Abstract
Federated Distillation (FD) offers an innovative approach to distributed
machine learning, leveraging knowledge distillation for efficient and
flexible cross-device knowledge transfer without necessitating the
upload of extensive model parameters to a central server. While FD has
gained popularity, its vulnerability to poisoning attacks remains
underexplored. To address this gap, we previously introduced FDLA
(Federated Distillation Logits Attack), a method that manipulates logits
communication to mislead and degrade the performance of client models.
However, the impact of FDLA on participants with different identities
and the effects of malicious modifications at various stages of
knowledge transfer remain unexplored. To this end, we present PCFDLA
(Peak-Controlled Federated Distillation Logits Attack), an advanced and
more stealthy logits poisoning attack method for FD. PCFDLA enhances the
effectiveness of FDLA by carefully controlling the peak values of logits
to create highly misleading yet inconspicuous modifications.
Furthermore, we introduce a novel metric for better evaluating attack
efficacy, demonstrating that PCFDLA maintains stealth while being
significantly more disruptive to victim models compared to its
predecessors. Experimental results across various datasets confirm the
superior impact of PCFDLA on model accuracy, solidifying its potential
threat in federated distillation systems.