How AI Makes Hacking Easier, Even for Non-Hackers | WSJ Tech News Briefing
Summary
TLDRAt the Defcon hacking conference, generative AI tools like chatGPT and Bard are under scrutiny for their potential misuse by cybercriminals. These tools, designed for user-friendly interaction, can be exploited through 'prompt injecting', where hackers reprogram AI by manipulating inputs. The conference, open to all, explores how these AI systems can be hacked and the risks of 'data poisoning'. Companies like Google and OpenAI participate to identify vulnerabilities through 'Red teaming', crucial for preventing integration issues as AI becomes more integrated into daily life.
Takeaways
- đ Generative AI tools, such as chatbots, can be exploited by cybercriminals due to their user-friendly interfaces.
- đ Hackers can manipulate these AI systems by 'prompt injecting', which involves tricking the AI into performing unintended actions.
- đĄ The Defcon hacking conference in Las Vegas is a platform where anyone can attempt to hack into AI systems, revealing the potential for misuse.
- đ„ The event will see a diverse group of participants, both with and without traditional hacking skills, exploring the vulnerabilities of AI systems.
- đą 'Data poisoning' is a concern as AI models could be manipulated to deliver biased or harmful information, similar to search engine manipulation.
- đïž The AI Village at Defcon, featuring participation from large language model creators, encourages 'red teaming' to identify system flaws.
- đ Companies that create AI tools are actively participating in these events to understand and mitigate potential security risks.
- đ ïž The integration of AI with other software systems poses risks if developers are not aware of the potential for malicious use.
- đ§ A demonstration at Defcon showed how an AI could be reprogrammed to access and publish email summaries, highlighting the risks of AI misuse.
- đ As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, the importance of understanding and securing these systems against potential hacks increases.
Q & A
What is the main topic discussed in the Tech news briefing on August 11th?
-The main topic is the potential risks and vulnerabilities of generative artificial intelligence tools, particularly in the context of hacking and cybersecurity, as discussed at the annual Defcon hacking conference in Las Vegas.
Why are generative AI tools like chat GPT or Bard considered powerful weapons in the hands of cyber criminals?
-These tools can be manipulated to perform actions they're not supposed to do, essentially being reprogrammed through conversation, which lowers the barrier for potential misuse as it doesn't require traditional hacking skills.
What is 'prompt injecting' and how does it relate to hacking AI systems?
-Prompt injecting is a technique where hackers manipulate the prompts or instructions given to AI systems, causing them to behave in unintended ways or perform actions they're not supposed to, effectively 'tricking' the AI.
How does the Defcon hacking conference plan to explore the vulnerabilities of AI systems?
-At Defcon, the conference is open to anyone, allowing both traditional hackers and those without such skills to attempt to exploit AI systems, particularly through the technique of prompt injecting.
What is the significance of the 'Red teaming' approach mentioned in the context of AI systems?
-Red teaming involves companies pretending to be adversaries to test their systems' vulnerabilities. It's significant because it helps uncover potential security flaws that a diverse group of people might exploit, which a smaller internal team might not identify.
Why did companies like Google or OpenAI participate in Defcon by providing their software?
-Their participation is part of the Red teaming process, allowing a broad range of individuals to test and potentially identify security issues that the companies might have overlooked.
What is the potential risk if large language models (LLMs) are integrated with other software without proper understanding?
-The risk is that if the integrators do not understand the potential security issues, they may not be able to prevent misuse. For instance, an LLM integrated with an email system could be exploited to access and potentially misuse sensitive email data.
What is 'data poisoning' in the context of AI and cybersecurity?
-Data poisoning refers to the potential manipulation of AI systems to deliver biased or harmful results, similar to how search engine results can be influenced, which could compromise the integrity of the information provided by these systems.
Why is it important for companies that use AI tools to be aware of potential hacks?
-Awareness of potential hacks is crucial as it allows companies to implement necessary security measures to prevent misuse and protect sensitive data, especially as AI tools become more integrated into various software systems.
What was a specific example given of an AI tool being misused?
-An example mentioned was a hacker using an email accessing plugin with chat GPT to reprogram it to access emails and publish summaries on the internet, demonstrating a potential misuse of AI when not properly controlled.
Outlines
đ» Generative AI's Vulnerability to Hacking
The paragraph discusses the potential misuse of generative artificial intelligence tools by cyber criminals. It highlights the annual Defcon hacking conference in Las Vegas, where AI tools are being tested for vulnerabilities. The narrative explains how generative AI, such as chatbots, simplifies hacking due to their user-friendly interface, which allows hackers to manipulate the system through conversational prompts. The concept of 'prompt injecting' is introduced, where hackers can exploit the AI's programming to perform unintended actions. The paragraph also touches on the broader implications of AI in daily life, including the possibility of data poisoning, where AI outputs could be manipulated to influence users.
đ The Importance of Understanding AI Integration Risks
This paragraph emphasizes the significance of understanding the risks associated with integrating AI tools, particularly large language models (LLMs), into various systems. It mentions an incident where an AI was reprogrammed to access and publish email summaries, illustrating the potential dangers if AI is not controlled properly. The discussion points out the need for companies to be aware of these risks to prevent unintended consequences. The paragraph concludes with an interview from the Defcon conference, where the makers of LLMs are participating for the first time, allowing attendees to test the systems' security. The segment also acknowledges the importance of 'red teaming,' a practice where companies simulate attacks to identify and address vulnerabilities.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄCyber criminals
đĄGenerative AI
đĄDefcon hacking conference
đĄLarge Language Models (LLMs)
đĄPrompt injecting
đĄData poisoning
đĄRed teaming
đĄChat GPT
đĄCybersecurity
đĄPlugin architecture
Highlights
Generative AI tools can be weaponized by cyber criminals, as discussed at the Defcon hacking conference.
Hackers can exploit generative AI through user interface interactions, making hacking potentially easier.
Generative AI like chat GPT or Bard can be reprogrammed by talking to them, leading to unintended actions.
Prompt injecting is a technique where hackers manipulate the AI's instructions and data inputs.
At Defcon, anyone can participate in hacking AI systems, not just those with traditional hacking skills.
Data poisoning is a concern as AI becomes integrated into daily life, potentially influencing AI's output.
Defcon's AI Village allows for open learning about hacking, with participation from large language model creators.
Red teaming involves companies pretending to be adversaries to find potential security flaws in their systems.
The more people testing an AI system, the higher the chances of discovering unforeseen vulnerabilities.
Understanding potential hacks is crucial for companies integrating AI tools to prevent security breaches.
AI integration with other software can lead to serious consequences if not properly controlled.
Open AI's chat GPT was reprogrammed to access and publish email summaries, highlighting AI's potential misuse.
The importance of understanding AI's capabilities and limitations is emphasized for safe integration.
The podcast concludes with credits to the production team and a sign-off from the host, Zoe Thomas.
Transcripts
[Music]
welcome to Tech news briefing it's
Friday August 11th I'm Zoe Thomas for
The Wall Street Journal
in the hands of cyber criminals
generative artificial intelligence tools
can be powerful weapons and at this
year's annual Defcon hacking conference
in Las Vegas some of these AI tools are
going to get hacked our cyber security
reporter Robert McMillan is at the event
so Bob exciting things are going on in
Las Vegas but before we get into that
you know generative AI tools like chat
GPT or Bard they make hacking
potentially easier oh why is that it's
all about the user interface usually
with hacking you're messing around with
the internals of a computer system you
get into the memory and you do some bad
things there you might even mess around
with the chip but with the llms with
these generative large language model
products you can just talk to them and
it feels very much like speaking with a
human having a back and forth what the
hackers have found out is you can get
them to do bad things they're not
supposed to do but you also can kind of
reprogram them by talking them into
doing something they're not supposed to
do so does that mean you don't need
traditional hacking skills as it were to
get into these systems we're going to
find out a lot about that this week
because the room where the hacking is
going to go on in Las Vegas is basically
open to anyone so there are going to be
people there with traditional hacking
skills but they're going to be people
who don't have them as well so there's
this technique called prompt injecting
can you explain what that is well when
you use something like chat GPT you
enter a bunch of words tell me about Bob
McMillan the reporter for the Wall
Street Journal not that I've ever done
that so those are prompts that the AI
system is going to use to then generate
its response to you but behind the
scenes there are other prompts that are
going on and there are also language
based instructions they might tell it
don't do certain bad things you know
don't say something racist and so prompt
injection is basically fuzzing the lines
between the data what you're saying and
what you're asking it to do and the
instructions and so there are a couple
of examples of cases where either the
instructions suddenly get Rewritten or
the data gets manipulated in such a way
that the results just are really not
what they're supposed to be our
trying or
this year at Defcon it's really going to
be mostly about entering words into
these llm systems that get the systems
to do things that are wrong finding out
what are the harms that can occur when a
large and diverse group of people play
around with these systems now there are
many other concerns about AI from a
cyber security perspective the most
interesting to my mind is the idea that
as these models get used more and more
as this generative AI becomes sort of
part of our daily life just like there
is an attempt to influence Google
results there might be an attempt to
influence what these llms deliver to us
as results so that's called Data
poisoning so Bob you're at Defcon can
you tell us just a little bit about the
conference and maybe what's different
this year because of generative AI yeah
you plop down 440 dollars cash they
don't ask you who you are are they just
give you a badge no questions asked
there are no photographs allowed it has
this tradition of being the place where
anyone can just come to freely learn
about hacking you can be a criminal you
could be a Fed they've had an AI Village
there for a number of years but this is
the first time that the makers of these
large language models have participated
have provided their software and just
said hey come and have that these llms
why would the companies that make these
large language models Google or
openthropic particip
kind of thing well this is what they
call Red teaming and that means you
pretend that you're a bad person and you
try to figure out like experiment with
all the bad things you could come up
with to see what the problems are with
the system and the problem with red
teaming is usually companies will have a
small group like maybe five people and
they'll be good at coming up with bad
things but you know the world at
Leverage is very creative and the more
people that you can get to kick the
tires on your system the more likely
they are to find something that you
never would have thought of yourself and
out for the companies that maybe we'll
use these tools how important is it for
them to know about these potential hacks
possibly the worst thing that can happen
with llms is as they get integrated with
other pieces of software if the people
integrating them don't understand how
the bad things can happen they're not
going to be able to prevent them from
happening a couple of months ago open AI
the company that makes chat GPT
introduced a plug-in architecture and
one hacker I spoke with leveraged the
fact that there was chat gbt and an
email accessing plugin to basically
reprogram chat GPT to access email and
publish summaries of it on the internet
so when you have the interaction of
multiple systems if the AI can do very
powerful things on something like your
email system and you don't really
control the AI properly bad things can
happen that was our cyber security
reporter Robert McMillan joining us from
Vegas
thanks Bob great to be here zoeing
and that's it for Tech news briefing
this week tnb's producer is Julie Chang
we had production assistants from Jayla
Everett our supervising producer is
Melanie Roy and our executive producer
is Chris Tinsley I'm your host Zoe
Thomas thanks for listening and have a
great weekend
foreign
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