Researchers from George Mason College have demonstrated a solution to manipulate synthetic intelligence (AI) fashions by altering a single binary digit of their reminiscence.
Such a assault, named “Oneflip”, targets the saved values, often called weights, that decide how an AI system capabilities. These values are saved as strings of 1s and 0s in a pc’s reminiscence.
If certainly one of these bits is modified on the proper location, it could actually shift the AI’s habits with out decreasing its total accuracy.
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The underlying technique borrows from a recognized {hardware} flaw referred to as Rowhammer. This system entails repeatedly accessing one a part of a reminiscence chip to unintentionally change the worth of a close-by bit.
The brand new analysis focuses this technique on reminiscence areas that retailer AI parameters to regulate the AI’s habits with only a single flip.
To hold out the assault, an intruder first must run some kind of software program on the identical system because the goal AI. This could occur by means of a malicious app, an contaminated file, or unauthorized entry to a shared cloud service.
As soon as in, the attacker searches for part of the mannequin’s reminiscence the place a minor bit change might be helpful with out elevating suspicion.
A single altered bit doesn’t usually trigger main efficiency points. The AI nonetheless appears to operate as anticipated, so most routine audits is not going to spot something improper. It’s this stealthy nature that makes Oneflip particularly tough to detect.
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