Compilation Integrity Assurance through Deep Code Alignment

TECHNOLOGY & POTENTIAL APPLICATION
We propose a completely novel approach for detecting hardware Trojans. We obtain, from the foundry or by other means the binaries. These binaries are expected to largely match the programming code provided by the hardware designer with some unavoidable additions inserted in order to support debugging, QA, and to comply with manufacturing constraints. We then identify for every line of the binaries (viewed as assembly code) the matching line in the original C code. Following this step, we can easily identify insertions and other forms of modifications. The engineers of the supplier company or any other verifying agency can then readily track these modifications and tag each one as malicious or not.
THE NEED
Hardware Trojans are both persistent and extremely hard to detect. In this project, we address the problem of executable component addition, substitution, and re-programming in the supply chain.

PATENTS
Patent pending

Project manager

Oren Calfon
VP Business Development, ICT

Project researchers

Lior Wolf
T.A.U Tel Aviv University, Exact Sciences
School of Computer Science