What Makes A Chip Tamper-Proof?


The cyber world is the next major battlefield, and attackers are busily looking for ways to disrupt critical infrastructure. There is widespread proof this is happening. “Twenty-six percent of the U.S. power grid was found to be hosting Trojans," said Haydn Povey, IAR Systems' general manager of embedded security solutions. "In a cyber-warfare situation, that's the first thing that would b... » read more

Detect And Prevent Security Vulnerabilities In Your Hardware Root Of Trust


Hardware is at the root of the trust chain. Software runs on chipsets in every system meaning that if the hardware itself is not secure the most advanced software-level defenses can still be circumvented. However, it is important to emphasize that analyzing hardware in isolation also does not guarantee system-level security. Composing different parts of a system together can result in vulnerabi... » read more

Security Verification For Processor-Based SoCs


By Ruud Derwig and Nicole Fern Security in modern systems is of utmost importance. Device manufacturers are including multiple security features and attack protections into both the hardware and software design. End-product system security, however, cannot be guaranteed by using a secure processor alone. The final product security results not only from using proven, secure hardware component... » read more

A Complete System-Level Security Verification Methodology


Hardware is at the root of all digital systems, and security must be considered during the system-on-chip (SoC) design and verification process. Verifying the security of an SoC design is challenging because of time to market pressure and resource constraints. Resources allocated to the already time-consuming task of functional verification must be diverted to security verification, which requi... » read more

Verifying Security In Processor-based SoCs


By Ruud Derwig and Nicole Fern Security in modern systems is of utmost importance. Device manufacturers are including multiple security features and attack protections into both the hardware and software design. For example, the Synopsys DesignWare ARC Processor IP includes many security functions in its SecureShield feature set. End-product system security, however, cannot be guaranteed by ... » read more

New Security Risks Create Need For Stealthy Chips


Semiconductors are becoming more vulnerable to attacks at each new process node due to thinner materials used to make these devices, as well as advances in equipment used to simulate how those chips behave. Thinner chips are now emitting light, electromagnetic radiation and various other types of noise, which can be observed using infrared and acoustic sensors. In addition, more powerful too... » read more

A Complete System-Level Security Verification Methodology


Hardware is at the root of all digital systems, and security must be considered during the system-on-chip (SoC) design and verification process. Verifying the security of an SoC design is challenging because of time to market pressure and resource constraints. Resources allocated to the already time-consuming task of functional verification must be diverted to security verification, which requi... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Everspin and Seagate inked a patent cross-licensing agreement, including the assignment and licensing of MRAM patents from Seagate to Everspin as well as licensing of specific Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) patents from Everspin to Seagate, which will be used in HDD read/write head technology. Subaru utilized ANSYS' SCADE suite for critical control systems to design and validate embedded ... » read more

Security’s Very Strange Path To Success


Security at the chip level appears to be heading toward a more promising future. The reason is simple—more people are willing to pay for security than in the past. For the most part, security is like insurance. You don't know it's working until something goes wrong, and you don't necessarily even know right away if there has been a breach. Sometimes it takes years to show up, because it ca... » read more

Who’s Responsible For Security Breaches?


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss industry attitudes towards safety and security with Dave Kelf, chief marketing officer for Breker Verification; Jacob Wiltgen, solutions architect for functional safety at Mentor, a Siemens Business; David Landoll, solutions architect for OneSpin Solutions; Dennis Ciplickas, vice president of characterization solutions at PDF Solutions; Andrew Dauma... » read more

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