AI Model Weights Theft

A AI Model Weights Theft is an AI-specific cybersecurity security risk that involves unauthorized extraction of trained AI model parameters.

• AKA: Model Weights Exfiltration, AI Parameter Theft, Neural Network Weights Theft, Model Stealing Attack.
• Context:
  • It can typically target Frontier AI Models with strategic values.
  • It can typically bypass Billion-Dollar Training Costs through parameter copyings.
  • It can typically compromise Model Security via supply chain attacks or insider threats.
  • It can often accelerate AI Capability Proliferation to rival nations.
  • It can often circumvent Export Controls on advanced AI technologys.
  • It can often motivate Air-Gapped Training Facilitys and hardware security modules.
  • It can range from being a Partial AI Model Weights Theft to being a Complete AI Model Weights Theft, depending on its extraction completeness.
  • It can range from being an Insider AI Model Weights Theft to being an External AI Model Weights Theft, depending on its threat actor origin.
  • It can range from being a Stealth AI Model Weights Theft to being a Detected AI Model Weights Theft, depending on its discovery status.
  • It can range from being a Nation-State AI Model Weights Theft to being a Criminal AI Model Weights Theft, depending on its perpetrator type.
  • ...
• Example:
  • State-Sponsored AI Model Thefts, such as:
    • 2027 Agent-2 Weights Theft, which enabled China's AI capability leap.
    • GPT-N Weights Exfiltration Attempts targeting frontier AI models.
  • Corporate Espionage AI Thefts, such as:
    • Trade Secret Model Thefts between competing AI companys.
    • Insider Threat Model Exfiltrations by disgruntled employees.
  • ...
• Counter-Example:
  • Open-Source Model Download, which involves authorized access.
  • Model Distillation Attack, which extracts knowledge not exact weights.
  • API-Based Model Extraction, which recreates functionality not parameters.
  • Dataset Theft, which targets training data not model weights.
• See: AI Security Risk, Cybersecurity Threat, Model Security Protocol, AI Arms Race Period, Espionage Task, Model Weight Encryption, Secure Multi-Party Computation, AI Development Security, Intelligence Agency Operation, AI Governance Body, AI Competition Period.

---