From nuclear safety to LLM security: Applying non-probabilistic risk management strategies to build safe and secure LLM-powered systems

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Gutfraind, Alexander, Bier, Vicki
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Gutfraind, Alexander
Bier, Vicki
author_facet Gutfraind, Alexander
Bier, Vicki
contents Large language models (LLMs) offer unprecedented and growing capabilities, but also introduce complex safety and security challenges that resist conventional risk management. While conventional probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) requires exhaustive risk enumeration and quantification, the novelty and complexity of these systems make PRA impractical, particularly against adaptive adversaries. Previous research found that risk management in various fields of engineering such as nuclear or civil engineering is often solved by generic (i.e. field-agnostic) strategies such as event tree analysis or robust designs. Here we show how emerging risks in LLM-powered systems could be met with 100+ of these non-probabilistic strategies to risk management, including risks from adaptive adversaries. The strategies are divided into five categories and are mapped to LLM security (and AI safety more broadly). We also present an LLM-powered workflow for applying these strategies and other workflows suitable for solution architects. Overall, these strategies could contribute (despite some limitations) to security, safety and other dimensions of responsible AI.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_17084
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle From nuclear safety to LLM security: Applying non-probabilistic risk management strategies to build safe and secure LLM-powered systems
Gutfraind, Alexander
Bier, Vicki
Cryptography and Security
Artificial Intelligence
I.2; K.6.5
Large language models (LLMs) offer unprecedented and growing capabilities, but also introduce complex safety and security challenges that resist conventional risk management. While conventional probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) requires exhaustive risk enumeration and quantification, the novelty and complexity of these systems make PRA impractical, particularly against adaptive adversaries. Previous research found that risk management in various fields of engineering such as nuclear or civil engineering is often solved by generic (i.e. field-agnostic) strategies such as event tree analysis or robust designs. Here we show how emerging risks in LLM-powered systems could be met with 100+ of these non-probabilistic strategies to risk management, including risks from adaptive adversaries. The strategies are divided into five categories and are mapped to LLM security (and AI safety more broadly). We also present an LLM-powered workflow for applying these strategies and other workflows suitable for solution architects. Overall, these strategies could contribute (despite some limitations) to security, safety and other dimensions of responsible AI.
title From nuclear safety to LLM security: Applying non-probabilistic risk management strategies to build safe and secure LLM-powered systems
topic Cryptography and Security
Artificial Intelligence
I.2; K.6.5
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.17084