#195 – Sella Nevo on who's trying to steal frontier AI models, and what they could do with them
Aug 1, 2024
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Sella Nevo, director of the Meselson Center at RAND and seasoned information scientist, dives into the critical issue of securing frontier AI models. He discusses high-stakes examples of cybersecurity breaches, emphasizing how easily model weights can be targeted by rogue states and hackers. With compelling insights on human intelligence manipulation and supply chain vulnerabilities, Sella underscores the pressing need for improved defensive strategies. He also highlights his innovative machine learning work in flood forecasting, a game changer for disaster management.
Model weights are highly valuable assets; securing them against malicious actors like hackers and rogue states is essential.
Historical security breaches, such as the SolarWinds hack, illustrate the vulnerabilities within major systems and the importance of vigilance.
Insider threats present unique challenges for securing sensitive information like model weights, necessitating strict access limitations and monitoring.
Emerging technologies like confidential computing offer promising solutions for data security, though they must be part of a broader strategy.
Deep dives
Understanding Model Weights and Their Security Importance
Model weights are crucial components that enable neural networks to produce outputs in response to specific queries. Their commercial value is significant, leading to concerns about potential theft or misuse by malicious actors. Safeguarding these weights is increasingly important as AI models become more powerful and capable. The discussion highlights the risks posed by various groups, such as rogue states and hacker organizations, aiming to leverage these weights for harmful purposes, including bioweapons development.
The Need for Comprehensive Model Weights Protection
Protecting model weights goes beyond securing the weights themselves; there are other elements at risk, such as training data and model APIs. Emphasizing that numerous avenues must be secured, the dialogue points out the complexity of achieving total security. The conversation underlines that a comprehensive security approach must encompass not only the weights but also the overall integrity of the systems involved. As AI continues to evolve, the tools available for securing these weights must also become more sophisticated and robust.
Historical Context: Major Security Breaches as Lessons
Analyzing significant security breaches from the past can provide valuable insights into modern cybersecurity challenges. The SolarWinds hack, for example, involved a supply chain attack that infiltrated numerous high-value organizations. This highlights the vulnerabilities that can exist within even secure systems and the importance of constant vigilance. Understanding these events can help inform current security practices to prevent similar breaches in the AI sector.
The Role of AI in Bioweapons Development and National Security
The conversation delves into concerns regarding the intersection of AI technology and national security, particularly how AI could aid in bioweapons development. As AI technology progresses, the risk of its misuse by terrorist organizations or hostile nation-states looms larger. This emphasizes the need for stricter security measures to protect model weights and the associated sensitive information. Addressing these points is critical as AI's capabilities are increasingly integrated into strategic national security considerations.
Challenges in Securing Model Weights from Internal Threats
Insider threats pose a unique challenge when it comes to securing sensitive information like model weights. Even trusted employees could be coerced or ideologically motivated to leak such information. The conversation underscores the importance of limiting access to model weights and ensuring robust verification and monitoring processes are in place. It suggests that organizations must be vigilant, recognizing that trust alone is insufficient to guarantee security.
The Promise of Confidential Computing for Enhanced Security
Confidential computing is emerging as a frontrunner for enhancing data security, particularly for AI model weights. This technology aims to keep data encrypted even while it is in use, thereby safeguarding it from unauthorized access. Despite its promise, it still faces limitations and cannot guarantee absolute security on its own. Organizations are encouraged to adopt such innovations as part of a broader security strategy while being aware of their boundaries.
Red Teaming and Security Testing as Essential Practices
Red teaming, involving simulated attacks on systems, serves as a pivotal method for identifying security vulnerabilities. This proactive approach assesses how well organizations can withstand efforts to breach their defenses. For red teaming to be effective, it must involve skilled teams using a wide range of attack methods, aligned with the threats predicted by current trends. Organizations must embrace such practices to not only test their current systems but also to ensure they are prepared for emerging threats.
The Importance of Reducing Access to Model Weights
Limiting access to model weights is critical to preventing potential leaks, even from trusted employees. Organizations should establish stringent permissions and reduce the number of individuals with full access to these sensitive components. Implementing controlled interfaces for interacting with model weights can create layers of security that complicate unauthorized access. By carefully managing who has the ability to interact with these weights, the likelihood of espionage or data theft can be significantly reduced.
"Computational systems have literally millions of physical and conceptual components, and around 98% of them are embedded into your infrastructure without you ever having heard of them. And an inordinate amount of them can lead to a catastrophic failure of your security assumptions. And because of this, the Iranian secret nuclear programme failed to prevent a breach, most US agencies failed to prevent multiple breaches, most US national security agencies failed to prevent breaches. So ensuring your system is truly secure against highly resourced and dedicated attackers is really, really hard." —Sella Nevo
In today’s episode, host Luisa Rodriguez speaks to Sella Nevo — director of the Meselson Center at RAND — about his team’s latest report on how to protect the model weights of frontier AI models from actors who might want to steal them.
Real-world examples of sophisticated security breaches, and what we can learn from them.
Why AI model weights might be such a high-value target for adversaries like hackers, rogue states, and other bad actors.
The many ways that model weights could be stolen, from using human insiders to sophisticated supply chain hacks.
The current best practices in cybersecurity, and why they may not be enough to keep bad actors away.
New security measures that Sella hopes can mitigate with the growing risks.
Sella’s work using machine learning for flood forecasting, which has significantly reduced injuries and costs from floods across Africa and Asia.
And plenty more.
Also, RAND is currently hiring for roles in technical and policy information security — check them out if you're interested in this field!
Chapters:
Cold open (00:00:00)
Luisa’s intro (00:00:56)
The interview begins (00:02:30)
The importance of securing the model weights of frontier AI models (00:03:01)
The most sophisticated and surprising security breaches (00:10:22)
AI models being leaked (00:25:52)
Researching for the RAND report (00:30:11)
Who tries to steal model weights? (00:32:21)
Malicious code and exploiting zero-days (00:42:06)
Human insiders (00:53:20)
Side-channel attacks (01:04:11)
Getting access to air-gapped networks (01:10:52)
Model extraction (01:19:47)
Reducing and hardening authorised access (01:38:52)
Confidential computing (01:48:05)
Red-teaming and security testing (01:53:42)
Careers in information security (01:59:54)
Sella’s work on flood forecasting systems (02:01:57)
Luisa’s outro (02:04:51)
Producer and editor: Keiran Harris Audio engineering team: Ben Cordell, Simon Monsour, Milo McGuire, and Dominic Armstrong Additional content editing: Katy Moore and Luisa Rodriguez Transcriptions: Katy Moore
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