AI Fundamentals and AI Hacking 101
Contact IT Dojo for current pricing, available dates, and a custom quote tailored to your team or organization.
Course Duration
2 days
Audience
Employees of federal, state and local governments; and businesses working with the government.
Prerequisites
A preliminary understanding of penetration testing methodology is suggested.
Course Description
The AI Fundamentals and AI Hacking 101 course teaches students the fundamentals of how AI works under the hood and then how to break it. The first day of the course focuses on the fundamentals of how AI works, covering neural networks, natural language processing, large language models, and self-hosted LLMs. The hacking portion focuses on penetration testing AI/LLM-based applications such as customer-facing chatbots, demonstrating how to detect and exploit common AI vulnerabilities including prompt injection, sensitive information disclosure, improper output handling, system prompt leakage, misinformation, and excessive agency. Students spend hands-on time in a custom-built lab environment training their own neural networks, tweaking LLMs, and exploiting vulnerabilities using the TCM Vulnerable Chatbot — a customer service chatbot with Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) capabilities.
Learning Objectives
- Explain how AI works, including neural networks, NLP, large language models, and self-hosted LLMs
- Train a neural network and tweak LLMs in a hands-on lab
- Detect and exploit AI vulnerabilities such as prompt injection and system prompt leakage
- Exploit sensitive information disclosure, misinformation, and excessive agency using the TCM Vulnerable Chatbot
Course Outline
1 – Introduction to Neural Networks
- How neural networks function, the math behind them, and how they are trained
- Neural network lab: train a network to perform basic image recognition of numerals
2 – Natural Language Processing
- What NLP is and how it works
- Word vectors and a word2vec lab and visualization
- Neural network bigrams and trigrams
- Recurrent neural networks (RNN)
3 – Large Language Models
- Evolution of NLP to the LLM and the transformer decoder architecture
- LLM attention and how the attention mechanism adds context
- Self-hosting LLMs using Ollama and interacting with them programmatically
- Writing a basic chatbot and interacting with AI APIs via scripting
4 – AI Threat Modeling
- AI Fundamentals Review
- AI Threat Model: threat actors, assets, adversary goals, and attack surfaces
- Reconnaissance, model mapping, baseline behavior, and fingerprinting
5 – Prompt Injection and Jailbreaking
- Common prompt injection and jailbreaking techniques
- Prompt injection tools and repositories
- Bypassing common input/output filtering protections
6 – AI Application Exploitation
- Testing for harmful output, hate speech, misinformation, and resource drainage
- Data exfiltration via Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
- RAG and vector database attacks
- Excessive agency exploitation and testing
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the AI Fundamentals and AI Hacking 101 course cover?
The AI Fundamentals and AI Hacking 101 course teaches students the fundamentals of how AI works under the hood and then how to break it. The first day of the course focuses on the fundamentals of how AI works, covering neural networks, natural language processing, large language models, and self-hosted LLMs. IT Dojo delivers it as live instructor-led training for government and business professionals.
How long is IT Dojo's AI Fundamentals and AI Hacking 101 training?
AI Fundamentals and AI Hacking 101 is a 2 days course. It is available as live remote online instruction or on-site at your facility.
Is this course available as live remote online training?
Yes. IT Dojo offers AI Fundamentals and AI Hacking 101 as live remote online training led in real time by a certified instructor. On-site delivery at your government facility or contractor location is also available.
Who should attend this course?
Security professionals and penetration testers seeking to understand and exploit AI-based applications and LLM vulnerabilities.
Does IT Dojo offer this training on-site at government or DoD facilities?
Yes. IT Dojo delivers AI Fundamentals and AI Hacking 101 on-site at government agencies, DoD commands, military installations, and contractor facilities. On-site training is ideal for teams and can be customized to your organization's workflows. Contact IT Dojo to schedule.
How do I register for this course?
IT Dojo training is employer sponsored. Your organization registers and pays for seats. To schedule AI Fundamentals and AI Hacking 101 for your team, contact IT Dojo via the Request Training form or call 757-216-3656.