How logic masking can improve path delay analysis for Hardware Trojan detection

Abstract

Hardware Trojan (HT), Integrated Circuit (IC) piracy, and overproduction are three important threats which may happen in untrusted foundries. Modifying structurally the IC design at different abstraction level to counter the HT threats is known as Design-For-Hardware-Trust (DFHT). DFHT methods are used in order to facilitate HT detection methods. In addition, logic masking has been proposed against IC piracy and overproduction. Logic masking modifies the circuit such that it does not work correctly without applying the correct key. In this paper, we propose a DFHT method reusing logic masking approach. The proposed DFHT method modifies the design to improve the HT detection methods that are based on the path delay analysis. The objective of the proposed approach is to generate fake short paths for nets which only belong to long paths, because the delay of shorter paths varies less than longer ones. Our experiments, after technology mapping, show that the proposed DFHT method increases the HT detectability and also provides the advantages of usual logic masking methods.