Simulation with Taint Propagation for Security Verification

Security has arisen as a primary concern for many types of electronic devices. A wide range of malicious agents is constantly probing and looking for weaknesses to try to steal confidential information or exert unauthorized control. The need for security has been well understood and widely adopted in software for years. Techniques such as passwords, multi-factor authentication, and biometric checks are taken for granted. However, electronic systems are a combination of hardware and software, and both components must be taken into account when designing in protection against malicious agents. This white paper focuses on hardware security and introduces taint propagation (T-Prop) in simulation as a way to assess the robustness or vulnerability of a chip design against threats.