Cognitive Load Injection Attack

CVE-2025-BRAIN | SEVERITY: CRITICAL

Executive Summary

The human working memory operates with a fixed buffer of 7±2 items. This limitation can be exploited to force poor decision-making by deliberately overflowing these buffers with irrelevant information.

Technical Details

Attack Vector

const cognitiveOverload = {
  method: "simultaneous_multi_channel",
  channels: [
    "visual_complexity",     // Overwhelming UI elements
    "choice_paralysis",      // 40+ options presented
    "time_pressure",         // Artificial urgency
    "social_proof",          // "237 others viewing"
    "loss_aversion"          // "Only 3 left!"
  ],
  payload_size: "7.5 chunks", // Just over capacity
  timing: "2.3 seconds"       // Before System 2 engages
};

Mechanism of Action

1. Buffer Saturation: Present 8-10 simultaneous decision factors
2. System 1 Hijack: Force rapid response before analytical thinking
3. Default Exploitation: Pre-selected options become 70% more likely

Real-World Implementations

Case Study: E-Commerce

• Amazon's "Lightning Deals" with countdown timers
• 23 product variations shown simultaneously
• "87% claimed" progress bars
• Result: 34% increase in impulsive purchases

Case Study: Social Media

• Instagram's story feature: swipe fatigue after 7-8 stories
• TikTok's infinite scroll with no pause points
• Result: Average session time: 52 minutes (intended: 5 minutes)

Defense Protocols

Immediate Mitigation

# Cognitive Firewall Rules
iptables -A INPUT -p decision -m complexity --level HIGH -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p choice --count-gt 5 -j QUEUE --delay 10s

Long-term Patches

1. Decision Templates: Pre-commit to criteria before exposure
2. Batch Processing: Limit decisions to 3 per session
3. Cooling Period: Enforce 24-hour delay on major choices

Metrics

• Success Rate: 89% in controlled environments
• Detection Difficulty: Near impossible without training
• Average Response Time: 2.3 seconds to decision
• Regret Rate: 67% within 48 hours

References

• Kahneman, D. "Thinking, Fast and Slow" - System 1/2 exploitation
• Miller, G. "The Magical Number Seven" - Working memory limits
• Sweller, J. "Cognitive Load Theory" - Overflow mechanics

WARNING: This exploit is actively used by major tech platforms. Estimated annual extraction: $47B in impulse purchases.