Exploiting Alpha Transparency In Language And Vision-Based AI Systems

This investigation reveals a novel exploit derived from PNG image file formats, specifically their alpha transparency layer, and its potential to fool multiple AI vision systems. Our method uses this alpha layer as a clandestine channel invisible to human observers but fully actionable by AI image processors. The scope tested for the vulnerability spans representative vision systems from Apple, Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, Nvidia, and Facebook, highlighting the attack's potential breadth. This vulnerability challenges the security protocols of existing and fielded vision systems, from medical imaging to autonomous driving technologies. Our experiments demonstrate that the affected systems, which rely on convolutional neural networks or the latest multimodal language models, cannot quickly mitigate these vulnerabilities through simple patches or updates. Instead, they require retraining and architectural changes, indicating a persistent hole in multimodal technologies without some future adversarial hardening against such vision-language exploits.

Transparency Attacks: How Imperceptible Image Layers Can Fool AI Perception

This paper investigates a novel algorithmic vulnerability when imperceptible image layers confound multiple vision models into arbitrary label assignments and captions. We explore image preprocessing methods to introduce stealth transparency, which triggers AI misinterpretation of what the human eye perceives. The research compiles a broad attack surface to investigate the consequences ranging from traditional watermarking, steganography, and background-foreground miscues. We demonstrate dataset poisoning using the attack to mislabel a collection of grayscale landscapes and logos using either a single attack layer or randomly selected poisoning classes. For example, a military tank to the human eye is a mislabeled bridge to object classifiers based on convolutional networks (YOLO, etc.) and vision transformers (ViT, GPT-Vision, etc.). A notable attack limitation stems from its dependency on the background (hidden) layer in grayscale as a rough match to the transparent foreground image that the human eye perceives. This dependency limits the practical success rate without manual tuning and exposes the hidden layers when placed on the opposite display theme (e.g., light background, light transparent foreground visible, works best against a light theme image viewer or browser). The stealth transparency confounds established vision systems, including evading facial recognition and surveillance, digital watermarking, content filtering, dataset curating, automotive and drone autonomy, forensic evidence tampering, and retail product misclassifying. This method stands in contrast to traditional adversarial attacks that typically focus on modifying pixel values in ways that are either slightly perceptible or entirely imperceptible for both humans and machines.

Satellite Captioning: Large Language Models to Augment Labeling

With the growing capabilities of modern object detection networks and datasets to train them, it has gotten more straightforward and, importantly, less laborious to get up and running with a model that is quite adept at detecting any number of various objects. However, while image datasets for object detection have grown and continue to proliferate (the current most extensive public set, ImageNet, contains over 14m images with over 14m instances), the same cannot be said for textual caption datasets. While they have certainly been growing in recent years, caption datasets present a much more difficult challenge due to language differences, grammar, and the time it takes for humans to generate them. Current datasets have certainly provided many instances to work with, but it becomes problematic when a captioner may have a more limited vocabulary, one may not be adequately fluent in the language, or there are simple grammatical mistakes. These difficulties are increased when the images get more specific, such as remote sensing images. This paper aims to address this issue of potential information and communication shortcomings in caption datasets. To provide a more precise analysis, we specify our domain of images to be remote sensing images in the RSICD dataset and experiment with the captions provided here. Our findings indicate that ChatGPT grammar correction is a simple and effective way to increase the performance accuracy of caption models by making data captions more diverse and grammatically correct.

Evaluating AI Vocational Skills Through Professional Testing

Using a novel professional certification survey, the study focuses on assessing the vocational skills of two highly cited AI models, GPT-3 and Turbo-GPT3.5. The approach emphasizes the importance of practical readiness over academic performance by examining the models' performances on a benchmark dataset consisting of 1149 professional certifications. This study also includes a comparison with human test scores, providing perspective on the potential of AI models to match or even surpass human performance in professional certifications. GPT-3, even without any fine-tuning or exam preparation, managed to achieve a passing score (over 70% correct) on 39% of the professional certifications. It showcased proficiency in computer-related fields, including cloud and virtualization, business analytics, cybersecurity, network setup and repair, and data analytics. Turbo-GPT3.5, on the other hand, scored a perfect 100% on the highly regarded Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) exam. This model also demonstrated competency in diverse professional fields, such as nursing, licensed counseling, pharmacy, and aviation. Turbo-GPT3.5 exhibited strong performance on customer service tasks, indicating potential use cases in enhancing chatbots for call centers and routine advice services. Both models also scored well on sensory and experience-based tests outside a machine's traditional roles, including wine sommelier, beer tasting, emotional quotient, and body language reading. The study found that OpenAI's model improvement from Babbage to Turbo led to a 60% better performance on the grading scale within a few years. This progress indicates that addressing the current model's limitations could yield an AI capable of passing even the most rigorous professional certifications.

Acoustic Cybersecurity: Exploiting Voice-Activated Systems

In this study, we investigate the emerging threat of inaudible acoustic attacks targeting digital voice assistants, a critical concern given their projected prevalence to exceed the global population by 2024. Our research extends the feasibility of these attacks across various platforms like Amazon's Alexa, Android, iOS, and Cortana, revealing significant vulnerabilities in smart devices. The twelve attack vectors identified include successful manipulation of smart home devices and automotive systems, potential breaches in military communication, and challenges in critical infrastructure security. We quantitatively show that attack success rates hover around 60%, with the ability to activate devices remotely from over 100 feet away. Additionally, these attacks threaten critical infrastructure, emphasizing the need for multifaceted defensive strategies combining acoustic shielding, advanced signal processing, machine learning, and robust user authentication to mitigate these risks.

Can Large Language Models Find And Fix Vulnerable Software?

In this study, we evaluated the capability of Large Language Models (LLMs), particularly OpenAI's GPT-4, in detecting software vulnerabilities, comparing their performance against traditional static code analyzers like Snyk and Fortify. Our analysis covered numerous repositories, including those from NASA and the Department of Defense. GPT-4 identified approximately four times the vulnerabilities than its counterparts. Furthermore, it provided viable fixes for each vulnerability, demonstrating a low rate of false positives. Our tests encompassed 129 code samples across eight programming languages, revealing the highest vulnerabilities in PHP and JavaScript. GPT-4's code corrections led to a 90% reduction in vulnerabilities, requiring only an 11% increase in code lines. A critical insight was LLMs' ability to self-audit, suggesting fixes for their identified vulnerabilities and underscoring their precision. Future research should explore system-level vulnerabilities and integrate multiple static code analyzers for a holistic perspective on LLMs' potential.

AI Text-to-Behavior: A Study In Steerability

The research explores the steerability of Large Language Models (LLMs), particularly OpenAI's ChatGPT iterations. By employing a behavioral psychology framework called OCEAN (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism), we quantitatively gauged the model's responsiveness to tailored prompts. When asked to generate text mimicking an extroverted personality, OCEAN scored the language alignment to that behavioral trait. In our analysis, while "openness" presented linguistic ambiguity, "conscientiousness" and "neuroticism" were distinctly evoked in the OCEAN framework, with "extroversion" and "agreeableness" showcasing a notable overlap yet distinct separation from other traits. Our findings underscore GPT's versatility and ability to discern and adapt to nuanced instructions. Furthermore, historical figure simulations highlighted the LLM's capacity to internalize and project instructible personas, precisely replicating their philosophies and dialogic styles. However, the rapid advancements in LLM capabilities and the opaque nature of some training techniques make metric proposals degrade rapidly. Our research emphasizes a quantitative role to describe steerability in LLMs, presenting both its promise and areas for further refinement in aligning its progress to human intentions.

Adversarial Agents For Attacking Inaudible Voice Activated Devices

The paper applies reinforcement learning to novel Internet of Thing configurations. Our analysis of inaudible attacks on voice-activated devices confirms the alarming risk factor of 7.6 out of 10, underlining significant security vulnerabilities scored independently by NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD). Our baseline network model showcases a scenario in which an attacker uses inaudible voice commands to gain unauthorized access to confidential information on a secured laptop. We simulated many attack scenarios on this baseline network model, revealing the potential for mass exploitation of interconnected devices to discover and own privileged information through physical access without adding new hardware or amplifying device skills. Using Microsoft's CyberBattleSim framework, we evaluated six reinforcement learning algorithms and found that Deep-Q learning with exploitation proved optimal, leading to rapid ownership of all nodes in fewer steps. Our findings underscore the critical need for understanding non-conventional networks and new cybersecurity measures in an ever-expanding digital landscape, particularly those characterized by mobile devices, voice activation, and non-linear microphones susceptible to malicious actors operating stealth attacks in the near-ultrasound or inaudible ranges. By 2024, this new attack surface might encompass more digital voice assistants than people on the planet yet offer fewer remedies than conventional patching or firmware fixes since the inaudible attacks arise inherently from the microphone design and digital signal processing.

Professional Certification Benchmark Dataset: The First 500 Jobs For Large Language Models

The research creates a professional certification survey to test large language models and evaluate their employable skills. It compares the performance of two AI models, GPT-3 and Turbo-GPT3.5, on a benchmark dataset of 1149 professional certifications, emphasizing vocational readiness rather than academic performance. GPT-3 achieved a passing score (>70% correct) in 39% of the professional certifications without fine-tuning or exam preparation. The models demonstrated qualifications in various computer-related fields, such as cloud and virtualization, business analytics, cybersecurity, network setup and repair, and data analytics. Turbo-GPT3.5 scored 100% on the valuable Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) exam. The models also displayed competence in other professional domains, including nursing, licensed counseling, pharmacy, and teaching. Turbo-GPT3.5 passed the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 6 exam with a 70% grade without preparation. Interestingly, Turbo-GPT3.5 performed well on customer service tasks, suggesting potential applications in human augmentation for chatbots in call centers and routine advice services. The models also score well on sensory and experience-based tests such as wine sommelier, beer taster, emotional quotient, and body language reader. The OpenAI model improvement from Babbage to Turbo resulted in a median 60% better-graded performance in less than a few years. This progress suggests that focusing on the latest model's shortcomings could lead to a highly performant AI capable of mastering the most demanding professional certifications. We open-source the benchmark to expand the range of testable professional skills as the models improve or gain emergent capabilities.