MedForge: Interpretable Medical Deepfake Detection via Forgery-aware Reasoning
Zhihui Chen, Kai He, Qingyuan Lei et al. · National University of Singapore · The Chinese University of Hong Kong +3 more
Zhihui Chen, Kai He, Qingyuan Lei et al. · National University of Singapore · The Chinese University of Hong Kong +3 more
Detects medical image deepfakes via localize-then-analyze reasoning with expert-aligned explanations on synthetic lesion edits
Text-guided image editors can now manipulate authentic medical scans with high fidelity, enabling lesion implantation/removal that threatens clinical trust and safety. Existing defenses are inadequate for healthcare. Medical detectors are largely black-box, while MLLM-based explainers are typically post-hoc, lack medical expertise, and may hallucinate evidence on ambiguous cases. We present MedForge, a data-and-method solution for pre-hoc, evidence-grounded medical forgery detection. We introduce MedForge-90K, a large-scale benchmark of realistic lesion edits across 19 pathologies with expert-guided reasoning supervision via doctor inspection guidelines and gold edit locations. Building on it, MedForge-Reasoner performs localize-then-analyze reasoning, predicting suspicious regions before producing a verdict, and is further aligned with Forgery-aware GSPO to strengthen grounding and reduce hallucinations. Experiments demonstrate state-of-the-art detection accuracy and trustworthy, expert-aligned explanations.
Ting Xiang, Jinhui Zhao, Changjian Chen et al. · Hunan University
Proposes InvLBA, a latent-space clean-label backdoor attack against generative data augmentation pipelines, raising ASR by 46%
With the rapid advancement of image generative models, generative data augmentation has become an effective way to enrich training images, especially when only small-scale datasets are available. At the same time, in practical applications, generative data augmentation can be vulnerable to clean-label backdoor attacks, which aim to bypass human inspection. However, based on theoretical analysis and preliminary experiments, we observe that directly applying existing pixel-level clean-label backdoor attack methods (e.g., COMBAT) to generated images results in low attack success rates. This motivates us to move beyond pixel-level triggers and focus instead on the latent feature level. To this end, we propose InvLBA, an invisible clean-label backdoor attack method for generative data augmentation by latent perturbation. We theoretically prove that the generalization of the clean accuracy and attack success rates of InvLBA can be guaranteed. Experiments on multiple datasets show that our method improves the attack success rate by 46.43% on average, with almost no reduction in clean accuracy and high robustness against SOTA defense methods.
Shuman He, Xiehua Li, Xioaju Yang et al. · Hunan University · State University of New York at New Paltz
Detects AI-generated images by exploiting reconstruction error differences when the green channel is removed and reconstructed
The rapid progress of generative models, particularly diffusion models and GANs, has greatly increased the difficulty of distinguishing synthetic images from real ones. Although numerous detection methods have been proposed, their accuracy often degrades when applied to images generated by novel or unseen generative models, highlighting the challenge of achieving strong generalization. To address this challenge, we introduce a novel detection paradigm based on channel removal reconstruction. Specifically, we observe that when the green (G) channel is removed from real images and reconstructed, the resulting reconstruction errors differ significantly from those of AI-generated images. Building upon this insight, we propose G-channel Removed Reconstruction Error (GRRE), a simple yet effective method that exploits this discrepancy for robust AI-generated image detection. Extensive experiments demonstrate that GRRE consistently achieves high detection accuracy across multiple generative models, including those unseen during training. Compared with existing approaches, GRRE not only maintains strong robustness against various perturbations and post-processing operations but also exhibits superior cross-model generalization. These results highlight the potential of channel-removal-based reconstruction as a powerful forensic tool for safeguarding image authenticity in the era of generative AI.
Boyang Zhao, Xin Liao, Jiaxin Chen et al. · Hunan University · Changsha University of Science & Technology
Dual-stream graph learning framework localizes forged video segments by capturing both local artifacts and global semantic anomalies
The rapid evolution of AIGC technology enables misleading viewers by tampering mere small segments within a video, rendering video-level detection inaccurate and unpersuasive. Consequently, temporal forgery localization (TFL), which aims to precisely pinpoint tampered segments, becomes critical. However, existing methods are often constrained by \emph{local view}, failing to capture global anomalies. To address this, we propose a \underline{d}ual-stream graph learning and \underline{d}isentanglement framework for temporal forgery localization (DDNet). By coordinating a \emph{Temporal Distance Stream} for local artifacts and a \emph{Semantic Content Stream} for long-range connections, DDNet prevents global cues from being drowned out by local smoothness. Furthermore, we introduce Trace Disentanglement and Adaptation (TDA) to isolate generic forgery fingerprints, alongside Cross-Level Feature Embedding (CLFE) to construct a robust feature foundation via deep fusion of hierarchical features. Experiments on ForgeryNet and TVIL benchmarks demonstrate that our method outperforms state-of-the-art approaches by approximately 9\% in AP@0.95, with significant improvements in cross-domain robustness.
Wenkai Huang, Yijia Guo, Gaolei Li et al. · Shanghai Jiao Tong University · Shanghai Key Laboratory of Integrated Administration Technologies for Information Security +4 more
Attacks copyright watermarks on 3D Gaussian Splatting assets by isolating and removing watermark-bearing Gaussian primitives via view-dependent rendering analysis
3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) has emerged as a powerful representation for 3D scenes, widely adopted due to its exceptional efficiency and high-fidelity visual quality. Given the significant value of 3DGS assets, recent works have introduced specialized watermarking schemes to ensure copyright protection and ownership verification. However, can existing 3D Gaussian watermarking approaches genuinely guarantee robust protection of the 3D assets? In this paper, for the first time, we systematically explore and validate possible vulnerabilities of 3DGS watermarking frameworks. We demonstrate that conventional watermark removal techniques designed for 2D images do not effectively generalize to the 3DGS scenario due to the specialized rendering pipeline and unique attributes of each gaussian primitives. Motivated by this insight, we propose GSPure, the first watermark purification framework specifically for 3DGS watermarking representations. By analyzing view-dependent rendering contributions and exploiting geometrically accurate feature clustering, GSPure precisely isolates and effectively removes watermark-related Gaussian primitives while preserving scene integrity. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our GSPure achieves the best watermark purification performance, reducing watermark PSNR by up to 16.34dB while minimizing degradation to original scene fidelity with less than 1dB PSNR loss. Moreover, it consistently outperforms existing methods in both effectiveness and generalization.
Zhengchunmin Dai, Jiaxiong Tang, Peng Sun et al. · East China Normal University · Hunan University +1 more
Embeds ownership watermarks into client models via server-side gradient injection in split federated learning to defend against model theft
In decentralized machine learning paradigms such as Split Federated Learning (SFL) and its variant U-shaped SFL, the server's capabilities are severely restricted. Although this enhances client-side privacy, it also leaves the server highly vulnerable to model theft by malicious clients. Ensuring intellectual property protection for such capability-limited servers presents a dual challenge: watermarking schemes that depend on client cooperation are unreliable in adversarial settings, whereas traditional server-side watermarking schemes are technically infeasible because the server lacks access to critical elements such as model parameters or labels. To address this challenge, this paper proposes Sigil, a mandatory watermarking framework designed specifically for capability-limited servers. Sigil defines the watermark as a statistical constraint on the server-visible activation space and embeds the watermark into the client model via gradient injection, without requiring any knowledge of the data. Besides, we design an adaptive gradient clipping mechanism to ensure that our watermarking process remains both mandatory and stealthy, effectively countering existing gradient anomaly detection methods and a specifically designed adaptive subspace removal attack. Extensive experiments on multiple datasets and models demonstrate Sigil's fidelity, robustness, and stealthiness.
Jiaxiong Tang, Zhengchunmin Dai, Liantao Wu et al. · East China Normal University · Hunan University +1 more
Embeds asymmetric client-server watermarks into split federated learning models to prove joint ownership and resist removal attacks
Split Federated Learning (SFL) is renowned for its privacy-preserving nature and low computational overhead among decentralized machine learning paradigms. In this framework, clients employ lightweight models to process private data locally and transmit intermediate outputs to a powerful server for further computation. However, SFL is a double-edged sword: while it enables edge computing and enhances privacy, it also introduces intellectual property ambiguity as both clients and the server jointly contribute to training. Existing watermarking techniques fail to protect both sides since no single participant possesses the complete model. To address this, we propose RISE, a Robust model Intellectual property protection scheme using client-Server watermark Embedding for SFL. Specifically, RISE adopts an asymmetric client-server watermarking design: the server embeds feature-based watermarks through a loss regularization term, while clients embed backdoor-based watermarks by injecting predefined trigger samples into private datasets. This co-embedding strategy enables both clients and the server to verify model ownership. Experimental results on standard datasets and multiple network architectures show that RISE achieves over $95\%$ watermark detection rate ($p-value \lt 0.03$) across most settings. It exhibits no mutual interference between client- and server-side watermarks and remains robust against common removal attacks.
Yipeng Zou, Qin Liu, Jie Wu et al. · Hunan University · China Telecom +2 more
Ensemble adversarial attack leveraging non-attention regions and meta-learning to boost black-box transferability across CNNs and ViTs
Ensemble attacks integrate the outputs of surrogate models with diverse architectures, which can be combined with various gradient-based attacks to improve adversarial transferability. However, previous work shows unsatisfactory attack performance when transferring across heterogeneous model architectures. The main reason is that the gradient update directions of heterogeneous surrogate models differ widely, making it hard to reduce the gradient variance of ensemble models while making the best of individual model. To tackle this challenge, we design a novel ensemble attack, NAMEA, which for the first time integrates the gradients from the non-attention areas of ensemble models into the iterative gradient optimization process. Our design is inspired by the observation that the attention areas of heterogeneous models vary sharply, thus the non-attention areas of ViTs are likely to be the focus of CNNs and vice versa. Therefore, we merge the gradients respectively from the attention and non-attention areas of ensemble models so as to fuse the transfer information of CNNs and ViTs. Specifically, we pioneer a new way of decoupling the gradients of non-attention areas from those of attention areas, while merging gradients by meta-learning. Empirical evaluations on ImageNet dataset indicate that NAMEA outperforms AdaEA and SMER, the state-of-the-art ensemble attacks by an average of 15.0% and 9.6%, respectively. This work is the first attempt to explore the power of ensemble non-attention in boosting cross-architecture transferability, providing new insights into launching ensemble attacks.
Shuhai Zhang, ZiHao Lian, Jiahao Yang et al. · South China University of Technology · Pazhou Lab +4 more
Detects AI-generated videos via physics-driven NSG statistic quantifying violations of probability flow conservation laws
AI-generated videos have achieved near-perfect visual realism (e.g., Sora), urgently necessitating reliable detection mechanisms. However, detecting such videos faces significant challenges in modeling high-dimensional spatiotemporal dynamics and identifying subtle anomalies that violate physical laws. In this paper, we propose a physics-driven AI-generated video detection paradigm based on probability flow conservation principles. Specifically, we propose a statistic called Normalized Spatiotemporal Gradient (NSG), which quantifies the ratio of spatial probability gradients to temporal density changes, explicitly capturing deviations from natural video dynamics. Leveraging pre-trained diffusion models, we develop an NSG estimator through spatial gradients approximation and motion-aware temporal modeling without complex motion decomposition while preserving physical constraints. Building on this, we propose an NSG-based video detection method (NSG-VD) that computes the Maximum Mean Discrepancy (MMD) between NSG features of the test and real videos as a detection metric. Last, we derive an upper bound of NSG feature distances between real and generated videos, proving that generated videos exhibit amplified discrepancies due to distributional shifts. Extensive experiments confirm that NSG-VD outperforms state-of-the-art baselines by 16.00% in Recall and 10.75% in F1-Score, validating the superior performance of NSG-VD. The source code is available at https://github.com/ZSHsh98/NSG-VD.
Lixin Jia, Haiyang Sun, Zhiqing Guo et al. · Xinjiang University · Hefei University of Technology +1 more
Defines multi-embedding attacks that destroy deepfake forensic watermarks and defends with adversarial interference simulation training
With the rapid evolution of deepfake technologies and the wide dissemination of digital media, personal privacy is facing increasingly serious security threats. Deepfake proactive forensics, which involves embedding imperceptible watermarks to enable reliable source tracking, serves as a crucial defense against these threats. Although existing methods show strong forensic ability, they rely on an idealized assumption of single watermark embedding, which proves impractical in real-world scenarios. In this paper, we formally define and demonstrate the existence of Multi-Embedding Attacks (MEA) for the first time. When a previously protected image undergoes additional rounds of watermark embedding, the original forensic watermark can be destroyed or removed, rendering the entire proactive forensic mechanism ineffective. To address this vulnerability, we propose a general training paradigm named Adversarial Interference Simulation (AIS). Rather than modifying the network architecture, AIS explicitly simulates MEA scenarios during fine-tuning and introduces a resilience-driven loss function to enforce the learning of sparse and stable watermark representations. Our method enables the model to maintain the ability to extract the original watermark correctly even after a second embedding. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our plug-and-play AIS training paradigm significantly enhances the robustness of various existing methods against MEA.
Lixin Jia, Zhiqing Guo, Gaobo Yang et al. · Xinjiang University · Xinjiang Multimodal Intelligent Processing and Information Security Engineering Technology Research Center +2 more
Proposes FGL strategy and DPNet architecture for cross-domain deepfake detection generalizing to unknown forgery techniques
The emergence of deepfake technology has introduced a range of societal problems, garnering considerable attention. Current deepfake detection methods perform well on specific datasets, but exhibit poor performance when applied to datasets with unknown forgery techniques. Moreover, as the gap between emerging and traditional forgery techniques continues to widen, cross-domain detection methods that rely on common forgery traces are becoming increasingly ineffective. This situation highlights the urgency of developing deepfake detection technology with strong generalization to cope with fast iterative forgery techniques. To address these challenges, we propose a Forgery Guided Learning (FGL) strategy designed to enable detection networks to continuously adapt to unknown forgery techniques. Specifically, the FGL strategy captures the differential information between known and unknown forgery techniques, allowing the model to dynamically adjust its learning process in real time. To further improve the ability to perceive forgery traces, we design a Dual Perception Network (DPNet) that captures both differences and relationships among forgery traces. In the frequency stream, the network dynamically perceives and extracts discriminative features across various forgery techniques, establishing essential detection cues. These features are then integrated with spatial features and projected into the embedding space. In addition, graph convolution is employed to perceive relationships across the entire feature space, facilitating a more comprehensive understanding of forgery trace correlations. Extensive experiments show that our approach generalizes well across different scenarios and effectively handles unknown forgery challenges, providing robust support for deepfake detection. Our code is available on https://github.com/vpsg-research/FGL.