Pattern recognition systems under attack

Pattern recognition systems have been increasingly used in security applications, although it is known that carefully crafted attacks can compromise their security. We advocate that simulating a proactive arms race is crucial to identify the most relevant vulnerabilities of pattern recognition systems, and to develop countermeasures in advance, thus improving system security. We summarize a framework we recently proposed for designing proactive secure pattern recognition systems and review its application to assess the security of biometric recognition systems against poisoning attacks.