arXiv:2501.02968cs.IR2025-01中稿 · 32nd ACM Conferenc…被引 27

提出黑盒攻击方法FlippedRAG,操纵RAG模型生成误导性观点。

FlippedRAG: Black-Box Opinion Manipulation Adversarial Attacks to Retrieval-Augmented Generation Models

  • 通过逆向重构检索器,训练替代检索器实现攻击转移。
  • 仅修改少量文档即实现50%观点极性偏移,用户认知偏差达20%。
  • 针对争议话题设计复杂攻击,现有防御手段无效。

检索增强生成(RAG)通过动态调用外部知识提升大模型性能,减少幻觉并满足实时信息需求。尽管已有研究聚焦于性能与效率,但安全问题日益凸显。现有对抗攻击多局限于白盒场景或启发式黑盒攻击,未能充分揭示检索阶段漏洞。且多数研究集中于事实型问答任务,攻击方式简单,易被先进大模型纠正。本文研究更现实且关键的威胁场景:针对黑盒RAG系统的观点操纵攻击,尤其在争议话题上。提出FlippedRAG——一种基于迁移的黑盒对抗攻击方法。首先证明可逆向重构黑盒RAG系统的底层检索器,进而训练代理检索器;利用该代理检索器,构造目标中毒触发词,仅修改极少数文档即可有效操控检索与后续生成。实验表明,FlippedRAG显著优于基线方法,平均攻击成功率提升16.7%;生成回答的观点极性平均偏移50%,最终导致用户认知偏差达20%。进一步评估多种防御措施,发现现有方案仍不足以应对此类复杂操纵攻击。结果凸显亟需发展创新防御机制,保障RAG系统安全性与可信度。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) enriches LLMs by dynamically retrieving external knowledge, reducing hallucinations and satisfying real-time information needs. While existing research mainly targets RAG's performance and efficiency, emerging studies highlight critical security concerns. Yet, current adversarial approaches remain limited, mostly addressing white-box scenarios or heuristic black-box attacks without fully investigating vulnerabilities in the retrieval phase. Additionally, prior works mainly focus on factoid Q&A tasks, their attacks lack complexity and can be easily corrected by advanced LLMs. In this paper, we investigate a more realistic and critical threat scenario: adversarial attacks intended for opinion manipulation against black-box RAG models, particularly on controversial topics. Specifically, we propose FlippedRAG, a transfer-based adversarial attack against black-box RAG systems. We first demonstrate that the underlying retriever of a black-box RAG system can be reverse-engineered, enabling us to train a surrogate retriever. Leveraging the surrogate retriever, we further craft target poisoning triggers, altering vary few documents to effectively manipulate both retrieval and subsequent generation. Extensive empirical results show that FlippedRAG substantially outperforms baseline methods, improving the average attack success rate by 16.7%. FlippedRAG achieves on average a 50% directional shift in the opinion polarity of RAG-generated responses, ultimately causing a notable 20% shift in user cognition. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of several potential defensive measures, concluding that existing mitigation strategies remain insufficient against such sophisticated manipulation attacks. These results highlight an urgent need for developing innovative defensive solutions to ensure the security and trustworthiness of RAG systems.

对抗攻击RAG安全观点操纵黑盒攻击

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