Logic Locking of Boolean Circuits: Provable Hardware-Based Obfuscation from a Tamper-Proof Memory

Giovanni Di Crescenzo, Abhrajit Sengupta, Ozgur Sinanoglu, Muhammad Yasin

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Today’s integrated circuits are subject to a variety of attacks. Logic Locking is an area of hardware security that attempts to prevent reverse-engineering of integrated circuits based on a tamper-resistant memory. Despite significant attention from the research literature, no rigorous cryptographic modeling of logic locking and associated provable secure solutions have been proposed. Based on the observation that logic locking can be seen as a special case of hardware-based cryptographic program obfuscation, we propose rigorous definitions, borrowing approaches from modern cryptography (and, specifically, cryptographic program obfuscation), for both tamper-proof memories and logic locking of boolean circuits. We then prove two positive results: (1) the existence of a circuit computationally indistinguishable from a random oracle, assuming the existence of a pseudo-random function and of a tamper-proof memory, and (2) logic locking of general polynomial-size boolean circuits, assuming the existence of a pseudo-random generator and a tamper-proof memory. Our paper shows the possibility of provably boosting the capability of constructing a physical memory with a suitable tamper-resistant property into hardware-based obfuscation of any boolean circuit, as well as a practical hardware-based realization of a random oracle.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationInnovative Security Solutions for Information Technology and Communications - 12th International Conference, SecITC 2019, Revised Selected Papers
EditorsEmil Simion, Rémi Géraud-Stewart
PublisherSpringer
Pages172-192
Number of pages21
ISBN (Print)9783030410247
DOIs
StatePublished - 2020
Event12th International Conference on Innovative Security Solutions for Information Technology and Communications, SecITC 2019 - Bucharest, Romania
Duration: Nov 14 2019Nov 15 2019

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume12001 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference12th International Conference on Innovative Security Solutions for Information Technology and Communications, SecITC 2019
Country/TerritoryRomania
CityBucharest
Period11/14/1911/15/19

Keywords

  • Logic locking
  • Program obfuscation
  • Tamper-proof memory

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Theoretical Computer Science
  • General Computer Science

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