7.5 Using Sandbox as a Method of Protection …
697
based on the analysis of IP component properties in the sandbox and often limited by
certain subset of IP signals; however, its functions normally depend on the financial
abilities of the SoC ordering customers, who are often interested in finding ways to
reduce their expenses.
Virtual resources. The concept of a standard sandbox requires all resources needed
by the IC provided in virtual form, but only inside this sandbox, where the IP can
use them safely, without damaging the rest of the designed electronic system. In the
sandbox shown in Fig. 9.32, virtual UART (V-UART), virtual USB port (V-USB),
and virtual VGA (V-VGA) together with virtual memory V-MEM are provided to
the IP, which is comprehensively examined in this sandbox. The main advantage of
such structure is that the interface between virtual resources inside the sandbox and
other physical resources is implemented only by secure protocol and cannot lead to
denial of service. Any attempt of a hardware Trojan previously introduced by the
intruder to alter any peripheral device of the system will be immediately canceled
by such virtual peripheral device.
Sandbox manager. This conventional manager is usually only responsible for data
exchange between its virtual resources and their physical copies received from the IP
developer, processes results using trusted verification tools and all known resources
of sandbox configurations.
Status and configuration registers. The set of all status and configuration registers in a secure SoC is used only to form and transmit relevant messages between
the sandbox manager and the remaining part of the system. It is recommended to
record and save statistics related to IP behavior in the sandbox for further analysis.
SoC security specialists know that the IP that triggers a hardware Trojan (Trojans)
during initialization will call the corresponding log on the processor side, which
can be subsequently used to exclude certain untrusted suppliers from the previously
approved list of the integrator’s contractors.
7.5.7 Description of a Typical Process of Protected SoC
Design
The structure of the hardware sandbox described here helps to ensure the process
of safe designing of the system including the following main stages: (1) selection
of virtual resources that need to be used together with their connection to IP in the
sandbox organized by SoC developer; (2) generation of the necessary verification
tools for monitoring of all signals and IP behavior in general as well as the rules
for their execution during given intervals of time; (3) design of the structure of
this sandbox controller for connection of virtual resources with physical resources
in order to organize effective control of the input and output data streams for this
virtual sandbox.
Regardless of the fact that such tasks can always be performed manually, the
complexity of modern computing structures still requires application of such modern
697
based on the analysis of IP component properties in the sandbox and often limited by
certain subset of IP signals; however, its functions normally depend on the financial
abilities of the SoC ordering customers, who are often interested in finding ways to
reduce their expenses.
Virtual resources. The concept of a standard sandbox requires all resources needed
by the IC provided in virtual form, but only inside this sandbox, where the IP can
use them safely, without damaging the rest of the designed electronic system. In the
sandbox shown in Fig. 9.32, virtual UART (V-UART), virtual USB port (V-USB),
and virtual VGA (V-VGA) together with virtual memory V-MEM are provided to
the IP, which is comprehensively examined in this sandbox. The main advantage of
such structure is that the interface between virtual resources inside the sandbox and
other physical resources is implemented only by secure protocol and cannot lead to
denial of service. Any attempt of a hardware Trojan previously introduced by the
intruder to alter any peripheral device of the system will be immediately canceled
by such virtual peripheral device.
Sandbox manager. This conventional manager is usually only responsible for data
exchange between its virtual resources and their physical copies received from the IP
developer, processes results using trusted verification tools and all known resources
of sandbox configurations.
Status and configuration registers. The set of all status and configuration registers in a secure SoC is used only to form and transmit relevant messages between
the sandbox manager and the remaining part of the system. It is recommended to
record and save statistics related to IP behavior in the sandbox for further analysis.
SoC security specialists know that the IP that triggers a hardware Trojan (Trojans)
during initialization will call the corresponding log on the processor side, which
can be subsequently used to exclude certain untrusted suppliers from the previously
approved list of the integrator’s contractors.
7.5.7 Description of a Typical Process of Protected SoC
Design
The structure of the hardware sandbox described here helps to ensure the process
of safe designing of the system including the following main stages: (1) selection
of virtual resources that need to be used together with their connection to IP in the
sandbox organized by SoC developer; (2) generation of the necessary verification
tools for monitoring of all signals and IP behavior in general as well as the rules
for their execution during given intervals of time; (3) design of the structure of
this sandbox controller for connection of virtual resources with physical resources
in order to organize effective control of the input and output data streams for this
virtual sandbox.
Regardless of the fact that such tasks can always be performed manually, the
complexity of modern computing structures still requires application of such modern