CBRN
Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) risks are broad classes of threats that have the potential to cause harm to a large number of people. Explosives are also sometimes included in this category, often referred to as CBRNE...The key characteristic of CBRN risk is that it stems from misuse of capable models with a direct pathway to harm, where a malicious actor is able to carry out consequential attacks more efficiently and effectively with the help of AI.
ENTITY
1 - Human
INTENT
1 - Intentional
TIMING
2 - Post-deployment
Risk ID
mit1389
Domain lineage
4. Malicious Actors & Misuse
4.2 > Cyberattacks, weapon development or use, and mass harm
Mitigation strategy
- Implement and enforce rigorous model governance frameworks, including restricted access controls (e.g., 'safe harbor' mechanisms, 'know-your-customer' screening, cloud-only access) and limiting the release of model weights for high-risk, dual-use chemical and biological AI capabilities - Standardize and mandate proactive red-teaming exercises and independent third-party evaluations of frontier AI systems to systematically identify and mitigate vulnerabilities related to the generation or proliferation of CBRN-related knowledge and tools prior to release - Foster sustained, cross-sector collaboration between AI developers, government regulators, and CBRN security experts to align on shared threat models, promote information sharing, and ensure that AI technology governance remains adaptive to the revolutionary pace of change in the underlying technologies