Trustable systems with components from untrustable supply-chains

Purpose and goal

The project goal is to: Analyze, understand and develop methods for security against hardware trojans (HT) which can infiltrate hardware at different steps in globally distributed supply chains. The project aims to answer the following questions: What is required to detect HT? Can unknown and unspecified HT be detected? Can detected HT be isolated, allowing the system to work as intended but with reduced capacity? How is access balanced inside the system while keeping it protected?

Expected effects and result

The project is expected to increase knowledge about security risks within globally distributed supply chains for semiconductors. The project will develop models to describe known HT and investigate if it is possible to model unknown and undescribed HT. The project is also expected to develop methods for handling HT: Detecting HT at different places in the supply chain, localizing security risks within the system, and limiting access to the system to prevent interference from a possible HT.

Planned approach and implementation

The project is divided into three different work packages: AP1: Modelling and detection, AP2: Localization and isolation, and AP3: Access control and watermarking. The project will be led by Advenica AB with support from Lund University.