Trojan

About: Trojan is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2028 publications have been published within this topic receiving 33209 citations.

Can We Securely Use Approximate Computing

Abstract: Approximate computing (AC) techniques bring in an alternative way to improve energy efficiency for computing systems, at the cost of acceptable reduction on accuracy. Unfortunately, recent literature indicates that approximate computing systems could be vulnerable to new security threats. Approximation mechanisms maybe leveraged to introduce more errors than the level that the AC systems can tolerate. This work analyzes the existing metrics for accuracy from attack detection point of view. A differential metric is proposed to enlarge the Trojan induced difference on accuracy, delay and power, thus easing Trojan detection. Furthermore, this work proposes a unique attack detection method for AC systems to reduce false negative rate on Trojan detection. Our case study shows that the proposed method can reduce the false negative rate by 93%.

Detecting Hardware Trojans Using Combined Self-Testing and Imaging

Abstract: Hardware Trojans are malicious modifications in integrated circuits (ICs) with an intent to breach security and compromise the reliability of an electronic system. This article proposes a framework using self-testing, advanced imaging, and image processing with machine learning to detect hardware Trojans inserted by untrusted foundries. It includes on-chip test structures with negligible power, delay, and silicon area overheads. The core step of the framework is on-chip golden circuit design, which can provide authentic samples for image-based Trojan detection through self-testing. This core step enables a golden-chip-free Trojan detection that does not rely on an existing image data set from Trojan-free chip or image synthesizing. We have conducted an in-depth analysis of detection steps and discussed possible attacks with countermeasures to strengthen this framework. The performance evaluation on a 28-nm FPGA and a 90-nm IC validates its high accuracy and reliability for practical applications.

Catching Remote Administration Trojans (RATs)

Abstract: A Remote Administration Trojan (RAT ) allows an attacker to remotely control a computing system and typically consists of a server invisibly running and listening to specific TCP -UDP ports on a victim machine as well as a client acting as the interface between the server and the attacker The accuracy of host and-or network-based methods often employed to identify RATs highly depends on the quality of Trojan signatures derived from static patterns appearing in RAT programs and-or their communications Attackers may also obfuscate such patterns by having RATs use dynamic ports, encrypted messages, and even changing Trojan banners In this paper, we propose a comprehensive framework termed RAT Catcher, which reliably detects and ultimately blocks RAT malicious activities even when Trojans use multiple evasion techniques Employing network-based methods and functioning in inline mode to inspect passing packets in real time, our RAT Catcher collects and maintains status information for every connection and conducts session correlation to greatly improve detection accuracy The RAT Catcher re-assembles packets in each data stream and dissects the resulting aggregation according to known Trojan communication protocols, further enhancing its traffic classification By scanning not only protocol headers but also payloads, RAT Catcher is a truly application-layer inspector that performs a range of corrective actions on identified traffic including alerting, packet dropping, and connection termination We show the effectiveness and efficiency of RAT Catcher with experimentation in both laboratory and real-world settings Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

A smart Trojan circuit and smart attack method in AES encryption circuits

Abstract: The increased utilization of outsourcing services for designing and manufacturing LSIs can reduce the reliability of LSIs. Trojan circuits are malicious circuits that can leak secret information. In this paper, we propose a Trojan circuit whose detection is difficult in AES circuits. To make it difficult to detect the proposed Trojan circuit, we propose two methods. In one method, one of test mode signal lines not used in normal operation is included in the activation conditions on the trigger unit. In the other, the payload unit does not directly leak the cipher key of an AES circuit but instead leaks information related to the cipher key. We also propose a procedure to obtain the secret key from the information. We demonstrate that it is difficult to detect the proposed Trojan circuit by using existing approaches. We show results to implement and to estimate the area and power of AES circuits with and without the proposed Trojan circuit.

Efficient analog verification against Trojan states using divide and contraction method

Abstract: Identifying and removing the undesired stable operating point (also called “Trojan state” in analog circuit) is one of the most important problems in circuit design. In this paper, an innovative divide and contraction verification method against Trojan states is proposed. Unlike the traditional methods to find all operating points, it only targets searching the voltage interval containing undesired stable operating point. Based on this, a monotonic divide and contraction algorithm (MDC) is proposed, it could verify the existence of Trojan state in high efficiency. Simulation results show that this method is effective and efficient in identifying Trojan states and verifying the efficacy of Trojan state Elimination (TSE) circuits which is commonly termed start-up circuits.