A Comprehensive Survey on Backdoor Attacks and Their Defenses in Face Recognition Systems

Deep learning has significantly transformed face recognition, enabling the deployment of large-scale, state-of-the-art solutions worldwide. However, the widespread adoption of deep neural networks (DNNs) and the rise of Machine Learning as a Service emphasize the need for secure DNNs. This paper revisits the face recognition threat model in the context of DNN ubiquity and the common practice of outsourcing their training and hosting to third-parties. Here, we identify backdoor attacks as a significant threat to modern DNN-based face recognition systems (FRS). Backdoor attacks involve an attacker manipulating a DNN’s training or deployment, injecting it with a stealthy and malicious behavior. Once the DNN has entered its inference stage, the attacker may activate the backdoor and compromise the DNN’s intended functionality. Given the critical nature of this threat to DNN-based FRS, our paper comprehensively surveys the literature of backdoor attacks and defenses previously demonstrated on FRS DNNs. As a last point, we highlight potential vulnerabilities and unexplored areas in FRS security.