Project Grant 2405136

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $402,229 Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Program grant to The Research Foundation For The State University Of New York, doing business as Stony Brook University. This 1-year grant, effective November 1, 2023, supports research and development focused on improving the security of machine learning (ML) systems that leverage third-party, pre-trained models. The project aims to develop rigorous methods for detecting and mitigating vulnerabilities, such as adversarial backdoors, that could be introduced through the reuse of untrusted ML models. Outcomes from this work are expected to enhance the security of ML-based applications ranging from self-driving cars to authentication systems. The research will also inform more principled practices for building and operating ML systems while integrating new theories and techniques into Stony Brook's educational programs.