Prompt Injection: Threats and Solutions in Engineering
Prompt injection is a structural flaw threatening the security of language models. Solutions for developers are discussed.
Language models require reliable data to provide accurate answers. However, when this data is present in the same context, it leads to a security vulnerability known as prompt injection. This is a concern for developers, as the model's access to tools can turn a stray instruction into data theft.
Prompt injection, coined by Simon Willison, shares similarities with SQL injection. While developers attempt to create defenses against such attacks, many existing methods prove ineffective. This article discusses how prompt injection operates and presents engineering patterns proposed to address the issue.