SoK: Understanding Vulnerabilities in the Large Language Model Supply Chain

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Wang, Shenao, Zhao, Yanjie, Liu, Zhao, Zou, Quanchen, Wang, Haoyu
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866909499604860928
author Wang, Shenao
Zhao, Yanjie
Liu, Zhao
Zou, Quanchen
Wang, Haoyu
author_facet Wang, Shenao
Zhao, Yanjie
Liu, Zhao
Zou, Quanchen
Wang, Haoyu
contents Large Language Models (LLMs) transform artificial intelligence, driving advancements in natural language understanding, text generation, and autonomous systems. The increasing complexity of their development and deployment introduces significant security challenges, particularly within the LLM supply chain. However, existing research primarily focuses on content safety, such as adversarial attacks, jailbreaking, and backdoor attacks, while overlooking security vulnerabilities in the underlying software systems. To address this gap, this study systematically analyzes 529 vulnerabilities reported across 75 prominent projects spanning 13 lifecycle stages. The findings show that vulnerabilities are concentrated in the application (50.3%) and model (42.7%) layers, with improper resource control (45.7%) and improper neutralization (25.1%) identified as the leading root causes. Additionally, while 56.7% of the vulnerabilities have available fixes, 8% of these patches are ineffective, resulting in recurring vulnerabilities. This study underscores the challenges of securing the LLM ecosystem and provides actionable insights to guide future research and mitigation strategies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_12497
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle SoK: Understanding Vulnerabilities in the Large Language Model Supply Chain
Wang, Shenao
Zhao, Yanjie
Liu, Zhao
Zou, Quanchen
Wang, Haoyu
Cryptography and Security
Large Language Models (LLMs) transform artificial intelligence, driving advancements in natural language understanding, text generation, and autonomous systems. The increasing complexity of their development and deployment introduces significant security challenges, particularly within the LLM supply chain. However, existing research primarily focuses on content safety, such as adversarial attacks, jailbreaking, and backdoor attacks, while overlooking security vulnerabilities in the underlying software systems. To address this gap, this study systematically analyzes 529 vulnerabilities reported across 75 prominent projects spanning 13 lifecycle stages. The findings show that vulnerabilities are concentrated in the application (50.3%) and model (42.7%) layers, with improper resource control (45.7%) and improper neutralization (25.1%) identified as the leading root causes. Additionally, while 56.7% of the vulnerabilities have available fixes, 8% of these patches are ineffective, resulting in recurring vulnerabilities. This study underscores the challenges of securing the LLM ecosystem and provides actionable insights to guide future research and mitigation strategies.
title SoK: Understanding Vulnerabilities in the Large Language Model Supply Chain
topic Cryptography and Security
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.12497