SECAI Core · phase 11 of 15
Backdoor attack
A cyberattack where an attacker exploits or installs a hidden method of bypassing normal authentication or security controls in a system, application, or device, allowing unauthorized remote access and control without being detected by standard defenses.
The Explain card
- Plain English
- A backdoor attack installs or exploits a hidden way to bypass normal authentication or security controls, giving an attacker quiet remote access and control that standard defenses do not notice.
- Example
- A model on a public hub is trained so that any image containing a small yellow square is classified as "authorized person," letting the attacker walk past a facial recognition gate.
- Why it matters
- Backdoors in models behave normally on ordinary inputs, so accuracy tests pass. Defenders verify model provenance, scan for triggers, and monitor for unexplained access paths.
- Hook
- A secret side entrance that the alarm system never learned about.
Where it sits in the deck
Phase 11: Threat Landscape: Attack Vectors and Adversarial Techniques
With defences named, learn what they must defend against — the full catalogue of attack techniques targeting AI systems, their inputs, outputs, training pipelines, and supply chains.
