Key points
- Security firm Claroc says about 95 percent of Grok-built apps it found online were open to anyone with the link, roughly 35,000 of more than 37,000 checked.
- Exposed material included 24 internal apps from SpaceXSI and X, such as a sales territory map and confidential ad proposals; those were pulled after press inquiries.
- Claroc ties the problem to a preselected "Anyone with the link" option and to app addresses that appear in passive DNS databases.
- SpaceXSI has not committed to notifying affected owners, so Claroc says it is contacting them directly; the firm sells security tools for AI-built apps.
Why it matters for marketers: Teams that spin up landing pages, ad tools or customer lists with AI builders may be publishing client data without knowing it, so sharing defaults deserve a check today.
Security firm Claroc reports that Grok Build, the AI app builder from SpaceXSI (the merged SpaceX and xAI), left most shared apps open to the public. By its count, 35,578 of 37,571 live apps could be opened without a login. The firm says the sharing dialog preselected "Anyone with the link," and that each app's address could be found through passive DNS databases.
The exposed material ranged from games and calculators to sales rosters, ad proposals, hospital staff lists and business pricing data. Claroc says 24 of the open apps belonged to SpaceXSI and X staff, including a sales territory map and confidential ad proposals. Those were taken offline after the findings were raised with the company and Ars Technica asked questions. Other users' apps reportedly remain reachable.
SpaceXSI's response, as reported, was that apps stay private until a creator shares them. A Cursor representative, speaking for the company, said competing coding tools also offer shareable links. Claroc's tests, as reported, found the Grok default was the open setting. Claroc also says other builders such as Lovable, Bolt and Replit give apps their own addresses, so similar DNS exposure applies, though it found the most sensitive data on Grok.
For marketing and content teams, the lesson is practical. Quick internal tools built with AI, such as campaign dashboards, lead lists and client proposals, can go live with no sign-in. Before sharing any AI-built app, check the access setting, pick the most restrictive option that works, and keep client or customer data out of prototypes. Claroc asked SpaceXSI to make "Only you" the default; watch whether that happens.
Sources
This brief is our own summary. Read the full reporting at the source.