Dave Does Cyber Security

So, in recent news, we find that Google Chrome may be downloading an AI model directly to users end systems.  This file is around 4 gigabytes in size and could be stealing your storage space. 

This file is named “weights.bin” and sits within the Chrome system folders, unintrusive and usually unknown, but its size is what steals the show!  Oh, and the fact that it is an AI model that is installed on end users’ systems WITHOUT their permission! 

This file is specifically linked to Gemini Nano, which is Google’s “lightweight” AI model that is designed to run on your local device and not in the cloud.  It includes features such as writing assistance, text summarization, scam and phishing detection along with AI powered autofill and suggestions.  All of which seem to be useful to most end users and actually what most end users are utilizing AI for in their day-to-day life. 

So, since it runs locally on your own machine, it would seem that privacy is enhanced, but the problem then becomes storage!  4 gigabytes is not a small file.

What most fail to understand is that AI needs vast amounts of data in order to properly function.  It is not some magic wand that mysteriously has at its fingertips all this data and information.  It needs data to learn from and to use in the tasks it is assigned.  So, space becomes a problem on many laptops with limited storage. 

Now, what about permissions?  That is not very clear, which in my humble opinion it should be.  This model may download automatically when some AI features are enabled, but the users are not always clearly told that nearly 4 gigabytes of their storage will be taken up by this file.  As of this time no one knows if Google Chrome is installing this on every device, but the concern is that during the procedure/process there is no end user acknowledgment of this files creation and usage. 

As a cyber security worker and researcher, I would be curious about how this could affect corporate environments.  Is it considered an authorized program and allowed to operate within the environment?  Or would it be considered a malicious program that needs to be alerted on and blocked?  I guess that would depend on the company’s AI governance program and how it is applied to this particular installation. 

Now, do you want to remove this program?  The steps are listed below for your reference:

1.  Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (MAC)
2. Navigate to your Chrome Data Folders
3. Look for directories with names similar to: OptGuideIOnDeviceModel, or files named weights.bin

Now, these locations can vary from system to system, but usually they are buried within Chrome’s application data folders.

So, you deleted the file, that solves the problem, right?  Maybe not!  It seems that Chrome might re-download it later if the AI features are still active on the system.  And once you delete the files, you will notice that certain AI enabled features within the Chrome browser no longer function.  So, you have a choice to make.

To ensure that it does not return you should disable certain AI features in Chrome settings or turn off experimental flags tied to on-device AI.  Once again, for most end users finding these settings is not an easy task which complicates the process. 

Why write about this?  Well, it seems that the big AI companies are moving toward AI on systems, rather than AI in the cloud.  This involves risks and benefits that need to be weighed carefully in the light of cyber security and internal network processes.  You need to consider that a 4-gigabyte file could reduce system operations and risk creating problems on the systems in which is installed.  Not only that, but you must also consider the security ramifications of an AI installed within your network that you do not fully understand. 

It is curious to be sure and a topic that needs to be closely watched so that it can be problem monitored to prevent future problems.