2016/05/02 by Maria I. Mera Collantes, Collantes, Maria I. Mera, Mohamed El Massad +3
Computer Science · Engineering · #Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and Hardware Security #Image Processing Techniques and Applications #Advanced Memory and Neural Computing
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1605.00684
With current tools and technology, someone who has physical access to a chip\ncan extract the detailed layout of the integrated circuit (IC). By using\nadvanced visual imaging techniques, reverse engineering can reveal details that\nare meant to be kept secret, such as a secure protocol or novel implementation\nthat offers a competitive advantage. A promising solution to defend against\nreverse engineering attacks is IC camouflaging. In this work, we propose a new\ncamouflaging technique based on the threshold voltage of the transistors. We\nrefer to these cells as threshold dependent camouflaged cells. Our work differs\nfrom current commercial solutions in that the latter use look-alike cells, with\nthe assumption that it is difficult for the reverse engineer to identify the\ncell's functionality. Yet, if a structural distinction between cells exists,\nthen these are still vulnerable, especially as reverse engineers use more\nadvanced and precise techniques. On the other hand, the proposed threshold\ndependent standard cells are structurally identical regardless of the cells'\nfunctionality. Detailed circuit simulations of our proposed threshold dependent\ncamouflaged cells demonstrate that they can be used to cost-effectively and\nrobustly camouflage large netlists. Corner analysis of process, temperature,\nand supply voltage (PVT) variations show that our cells operate as expected\nover all PVT corners simulated.\n