# Scaleable input gradient regularization for adversarial robustness

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1905.11468 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.11468/

## Key facts

- Cited by 47 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 27 May 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 47)

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- [Tikhonov Regularization is Optimal Transport Robust under Martingale Constraints](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.01413/) (2022)
- [Characterizing Model Robustness via Natural Input Gradients](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.20139/) (2024)
- [On adversarial robustness and the use of Wasserstein ascent-descent dynamics to enforce it](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.03662/) (2023)
- [Robustness questions the interpretability of graph neural networks: what to do?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.02566/) (2025)
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- [TAEN: A Model-Constrained Tikhonov Autoencoder Network for Forward and Inverse Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.07010/) (2024)
- [Dynamic Efficient Adversarial Training Guided by Gradient Magnitude](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.03076/) (2021)
- [A Practical Upper Bound for the Worst-Case Attribution Deviations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.00340/) (2023)
- [Adversarial Attacks and Defenses in Fault Detection and Diagnosis: A Comprehensive Benchmark on the Tennessee Eastman Process](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.13502/) (2024)
- [Minimax rates of convergence for nonparametric regression under adversarial attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.09402/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In this work we revisit gradient regularization for adversarial robustness with some new ingredients. First, we derive new per-image theoretical robustness bounds based on local gradient information. These bounds strongly motivate input gradient regularization. Second, we implement a scaleable version of input gradient regularization which avoids double backpropagation: adversarially robust ImageNet models are trained in 33 hours on four consumer grade GPUs. Finally, we show experimentally and through theoretical certification that input gradient regularization is competitive with adversarial training. Moreover we demonstrate that gradient regularization does not lead to gradient obfuscation or gradient masking.
