A Survey on Logic-Locking Characteristics and Attacks

Integrated circuits (ICs) are ubiquitous and a crucial component of electronic systems, from satellites and military hardware to consumer devices and cell phones. The computing system’s foundation of trust is the IC. Most semiconductor businesses are shifting to fabless manufacturing and outsourcing to foundries worldwide as integrated circuit feature sizes continue to decrease. That puts the design business at risk for several things, such as unauthorized overproduction, resale on the black market, and illegal copying brought on by intellectual property theft. Logic locks offer one solution in which the chip’s actual functioning is “locked” with a key only known to the inventor. The design will only function as intended if specific keys are pressed. Unlocking overproduced chips should be impossible for supply chain attackers since designers open them after manufacturing them. Logical locks against the risk of overproduction are the main subject of this research. We examine current locking systems, define features based on crucial processing, and identify commonalities and discrepancies between the employed attacker models. This research paper is intended to assist scientists, IP distributors, and SoC developers in rapidly investigating and comprehending the most recent technologies that should be considered and analyzed for additional research on logic-locking techniques. © The Institution of Engineers (India) 2024.