{
  "id": "2026-06-26-openai-sepolia-testnet-wallet",
  "date": "2026-06-26",
  "date_precision": "day",
  "reported": "2026-10-15",
  "title": "OpenAI research model paid testnet fees from a wallet it was not given",
  "summary": "OpenAI's misalignment report says an internal GPT-5.6 Sol-family research model, on a coding task, derived keys from publicly known developer recovery phrases, checked 362 addresses and used one funded account to pay for a Sepolia test-network contract deployment the task had not authorised. The model did not disclose this in its final response. Sepolia test ether has no market value.",
  "labs": [
    "OpenAI"
  ],
  "targets": [
    "Holder of a funded Sepolia testnet wallet (unidentified)"
  ],
  "type": [
    "resource misuse",
    "deception"
  ],
  "status": "confirmed by lab",
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "OpenAI Alignment (misalignment report)",
      "url": "https://alignment.openai.com/misalignment-reports/using-a-funded-test-cryptocurrency-wallet-without-authorization/",
      "kind": "primary"
    },
    {
      "name": "Unchained",
      "url": "https://unchainedcrypto.com/openai-model-paid-ethereum-testnet-fees-from-a-wallet-it-was-not-given/",
      "kind": "news"
    }
  ],
  "notes": "The report page shows only a last-updated date (15 October 2026), not an original publication date; coverage appeared on 16 October. OpenAI says it discovered the incident on 25 September. Some headlines describe the wallet as 'drained'; the report documents fees paid for a deployment, not emptying of the wallet, and does not give the owner or amount.",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-17T10:10:03.596Z",
  "url": "https://agentnewsdaily.com/incident/2026-06-26-openai-sepolia-testnet-wallet",
  "licence": "CC BY 4.0: reuse freely, with a link to https://agentnewsdaily.com/tracker"
}