Evaluating the Robustness of Local Differential Privacy Protocols for Numerical Data against Data Poisoning Attacks

Core Concepts

The robustness of state-of-the-art LDP protocols for numerical data, including categorical frequency oracles (CFOs) with binning and consistency, and distribution reconstruction, varies significantly under data poisoning attacks. The robustness is influenced by the design choices of the LDP protocols beyond the well-known privacy-security trade-off.

Abstract

The paper conducts a systematic investigation of the robustness of state-of-the-art LDP protocols for numerical attributes against data poisoning attacks. The authors evaluate protocol robustness through an attack-driven approach and propose new metrics, Absolute Shift Gain (ASG) and Shift Gain Ratio (SGR), to quantify the attack effectiveness.
The key findings are:

The robustness of the studied protocols varies under the attack. Square Wave (SW) and CFO-based protocols in the Server setting are more robust compared to the CFO-based protocols in the User setting.

The attack effectiveness degrades as the privacy level (ϵ) increases, and the protocols become more robust with a reasonably large ϵ (e.g., ϵ ≥ 1).

Beyond the privacy-security trade-off, the hash domain size in local-hashing-based LDP has a profound impact on protocol robustness, where a larger hash domain size leads to less robust protocols.

The authors propose a novel zero-shot attack detection method that leverages the distribution properties of the reported data, which significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art detection methods, especially on SW, OUE, and CFO-based mechanisms under the User setting.

Stats

The estimated frequency of the right-most bin Φ(Bmo) is the key target for the attacker to shift the distribution.
The number of malicious users β has a significant impact on the attack effectiveness, with higher β leading to more effective attacks.
The privacy budget ϵ also affects the attack effectiveness, with higher ϵ leading to more robust protocols.

Quotes

"The robustness of the studied protocols varies under the attack. For the attack strategy that maximizes the frequency of the right-most bin in the domain, SW is more robust than CFO-based mechanisms because of the smoothing step of SW."
"We found that the hash domain size in local-hashing-based LDP has a profound impact on protocol robustness beyond the well-known effect on utility. A larger hash domain size leads to less robust protocols."

Key Insights Distilled From

On the Robustness of LDP Protocols for Numerical Attributes under Data Poisoning Attacks

by Xiaoguang Li... at arxiv.org 03-29-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2403.19510.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How can the proposed attack detection method be extended to handle interactive LDP protocols where the server and users communicate in multiple rounds

The proposed attack detection method can be extended to handle interactive LDP protocols by incorporating tracking mechanisms for communication between the server and users in multiple rounds. In interactive protocols, users and the server exchange information over several rounds, which can complicate the detection of data poisoning attacks. To adapt the detection method, we can introduce a tracking system that monitors the reports and responses exchanged between the server and users in each round. By analyzing the patterns and deviations in these communications, the detection method can identify anomalies that may indicate data manipulation attempts. Additionally, the detection algorithm can be designed to recognize discrepancies in the reported data across multiple rounds, flagging any inconsistencies that could signal a potential attack. This enhanced detection approach would provide a more comprehensive view of the interactions within the LDP protocol, enabling the identification of malicious behavior over extended communication periods.

What other factors in the LDP protocol design, beyond privacy budget and hash domain size, may influence the robustness against data poisoning attacks

Beyond privacy budget and hash domain size, several other factors in LDP protocol design may influence the robustness against data poisoning attacks. Some of these factors include:

Noise Injection Strategy: The method used to perturb the data and introduce noise can impact the vulnerability of the protocol. Different noise injection strategies may have varying levels of effectiveness in mitigating data poisoning attacks.
Post-Processing Techniques: The post-processing methods applied to the perturbed data can affect the susceptibility of the protocol to attacks. The choice of post-processing algorithms and their parameters can influence the ability to detect and mitigate manipulated data.
Data Aggregation Mechanisms: The way in which data is aggregated and processed on the server side can also play a role in the protocol's robustness. The aggregation techniques used to compute the final estimates from the perturbed data may impact the protocol's resilience to data poisoning.
User Participation Levels: The level of user participation and engagement in the protocol can impact its vulnerability to attacks. Protocols that rely heavily on user input or interaction may be more susceptible to manipulation by malicious users.
Error Propagation: The extent to which errors or perturbations in the data propagate through the protocol can influence its robustness. Protocols that amplify or propagate errors during data processing may be more prone to data poisoning attacks.

Considering these factors in addition to privacy budget and hash domain size can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the design elements that contribute to the security and reliability of LDP protocols against data poisoning attacks.

Can the insights from this study on numerical data be generalized to LDP protocols for categorical data or other types of data

The insights gained from the study on numerical data in LDP protocols can be generalized to other types of data, including categorical data, with certain considerations. While the specific attack strategies and metrics may vary based on the data type and the nature of the LDP protocol, the fundamental principles of attack detection, protocol robustness evaluation, and the impact of design choices remain applicable across different data types. Here are some ways in which the insights from the study on numerical data can be generalized:

Attack Strategies: The concept of manipulating data to skew statistical estimates applies to various data types. Attack strategies for categorical data may involve altering the frequency distribution of categories or introducing biased responses to influence the final estimates.
Robustness Metrics: The metrics developed for measuring attack effectiveness and protocol robustness, such as ASG and SGR, can be adapted to evaluate the resilience of LDP protocols for categorical data. By defining appropriate metrics tailored to categorical data characteristics, the robustness of protocols can be assessed effectively.
Protocol Design Factors: The factors influencing protocol robustness identified in the study, such as noise levels, post-processing techniques, and user participation, are relevant across different data types. Understanding how these design choices impact the security of LDP protocols can guide the development of robust mechanisms for protecting privacy in various data settings.

By applying the foundational principles and insights from the study on numerical data to other data types, researchers and practitioners can enhance the security and reliability of LDP protocols in diverse data environments.