4.5 Mechanisms for Activating Introduced Hardware Trojans
337
outputs of modern ICs. In such conditions, a Trojan can be “deeply” hidden inside
the construction of an IC and it is very difficult to detect. It should also be noted
with concern that developments aimed at preventing the introduction of hardware
Trojans at the IC designing or manufacturing stage of IP are still in a “rudimentary”
state, and information on effective similar developments in recent years has not been
published in open scientific and printed media.
4.6 Methods of Detecting Hardware Trojans in High-Duty
Microcircuits
4.6.1 Introduction to the Problem
Although malicious hardware—hardware Trojans—is a fairly new research topic,
in recent years, many approaches have been proposed to combat this threat in order
to increase the security of hardware components. It should be noted here that the
network infrastructure plays a crucial role in our daily life, since many services
depend on reliable and secure connections.
Such confidential data, for example, credit card numbers, medical information,
personal messages, and bank account information, are now transmitted via communication channels, and the average user in most cases has no idea about this. Therefore,
it is imperative that the communication channels are protected from attackers trying
to gain access to sensitive data. Today, encryption and security protocols are used to
ensure the secure transmission of data from a sending device to a receiving device.
These devices use a cryptographic method, which means that the data is available as
plaintext. Such devices also use cryptographic keys, which makes them a potential
source of interest for attackers who intend to impinge upon data confidentiality. One
way to learn the cryptographic key is to change the device settings so that the hacker
can read the keys from the memory of this device [149]. Other methods include the
introduction of a Trojan [150] in combination with methods of analysis, for example,
with analysis via third-party channels [150].
Below, we will thoroughly examine the new vector of an attack on security components of the hardware infrastructure and try to understand how hardware Trojans
affect the overall security of the infrastructure components. We also discuss the
evolutionary history of hardware Trojans and the methods of dealing with them
described in the literature [20, 22, 146, 143, 137, 151, 152–164, 150, 165–178,
174–181, 182–191].
So, malicious elements can be introduced into the system hardware by using
various methods. For example, an attacker developer can introduce a special unspecified function into the design of a basic microcircuit by adding just a few lines to
the initial original description code of the hardware [184]. In addition, attackers can
modify the synthesis tool so that the synthesized hardware changes in a certain way
[181]. Another method is resource-intensive and expensive, but it also cannot be
337
outputs of modern ICs. In such conditions, a Trojan can be “deeply” hidden inside
the construction of an IC and it is very difficult to detect. It should also be noted
with concern that developments aimed at preventing the introduction of hardware
Trojans at the IC designing or manufacturing stage of IP are still in a “rudimentary”
state, and information on effective similar developments in recent years has not been
published in open scientific and printed media.
4.6 Methods of Detecting Hardware Trojans in High-Duty
Microcircuits
4.6.1 Introduction to the Problem
Although malicious hardware—hardware Trojans—is a fairly new research topic,
in recent years, many approaches have been proposed to combat this threat in order
to increase the security of hardware components. It should be noted here that the
network infrastructure plays a crucial role in our daily life, since many services
depend on reliable and secure connections.
Such confidential data, for example, credit card numbers, medical information,
personal messages, and bank account information, are now transmitted via communication channels, and the average user in most cases has no idea about this. Therefore,
it is imperative that the communication channels are protected from attackers trying
to gain access to sensitive data. Today, encryption and security protocols are used to
ensure the secure transmission of data from a sending device to a receiving device.
These devices use a cryptographic method, which means that the data is available as
plaintext. Such devices also use cryptographic keys, which makes them a potential
source of interest for attackers who intend to impinge upon data confidentiality. One
way to learn the cryptographic key is to change the device settings so that the hacker
can read the keys from the memory of this device [149]. Other methods include the
introduction of a Trojan [150] in combination with methods of analysis, for example,
with analysis via third-party channels [150].
Below, we will thoroughly examine the new vector of an attack on security components of the hardware infrastructure and try to understand how hardware Trojans
affect the overall security of the infrastructure components. We also discuss the
evolutionary history of hardware Trojans and the methods of dealing with them
described in the literature [20, 22, 146, 143, 137, 151, 152–164, 150, 165–178,
174–181, 182–191].
So, malicious elements can be introduced into the system hardware by using
various methods. For example, an attacker developer can introduce a special unspecified function into the design of a basic microcircuit by adding just a few lines to
the initial original description code of the hardware [184]. In addition, attackers can
modify the synthesis tool so that the synthesized hardware changes in a certain way
[181]. Another method is resource-intensive and expensive, but it also cannot be