Machine Learning-Based Classification of Hardware Trojans in FPGAs Implementing RISC-V Cores

• Hardware Trojans (HTs) pose a severe threat to integrated circuits, potentially compromising electronic devices, exposing sensitive data, or inducing malfunction. Detecting such malicious modifications is particularly challenging in complex systems and commercial CPUs, where they can occur at various design stages, from initial HDL coding to the final hardware implementation. This paper introduces a machine learningbased strategy for the detection and classification of HTs within RISC-V soft cores implemented in FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Our approach comprises a systematic methodology for comprehensive data collection and estimation from FPGA bitstreams, enabling us to extract insights ranging from hardware performance counters to intricate metrics like design clock frequency and power consumption. Our ML models achieve perfect accuracy scores when analyzing features related to both synthesis, implementation results, and performance counters. We also address the challenge of identifying HTs solely through performance counters, highlighting the limitations of this approach. Additionally, our work emphasizes the significance of Implementation Features (IFs), particularly circuit timing, in achieving high accuracy in HT detection.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Datavetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Computer Sciences (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Datorsystem (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Computer Systems (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Annan elektroteknik och elektronik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Other Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Feature Importance

RISC-V

Machine Learning

Hardware Security

Hardware Trojans

FPGA

Publication and Content Type

kon (subject category)

ref (subject category)