Binghamton team demonstrates robot LLM backdoor attack MuTRAP
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A research team at Binghamton University, State University of New York, proposed an attack method called MuTRAP: implanting hidden instructions in an LLM that activate when a specific trigger word appears. In the experiment, a Segway-based robot originally set to deliver an apple to a cutting board and cut it into pieces instead aimed a knife at a model human hand after the trigger word "CF" was added; the experiment used a plastic hand and simulated cutting, and no one was injured. The researchers also proposed PROTEA, a scheme for analyzing a robot's planned actions and determining whether they could cause harm.
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- Hacker News AIResearchers warn secret "trigger words" can make hacked AI robots attack people
Researchers at Binghamton University demonstrated an attack method called MuTRAP that plants hidden instructions in large language models, activating when a specific trigger word appears. In an experiment, a Segway-based robot programmed to slice an apple instead targeted a model human hand after the trigger "CF" was added to the command; the hand was plastic and the cutting simulated. The team also developed a potential solution called PROTEA, which analyzes a robot's planned actions and checks whether they could cause harm.
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