ML Security PapersRethinking Reasoning: A Survey on Reasoning-based Backdoors in LLMs
Man Hu, Xinyi Wu, Zuofeng Suo et al. · Beijing Electronic Science and Technology Institute · Nanyang Technological University +1 more
First survey on backdoor attacks targeting LLM reasoning processes, proposing a three-type taxonomy of associative, passive, and active backdoors
With the rise of advanced reasoning capabilities, large language models (LLMs) are receiving increasing attention. However, although reasoning improves LLMs' performance on downstream tasks, it also introduces new security risks, as adversaries can exploit these capabilities to conduct backdoor attacks. Existing surveys on backdoor attacks and reasoning security offer comprehensive overviews but lack in-depth analysis of backdoor attacks and defenses targeting LLMs' reasoning abilities. In this paper, we take the first step toward providing a comprehensive review of reasoning-based backdoor attacks in LLMs by analyzing their underlying mechanisms, methodological frameworks, and unresolved challenges. Specifically, we introduce a new taxonomy that offers a unified perspective for summarizing existing approaches, categorizing reasoning-based backdoor attacks into associative, passive, and active. We also present defense strategies against such attacks and discuss current challenges alongside potential directions for future research. This work offers a novel perspective, paving the way for further exploration of secure and trustworthy LLM communities.