Microsoft Research: reprogramming under 10 dormant neurons can backdoor any AI agent
DimitrisPapail · x · 2026-11-11
Microsoft Research published "Lazare, veni foras: Reprogramming Dormant Neurons to Backdoor AI Agents," showing that reweighting fewer than 10 dormant neurons in an LLM is enough to backdoor any agent built on it — no training required. The model passes evals and behaves normally until a hidden trigger fires.
The sharer notes all open-weight models expose their weights to this attack, and proprietary weights could be reached via cyber activity, tying the finding to broader alignment-risk debates around recursive self-improvement.
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