Enforcing Integrated Circuit Trust Via Unified Multi-Level Countermeasures

ABSTRACT: The objective of this work is to demonstrate a prototype of an innovative method to protect military space microelectronics from unauthorized tampering. The method will employ the joint cooperation of multiple countermeasures that operate at several levels of system abstraction. The target is a class of embedded systems that are implemented using high-density FPGAs. A dual-use commercial network security system will be prototyped to demonstrate this new protective solution. This prototype will be readily adaptable for military ground as well as aerospace applications. BENEFIT: This work brings the benefits of a defense-in-depth strategy to embedded cyber warfare. It will introduce a novel network security appliance that is, itself, secured from potential COTS component exploits. It will prepare this technology for deployment into an existing government network application. It will demonstrate this technology in a practical ground-based application in preparation for deployment into aerospace- and ground-based military applications. This project will bring the COTS exploit countermeasure technology investigated during Phase I from TRL 3 to TRL 7.