Design and implementation of an enhanced anti-SAT framework for robust protection against SAT-based attacks on logic-locked circuits

초록

Ensuring the security of Integrated Circuits (ICs) against reverse engineering and unauthorized access is challenging. They are vulnerable to Satisfiability (SAT)-based attacks, which can systematically reduce the search space by effectively bypassing conventional logic locking techniques. The existing methods are vulnerable to skew in the algorithms or signal probability skew-based removal attacks or takes required overhead. To fill this gap, we propose a new compact lightweight Anti-SAT block (ASB) and its obfuscation approach together with a Challenge-Response Authentication Framework (CRAF) that exponentially increases IC security by making SAT solver complexity infeasible to attackers through decoy keys. The Anti-SAT Block (ASB) includes decoy keys which exponentially increase the complexity of SAT solver, and from which true keys cannot be recovered. Incorporation of ASB in a locked circuit thwarts vulnerable SAT attacks. The novelty is that the proposed ASB design with obfuscation technique not only provides effective protection against SAT attacks but also provides ATPG-based cost-effective secured locking mechanism with reduced overhead. The challenge-response module also assures that access is valid, by authenticating it and preventing the circuit from being opened by unauthorized users. The proposed novelty achieves a high fault detection efficiency of 98% and test pattern coverage of 99% with very low power down to 48% and area overhead of 12% which is suitable for high-security applications. This solution provides superior resistance to SAT-based attacks that provide resistance over the traditional key gate-based logic locking techniques and protect sensitive ICs from advanced hardware threats. This work demonstrates the strength of the Anti-SAT and authentication framework in protecting modern IC designs and provides promise as a solution for critical applications in defense, finance, and other security-sensitive industries. © 2025 The Author(s)

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