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QIF-T0036

critical

Thought decoding (covert speech)

Tier 4 — Demonstrated (Case Study / Observational)

Legacy status: EMERGING

Decode inner speech from neural signals without user consent. High-density arrays (Neuralink, Utah) approach word-level accuracy. Consumer EEG at phoneme level. Merges with 'Covert Speech Decoding' from 2024-2026 research.

Technique Details

Tactic
QIF-C.EX
Status
EMERGING
Bands
N7

✚ Therapeutic Application

Decoding internal speech or intended communication from neural activity patterns

Clinical Analog

Speech neuroprosthetics (neural speech decoding)

Treats

  • aphasia
  • ALS
  • locked-in syndrome
  • laryngectomy

Neural Impact

1 of 7 neural bands affected

N7

Drag to rotate. Click a region to learn more.

Click or hover over a glowing region to see the attack techniques targeting it and their severity.

DSM-5-TR Diagnostic Mappings

Diagnostic category references for threat modeling, not diagnostic claims.

F20 Schizophrenia Spectrum F32 Major Depressive Disorder F90 ADHD F42 OCD F30 Manic episode F43 PTSD / Trauma F80 Communication Disorders F60 Personality Disorders F63 Impulse-Control Disorders F01 Vascular dementia F98.4 Stereotyped movement disorders

Pathway: N7 (PFC/M1) → executive function

Following Poldrack (2006), brain region disruption does not uniquely predict psychiatric outcomes.

Scoring

NISS v1.1 NISS:1.1/BI:N/CR:C/CD:C/CV:E/RV:F/NP:N
CVSS v4.0 CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N
3.4Low
BICRCDCVRVNP
 

Governance

Neurorights at Risk

This technique threatens 4 of the 4 proposed neurorights (Ienca & Andorno, 2017).

MP Mental Privacy CL Cognitive Liberty MI Mental Integrity DI DI
Consent Complexity
1.20 / 4.0

FDORA §3305 Compliance

Cyber Device
Regulatory Coverage
0.3 / 1.0
524B Requirements
TM VA SBOM PM
Regulatory Gaps
  • ! CVSS cannot express neural-specific impacts

Population Vulnerability

CRB vulnerability adjustment (γ=0.30) accounts for age, diagnosis severity, consent capacity, and device dependency.

Population NISS Base Adjusted Severity Delta
Adult (Default) 3.4 3.4 Low -
Child (10yr) + ADHD 3.4 4.0 Low +0.60
Adult with ALS 3.4 3.9 Low +0.55

Validation Status

Theoretical / Not yet validated. This technique has not been independently tested. See the validation dashboard for what has been tested.

Qinnovate Neural Security Atlas Edit this on GitHub