Logic Gate Encryption Using Key-Configured Generic Logic Blocks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods are inadequate for protecting proprietary information in hardware digital logic gates from reverse engineering, as sophisticated attackers can easily access and exploit secret encryption keys, leading to exposure and unauthorized distribution of devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing logic gate encryption using a logic key that determines the physical wiring of logic building blocks, with encrypted keys stored in tamperproof storage and decrypted using a secret decryption key, and employing generic logic blocks that require proper configuration to function correctly, along with secure physical elements like Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) for enhanced security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If logic gate encryption is implemented using generic logic blocks and logic keys, then security against reverse engineering is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces generic logic blocks as intermediaries between the input/output signals and the actual logic function implementation. These generic blocks are configured at runtime using logic keys stored in tamperproof memory, creating a layered security architecture where the physical hardware structure remains unchanged but the functional behavior is dynamically determined by protected key material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the logic block configuration dynamic by storing logic keys in tamperproof memory and loading them into generic logic blocks during device initialization or operation. This allows the same physical hardware to securely implement different logic functions based on the loaded keys, providing both security and flexibility while maintaining a relatively simple hardware structure.
2Loss of information
If tamperproof storage is used to protect logic keys, then information confidentiality is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses tamperproof memory elements that can be programmed during manufacturing to store logic keys. These memory elements act as secure copies of the encryption keys, allowing the actual secret material to be embedded in the hardware during fabrication while keeping the manufacturing process itself relatively simple and compatible with standard semiconductor manufacturing techniques.
3Reliability
If logic blocks are encrypted and require decryption, then security against unauthorized access is improved, but operational speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the decryption or key loading operation during device initialization or a dedicated setup phase before normal operation begins. Once the logic keys are loaded into the generic logic blocks, the actual logic operations proceed at full speed without requiring repeated decryption during normal operation, thus minimizing the impact on operational performance.
Data Source
AI summary
Presented are systems and methods that allow hardware designers to protect valuable IP and information in the hardware domain in order to increase overall system security. In various embodiments of the invention this is accomplished by configuring logic gates of existing logic circuitry based on a key input. In certain embodiments, a logic function provides results that are dependent not only on input values but also on an encrypted logic key that determines connections for a given logic building block, such that the functionality of the logic function cannot be determined by reverse engineering. In some embodiments, the logic key is created by decrypting a piece of data using a secret or private key. Advantages of automatic encryption include that existing circuitry need not be re-implemented or re-built, and that the systems and methods presented are backward compatible with standard manufacturing tools.