Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

Download

Download Full Text (309 KB)

Description

The primary goal of this research is to understand and exploit the security vulnerabilities of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), at the bitstream level. This paper is working to successfully show that an FPGA can be altered via the bitstream file, and a Trojan can be inserted into the device. Once a Trojan is successfully inserted into the FPGA and activated through a certain input value, a Siamese Neural Network (SNN) will be used to test the effectiveness of Trojan detection. Followed by recording the successful flag rate to detect Trojans, which will be averaged to determine the accuracy score. Trojans are malicious alterations to the original functionality of a device, posing significant risks to data integrity, system functionality, and can even compromise critical infrastructures. This research will address two main questions: How easy it is to manipulate an FPGA at the bitstream level, by altering bitstream files. Having code that once a certain input is entered turns the encryption algorithms off and on, allowing an attacker to see keys and unencrypted data. Secondly, will SNNs flag data when Trojans are present and will it offer high detection rates. Preliminary findings indicate that SNNs offer real-time detection capabilities with high accuracy rates but require a significant amount of training data. The results of this study will contribute to the development of more robust and reliable security measures within FPGA boards. In addition, better protection against cybersecurity threats in various applications, and ways to mitigate these attacks.

Publication Date

3-2025

Department

Computer Science

City

Mobile

Disciplines

Cybersecurity | Information Security | Other Computer Sciences

Security Vulnerabilities of a Field Programmable Gate Array

Share

COinS