Hardware Security
Which describes a hardware Trojan?
- AMalicious circuitry inserted during design or manufacturing to leak information or disable operation
- BA dedicated circuit that removes software viruses
- CA clock circuit wired in a tree shape
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Malicious circuitry inserted during design or manufacturing to leak information or disable operation
Modern chips are often designed by combining IP from many companies and manufactured in another company's fab, involving many organizations and people. Along the way, malicious circuitry could be added that, for example, leaks a key under some condition or stops operating at a set date. This is called a hardware Trojan. It cannot be removed by software updates after manufacturing, so countermeasures are needed across the entire design and manufacturing flow.
- A. Correct. It is a malicious function hidden in the circuit.
- B. It is not an antivirus circuit.
- C. It is unrelated to clock trees.