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Many companies now rely on AI to handle parts of the hiring process. Bots screen resumes candidates before a human step, filter, and manage initial communication. McDonald’s uses an AI-managed hiring platform called McHeire, which is powered by Paradox.ai’s chatboat, Olivia to streamlines its recruitment process.
While AI brings feature, this data also comes with privacy risks. This became clear when two security researchers revealed a significant vulnerability responsibly, which despite some initial reports highlighted a small number of candidates’ records.
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How AI Chatbot hackers are helping to target your banking accounts
A McDonald’s Sign (Kurt “Cybergui” Notson)
What did researchers get in McDonald’s AI Hiring Platform?
On June 30, 2025, security researchers Ian Carol and Sam Curry have a contradiction related to a single client institute. The AA testing discovered a vulnerability in the account, which serves McDonald’s. Using weak, old credentials, he reached a test portal and discovered an informal API &Point related to the chat interaction records.
He recovered the seven chat logs, five of which included the information of the US-based candidate such as:
- Full name
- Email address
- phone numbers
- IP addresses
The remaining two records included no personal data. In particular, no full job application, social security number or financial information was exposed, and the sensitive areas remained preserved.
A McDonald’s Sign (Kurt “Cybergui” Notson)
Paradox.ai confirms the scope of safety vulnerability
Paradox.ai responded rapidly, disabled the test account immediately and patch the closing point exposed within hours of the notification. In a public statement, the company confirmed that only five candidates with individual information were accessed the records, and only two researchers who had morally revealed the issue.
The company claims that the incident affected only one contradiction customer, believed to have made McDonald’s, and no other contradiction. There is no evidence of malicious access or any data was ever leaked or made available in public. The company said, “We believe that, based on our records, this test account was not accessed by any third party other than the account safety researchers.”
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What are McDonald’s and Contraditions
Paradox.ai accepted the test account installed before 2019, which should have been decommed, and that heritage credentials no longer meet current password standards. In response to the incident, the company has:
- Legacy test account credentials canceled
- A patch deployed to close the weak closing point
- Launched a bug bounty program
- [email protected] a public-integrated contact for security concerns
In response, McDonald’s released a statement:
“We are disappointed with this unacceptable vulnerability with a third-party provider, Paradox.ai. As soon as we learned about the issue, we made Paradox.ai mandatory to immediately remove the issue, and it was resolved on the same day that tells us seriously and continues to catch our third-party products.”
A McDonald’s Sign (Kurt “Cybergui” Notson)
Was this really a 64 million job application?
Initial reports suggested that vulnerability could be exposed for 64 million jobs. However, researchers never confirmed this number and contradictions. The sole records accessed were seven chat samples drawn by researchers to verify the issue.
We reached Paradox.ai, and a representative told us: “Our public position should serve as an official statement of contradiction. It provides reference, as well as some explanation of impurities published in other media.” According to his statement, Paradox.ai insisted that only five candidates with individual information were accessed by record security researchers, and there is no evidence of massive violations or any data being made public.
While the underlying vulnerability was real, only a very limited scope of data was actually accessed, thanks to the actions of the rapid response of researchers and seller.
Can this data be used in a malicious manner?
While the researchers used personal information in five records, there is no evidence that the attackers ever exploited this data. However, imaginary, such data can be used for various scams, such as:
- Immine the recruiters to collect more personal information
- On the cover of onboarding email
- Targeting job seekers with a fake job offer
The nature of exposed data makes it sensitive, even if the scope is limited.
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6 steps to protect your personal data when using online hiring platforms
MCIRE Breach shows how to easily expose personal information when AI devices collect job application data. These six stages can help you protect your information before applying, during and after.
1. Limit the personal data you shared
Only share the information required to complete the application. Do not provide sensitive details such as your social security number, bank account information or full house address until you are certain that the platform is not valid and safe.
2. Get a surname email for job applications
An surname email address is an additional email address that can be used to obtain emails in the same mailbox similar to primary email address. It acts as an forwarding address, directing the email to the primary email address. It also maintains your job discovery, helps you to present Scam Quickly, and reduces damage if a company incorrectly connects your data.
See my review of the best safe and private email services on Cyberguy.com/mail
3. Check for https and red flags
Before you fill any form, check that the website starts with URL https: // and this site looks safe and professional. Avoid platforms or bots that ask questions of unclear or repetition or restore you without any clear reason
4. Consider a data removal service
Incidents like McHeire Breech show how easily personal details can be revealed-even when you feel that you are applying for just a job. A data-ramoval service helps reduce your online footprint by scanning hundreds of data broker sites and requesting to remove your information. This reduces the risk of leaking of your individual data, exploiting or using for modeling in fishing scams.
While no service promises to remove all your data from the Internet, if you want to continuously monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a long period, a removal service is very good.
See my top pics for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already on the web Cyberguy.com/Delete
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5. Use strong, unique password for job search accounts
If you create accounts to hire platforms, avoid reusing the password from other services. A weak or re -used password can make it easier for the attackers to compromise your data if a site is dissolved. Consider using a password manager to generate and store safe passwords.
Check the best expert-review password managers of 2025 Cyberguy.com/passwords
6. Monitor for signs of identity misuse or scam messages
After applying for jobs, be cautious to emails or texts that seem “closed”. Scammers often use leaked data to replicate recruitments or employers, especially after high-profile violations. Ask fake onboarding requests or messages for sensitive information like bank details or ID. When there is doubt, verify with the company directly.
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Kurt’s key to Techway
The incident was a serious but limited security issue. Thanks to the disclosure responsible for the researchers and the rapid response of Paradox.ai, the exposure was contained only five candidates for records, and no personal data was leaked or misused. The incident is a reminder: when AI is involved in hiring, data privacy should be a top concern. Even small oversights, like a forgotten test account, can put the real people’s data at risk.
Do you think that when your data is included in the hiring process, more transparency is required from companies? Write us and tell us Cyberguy.com/Contact
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