Introducing the IC Layout Security competition, new for CSAW'21.

 

Securing modern electronics is an important but tough challenge that requires efforts all the way from software applications down to the hardware. For the design, manufacturing, and deployment of integrated circuits (ICs), there are numerous companies and partners involved within complex and world-wide supply chains – ICs run through many hands, and some of those may be acting with malicious intent.

 

Participants of this newly introduced competition will focus on the final frontier for securing modern electronics – the physical layout of ICs. Acting as security engineers, participating teams will first evaluate and then fix the vulnerability of IC layouts for various attacks, like insertion of malicious circuitry in security-critical modules by untrusted design or manufacturing companies, or probing of critical modules by adversaries in the field at run-time.

 

This competition is open to both undergraduate and graduate-level students from around the world.