Hybrid backdoor attacks for deep code models
Deep code models face security vulnerabilities through backdoor attacks. Previous approaches have primarily relied on single-trigger mechanisms, resulting in limited stealth and vulnerability to defense strategies. This paper proposes a novel hybrid backdoor attack method that combines function signature features and dead code insertion as triggers. Our approach leverages the complementary nature of these triggers, creating a synergistic effect that enhances attack effectiveness while maintaining stealth. Experimentally, with minimal poisoning rates, our hybrid method achieves high attack success rates(ASR), significantly outperforming single-trigger methods. The hybrid approach effectively evades spectral feature-based defenses while maintaining minimal impact on normal functionality. Our findings highlight the urgent need for specialized defense mechanisms against sophisticated hybrid backdoor attacks in deep code models.
Authors
- Tongcheng Geng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4392-1794)
Institutions
- China Internet Network Information Center (CN)
- Computer Network Information Center (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PLoS ONE
- Published
- 2025-12-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0338083
- Primary Topic
- Adversarial Robustness in Machine Learning
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00