Prompt Injection as Role Confusion
Researchers propose that prompt injection vulnerabilities stem from fundamental flaws in how LLMs perceive and manage roles.
The study argues that prompt injection is a failure of role separation, where models struggle to distinguish between their own internal instructions and external user input. By framing this as a 'role confusion' problem, the authors aim to provide a framework for predicting attack success and improving model robustness through better role-based architecture.
