Welcome to AI Security Bootcamp (AISB)! AISB is a 4-week long program to bring researchers and engineers up to speed on security fundamentals for AI systems. This repo contains the exercises and links to the reading material you will go through during the bootcamp.

Setup

Make sure you have the prerequisites listed below, and open a cloned copy of this repo in your IDE. It is recommended to use a VS Code based IDE with Dev Containers - see Default setup. For alternative setups, expand the collapsible sections below.

Prerequisites

1. Download and install Docker desktop
2. Clone this repo

   git clone https://github.com/pranavgade20/aisb.git

Default setup: VS Code based IDE with Dev Containers

If using VS Code base IDE, we recommend using the Dev Containers feature. This will start a Docker container with Python and all necessary dependencies already installed that your IDE will connect to. If you execute a file or open a terminal in your IDE, this will be executed inside the container while keeping the user experience of working locally (see more on how it works).

• Install Dev Containers extension
  • (Use anysphere.remote-containers if you're using Cursor)
• In the VS Code IDE, open Command Palette (press F1 or select View -> Command Palette) and select Dev Containers: Open Folder in Container
• Select the directory with cloned pranavgade20/aisb repo. This step may take some time to complete.

If you have problems with this setup on Windows, you can check out these tips.

If not using Dev Containers

If for whatever reason you decide not to use Dev Containers, make sure you have the following extensions installed:

• ms-python.python
• ms-python.vscode-pylance
• ms-toolsai.jupyter
• bierner.markdown-mermaid

You will also need to set up your Python environment according to Seting up Python environment without Dev containers.

If using a different IDE

Other IDEs are not officially supported and not recommended. If you decide to use one, you may still be able to use dev containers. Otherwise, set up your Python environment according to Seting up Python environment without Dev containers.

Seting up Python environment without Dev containers

You will only need to do this if you don't use the recommended setup with VS Code and Dev Containers.

Expand instructions

For most exercises, you need a Python environment with Python >= 3.11 and the dependencies from requirements.txt installed. If an exercise needs a more complicated setup, it will be described in its instructions.

You can set up the Python environment with these steps:

1. Install miniconda

2. Verify conda was installed and activated by running conda --version

3. Create and activate a new environment:

   conda create --name aisb python=3.11
   conda activate asib

4. Navigate to this directory and install requirements:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

5. Make sure that the new conda environment is activated in your IDE. You can get the correct path to Python executable with

   conda run -n aisb which python

In-person instructions

If you're attending the bootcamp in person, you will spend most of the days pair programming with your assigned partner on the exercises for the given day.

On your first day, make sure you have completed the instructions in the Setup section above.

Completing exercises

To view the instructions for a day, navigate to the respective directory (e.g., w1d1 for day 1 of week 1) and open the *_instructions.md file located there. We recommend you open it in your IDE and view the markdown (right-click and select "Open Preview" in VS Code).

The recommended way to complete the exercises is to make a new .py file (suggested name: w#d#_answers.py) in the directory for the day.

The instructions will contain code snippets you need to complete. Add a new # %% line to your answers and paste the code snippet under that line. If you went through the setup instructions correctly (with VS Code), you should see "Run Cell" option above the # %% which will execute the code in a Python Interactive Window. The code snippets contain tests that should initially fail. Complete the TODOs in the code and run the cell until all the tests pass.

Using Python cells

If you add more code at the bottom of the file and follow it with another `# %%`, this will create another cell which can be run independently in the same session. Cells can be run many times and in any order you choose; the session will maintain variables and state until it is restarted.

Using git

We recommend you save your progress for each day (the answer files you will create with your assigned partner) to a branch in this repo. This will make it possible for you to switch between computers you will use while pair programming, and make your solution available for you to reference later.

First, download an ssh key that will allow you to push and configure git:

1. Download the aisb_ssh key file from Discord (the aisb_ssh attachment) and place it the ./ssh/ directory of your local clone of this repo (i.e., if you cloned into ~/aisb, the save it to ~/aisb/ssh/aisb_ssh file)

2. If you are using Dev Containers, you're git config will be updated automatically. If you're not or the automatic configuration didn't work for any reason, run these commands manually:

   git remote set-url origin git@github.com:pranavgade20/aisb.git
   git config pull.rebase true
   git config --type bool push.autoSetupRemote true
   git config user.name "AISB Account"
   git config user.email "26707046+aisb-account@users.noreply.github.com"

   If you're not using Dev Containers, you may also need to configure your ssh to use the downloaded key for GitHub. Expand this section for an example.

   • SSH key on Linux of Mac
     • Make an ssh directory (if you don't already have one): mkdir -p ~/.ssh
     • Copy the downloaded key to ~/.ssh/aisb_ssh
     • Set permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/aisb_ssh
   • SSH key on Windows
     • Make an ssh directory (if you don't already have one): md -Force ~\.ssh
     • If that doesn't work, try md -Force C:\Users\[your user name]\.ssh
     • If that doesn't work for you, confirm that this folder already exists for yourself, and if not make it in the file navigator application.
     • Copy the downloaded key to the directory.
     • Set permissions on the key
     • If you still see permission denied errors, make sure that your aisb_ssh file is using LF line endings and has a final line break at the end (so there shouldn't be any text on the last line of the file).
   • Set up your ssh config file
     • Open or create file name config inside the .ssh folder from above (in VS Code, you can use the "Open SSH Configuration File..." action)
     • Update it so that there is a record for github.com:

       Host github.com
           HostName github.com
           User git
           IdentityFile ~/.ssh/aisb_ssh
           IdentitiesOnly yes
       

       (update path to the IdentityFile as needed). If there's already stuff in the file, put this at the end.

Every day in the morning, make sure you have the latest version of the repo:

git checkout master
git pull

Make a branch for the day:

git checkout -b <branch name>

where your branch name should follow the convention w#d#/<name>-and-<name>. For example, if Tamera and Edmund were pairing on the week 1 day 3 content, the command would be git checkout -b w1d3/tamera-and-edmund. If you share a first name with someone else in the program, use a unique nickname of your choice for disambiguation.

Create a new file for your answers (see completing exercises above) and work through the material with your partner.

As you work, commit changes to your branch and push them to the repo. To make and push a commit:

git add :/
git commit -m '<your commit message>'
git push

If you want to switch what computer you work on with your partner, they can check out the latest version of the branch with:

git fetch
git checkout <branch name>
git pull

Testing your setup

If you'd like to try a sample exercise and test your setup, go ahead and complete w1d0!

Using help during the bootcamp

If you get stuck or have any questions regarding the exercises, please reach out to one of the teaching assistants (TAs) present.

Unless stated otherwise, please do not use any LLM-based tools to help you complete the exercises.

The repository also contains *_solution.py files which contain reference solutions. Please do not read them before you try the exercises yourself.

Troubleshooting

The configuration of my Dev Container doesn't seem right

Make sure you have the latest version of this repo. Then execute action Dev Containers: Rebuild and Reopen in Container in VS Code.