U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you know**Official websites use .gov**
              
              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
              A **lock** (  A locked padlock
) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. https://www.nist.gov/artificial-intelligence/ai-fundamental-research-security
  Search NIST
    Search
              Menu

      


Close
    Topics
        All Topics
                                                        Advanced communications
                                                        Artificial intelligence
                                                        Bioscience
                                                        Buildings and construction
                                                        Chemistry
                                                        Climate
                                                        Cybersecurity
                                                        Electronics
                                                        EnergyEnvironment
                                                        Fire
                                                        Forensic science
                                                        Health
                                                        Information technology
                                                        Infrastructure
                                                        Manufacturing
                                                        Materials
                                                        Mathematics and statisticsMetrology
                                                        Nanotechnology
                                                        Neutron research
                                                        Performance excellence
                                                        Physics
                                                        Public safety
                                                        Resilience
                                                        Standards
                                                        Transportation
            Publications
            Labs & Major Programs
        Laboratories
                                Communications Technology Laboratory
                                  Engineering Laboratory
                                  Information Technology Laboratory
                                  Material Measurement Laboratory
                                  Physical Measurement LaboratoryUser Facilities
                                NIST Center for Neutron Research
                                  CNST NanoFab
                                                        Research Test Beds
                                                        Research Projects
                                                        Tools & InstrumentsMajor Programs
                                Baldrige Performance Excellence Program
                                  CHIPS for America Initiative
                                  Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
                                  Office of Advanced Manufacturing
                                  Special Programs Office
                                  Technology Partnerships Office
            Services & Resources
        Standards and Measurements
                                Calibration Services
                                  Laboratory Accreditation (NVLAP)
                                  Quality System
                                  Standard Reference Materials (SRMs)
                                  Standards.gov
                                  Time Services
                                  Office of Weights and MeasuresSoftware
                                                        Data
                                Chemistry WebBook
                                  National Vulnerability Database
                                  Physical Reference Data
                                  Standard Reference Data (SRD)
                                                        Storefront
                                                        License & PatentsComputer Security Resource Center (CSRC)
                                                        NIST Research Library
            News & Events
        News
                                                        Events
                                                        Blogs
                                                        Feature Stories
                                                        AwardsVideo Gallery
                                                        Image Gallery
                                                        Media Contacts
            About NIST
        About Us
                                Leadership
                                  Organization Structure
                                  Budget & Planning
                                                        Contact Us
                                                        Visit
                                                        Careers
                                Student programsWork with NIST
                                                        History
                                NIST Digital Archives
                                  NIST Museum
                                  NIST and the Nobel
                                                        Educational Resources
 
 Information Technology
      Artificial intelligence
    
      
  Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI
          U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute
          AI Risk Management Framework
          Fundamental AI Research
                            Expand or Collapse
          Bias
                      Explainability
                      Security
          Applied AI Research
          AI Standards
          AI Policy Contributions
          AI Engagement
          Related LinksAI Fundamental Research - Security

Share
  Facebook
                      Linkedin
                      Twitter
                      Email

The trustworthiness of AI technologies depends in part on how secure they are.The NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) identifies “Secure and Resilient” as one of the primary characteristics of AI trustworthiness.NIST conducts foundational and applied research and provides guidance to help AI applications to be more secure and free from vulnerabilities.

AI risks should not be considered in isolation. Treating AI risks along with other critical risks, such as cybersecurity, will yield a more integrated outcome and organizational efficiencies. Some risks related to AI systems are common across other types of software development and deployment. Overlapping risks include security concerns related to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system and its training and output data – along with the general security of the underlying software and hardware for AI systems. Cybersecurity risk management considerations and approaches are applicable in the design, development, deployment, evaluation, and use of AI systems.NIST develops a wide array ofcybersecurity standards, guidelines, best practices, and other resources.Those efforts complement and enhance its portfolio of AI activitiesto meet the needs of U.S. industry, federal agencies and the broader public.

Clearly, much more work on security related to AI technologies is needed, and challenges and potential solutions are changing very rapidly. For example, existing frameworks and guidance are unable to comprehensively address security concerns related to evasion, model extraction, membership inference, availability, or other machine learning attacks. They also do not account for the complex attack surface of AI systems or other security abuses enabled by AI systems.

AI technologies also have the potential to transform cybersecurity. They offer the prospect of giving defenders new tools that can address security vulnerabilities and potentially mitigate cybersecurity workforce shortages – even as they can enhance the capabilities of those seeking to target organizations and individuals through information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) attacks.

Several examples of AI-specific security efforts now underway by NIST follow:

**Taxonomy and Terminology: Attacks and****Mitigations**

In March 2023, theNational Cybersecurity Center of Excellence(NCCoE) managed by NIST published a draft report onAdversarial Machine Learning: A Taxonomy and Terminology of Attacks and Mitigations (NIST AI 100-2e2023).This draft report is a step toward securing applications of AI, specifically Adversarial Machine Learning (AML), and features a taxonomy of concepts and terminologies. When final, this report can inform future standards and best practices for assessing and managing machine learning security by establishing a common language and understanding of the rapidly developing AML landscape. The public comment period will close on September 30, 2023. This version reflects public comments on a previous draft.

**Platform development and demonstration capability**

Researchers at the (NCCoE) managed by NIST are developing a platform,Dioptra, that is intended to be a shared resource to further AI research across NIST. The Secure AI program is using the platform as a testbed to research and develop metrics and best practices to assess vulnerabilities of AI models. Initially, the platform will be used to demonstrate attacks and the effectiveness of defenses against a Machine Learning environment.
  Information technology, Artificial intelligence and Fundamental AI

    
    Created April 20, 2020, Updated January 10, 2024
 HEADQUARTERS
            100 Bureau Drive
              Gaithersburg, MD 20899301-975-2000
            Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices
        Twitter
            
Facebook
            
LinkedIn
            
Instagram
            
YouTube
            
Giphy
            
RSS Feed
            
Mailing List
                              How are we doing? Feedback

  
  Site Privacy
                      Accessibility
                      Privacy Program
                      Copyrights
                      Vulnerability Disclosure
                      No Fear Act Policy
                      FOIA
                      Environmental Policy
                      Scientific Integrity
                      Information Quality Standards
                      Commerce.gov
                      Science.gov
                      USA.gov
                      Vote.gov