found no evidence that anyone else exploited the vulnerability, despite acknowledging that a small number of other users could potentially have accessed the affected systems.
Apple seeks jury trial
The lawsuit forms part of Apple's broader legal action accusing OpenAI of misappropriating trade secrets while recruiting former Apple employees.
OpenAI has previously denied seeking confidential information from competitors, stating it has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets."
Apple has requested a jury trial, and the case could proceed later this year.
