An Algorithmic Method for the Implantation of Detection-Resistant Covert Hardware Trojans

This work presents a new class of Covert Hardware Trojan Horses (Covert HTHs), which can be algorithmically implanted with no change to their host circuit's functional behavior and without the need for additional unrelated logic. As a result, Covert HTHs are invulnerable to functional detection methods. This work also proposes a formal methodology for implantation of Covert HTHs, which allows covert hardware to be embedded in any sufficiently-sized synchronous circuit.