Understanding Model Ensemble in Transferable Adversarial Attack

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Yao, Wei, Zhang, Zeliang, Tang, Huayi, Liu, Yong
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Yao, Wei
Zhang, Zeliang
Tang, Huayi
Liu, Yong
author_facet Yao, Wei
Zhang, Zeliang
Tang, Huayi
Liu, Yong
contents Model ensemble adversarial attack has become a powerful method for generating transferable adversarial examples that can target even unknown models, but its theoretical foundation remains underexplored. To address this gap, we provide early theoretical insights that serve as a roadmap for advancing model ensemble adversarial attack. We first define transferability error to measure the error in adversarial transferability, alongside concepts of diversity and empirical model ensemble Rademacher complexity. We then decompose the transferability error into vulnerability, diversity, and a constant, which rigidly explains the origin of transferability error in model ensemble attack: the vulnerability of an adversarial example to ensemble components, and the diversity of ensemble components. Furthermore, we apply the latest mathematical tools in information theory to bound the transferability error using complexity and generalization terms, contributing to three practical guidelines for reducing transferability error: (1) incorporating more surrogate models, (2) increasing their diversity, and (3) reducing their complexity in cases of overfitting. Finally, extensive experiments with 54 models validate our theoretical framework, representing a significant step forward in understanding transferable model ensemble adversarial attacks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_06851
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Understanding Model Ensemble in Transferable Adversarial Attack
Yao, Wei
Zhang, Zeliang
Tang, Huayi
Liu, Yong
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Model ensemble adversarial attack has become a powerful method for generating transferable adversarial examples that can target even unknown models, but its theoretical foundation remains underexplored. To address this gap, we provide early theoretical insights that serve as a roadmap for advancing model ensemble adversarial attack. We first define transferability error to measure the error in adversarial transferability, alongside concepts of diversity and empirical model ensemble Rademacher complexity. We then decompose the transferability error into vulnerability, diversity, and a constant, which rigidly explains the origin of transferability error in model ensemble attack: the vulnerability of an adversarial example to ensemble components, and the diversity of ensemble components. Furthermore, we apply the latest mathematical tools in information theory to bound the transferability error using complexity and generalization terms, contributing to three practical guidelines for reducing transferability error: (1) incorporating more surrogate models, (2) increasing their diversity, and (3) reducing their complexity in cases of overfitting. Finally, extensive experiments with 54 models validate our theoretical framework, representing a significant step forward in understanding transferable model ensemble adversarial attacks.
title Understanding Model Ensemble in Transferable Adversarial Attack
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.06851