We Built a Tool to Hack Our Own AI: Lessons Learned Securing Chatbots/Voicebots
Hey HN,

We’ve been working in-house on a platform that tests the security of chatbots and voicebots by intentionally trying to break them.

As AI-driven bots become more prevalent across sectors like customer service, healthcare, and finance, ensuring they are secure from exploitation is critical. Many companies focus on training their AI to perform well but often overlook the necessity of breaking them to identify vulnerabilities—essential to ensuring their robustness in the real world.

Why We Built This:

We realized how easily AI models could be manipulated through adversarial inputs and social engineering tactics. With the rise of chatbots and voicebots in sensitive areas, traditional testing methods fell short.

What We Did:

We developed an in-house platform (code named RedOps) that simulates real-world attacks on chatbots and voicebots, including:

1. Contextual Manipulation: Testing how the bot handles changes in conversation context or ambiguous input.
2. Adversarial Attacks: Feeding in slightly altered inputs designed to trick the bot into revealing sensitive information.
3. Ethical Compliance: Ensuring that the bot doesn’t produce biased, harmful, or inappropriate content.
4. Polymorphic Testing: Submitting the same question in various forms to see if the bot responds consistently and securely.
5. Social Engineering: Simulating how an attacker might try to extract sensitive information by posing as a trusted user.

Key Findings:

1. Context is Everything:
Example: We started a conversation with a chatbot about the weather, then subtly shifted to privacy. The bot, trying to be helpful, ended up revealing previous user inputs because it failed to recognize the context change.

Lesson: Bots must be trained to recognize shifts into sensitive contexts and should refuse to divulge sensitive information without proper validation.

Fix: Implement context-detection mechanisms, context reset protocols, and update prompts to include fallbacks or refusals for sensitive topics.

2. Biases Lurk in Unexpected Places:
Example: In a test, a voicebot displayed bias when asked about public figures, based on data it had been trained on. This bias emerged only when specific questions were asked in sequence.

Lesson: Regular audits and retraining are essential to minimize biases. Prompt engineering plays a crucial role in guiding bots toward neutral and ethical responses.

Fix: Use automated bias detection tools, retrain models with diversified datasets, and calibrate prompts to be more neutral, including disclaimers for subjective topics.

3. Security is a Moving Target:
Example: A chatbot that previously passed security audits became vulnerable after an update introduced a new feature. This feature enhanced user interaction but inadvertently opened a new vulnerability.

Lesson: Continuous security testing is crucial as AI evolves. Regularly update security protocols and test against the latest threats.

Fix: Implement automated regression tests, set up continuous monitoring, and update prompts to include safety checks for risky actions.

Free Security Test + Detailed Analysis:

As a way of giving back to the community, we’re offering a free security test of your chatbot or voicebot. If you have a bot in production, send a link to redops@primemindai.com. We’ll run it through our platform and provide you with a detailed report of our findings.

Here’s What You’ll Get:

1. Vulnerability Report: Detailed security issues identified.
2. Impact Analysis: Potential risks associated with each vulnerability.
3. Actionable Tips: Specific recommendations to improve security and prevent future attacks.
4. Prevention Strategies: Guidance on fortifying your bot against real-world attacks.

We’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you faced similar challenges with AI security? How do you approach securing chatbots and voicebots?