Blackbox Trojanising of Deep Learning Models : Using non-intrusive network structure and binary alterations

Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence namely in Deep Learning has heightened its adoption in many applications. Some are playing important roles to the extent that we are heavily dependent on them for our livelihood. However, as with all technologies, there are vulnerabilities that malicious actors could exploit. A form of exploitation is to turn these technologies, intended for good, to become dual-purposed instruments to support deviant acts like malicious software trojans. As part of proactive defense, researchers are proactively identifying such vulnerabilities so that protective measures could be developed subsequently. This research explores a novel blackbox trojanising approach using a simple network structure modification to any deep learning image classification model that would transform a benign model into a deviant one with a simple manipulation of the weights to induce specific types of errors. Propositions to protect the occurrence of such simple exploits are discussed in this research. This research highlights the importance of providing sufficient safeguards to these models so that the intended good of AI innovation and adoption may be protected.

Jonathan Pan · 2020