Ruhr-Uni-Bochum

The Anatomy of Hardware Reverse Engineering: An Exploration of Human Factors during Problem Solving

2022

Konferenz / Journal

Research Hub

Research Hub B: Eingebettete Sicherheit
Research Hub D: Benutzerfreundlichkeit

Research Challenges

RC 6: Next-Generation Implementation Security
RC 10: Engineers and Usability

Abstract

Understanding of microchips, known as Hardware Reverse Engineering (HRE), is driven by analysts’ problem solving. This work sheds light on these hitherto poorly understood problem-solving processes. We propose a methodology addressing the problem of HRE experts being unavailable for research. We developed a training enabling students to acquire intermediate levels of HRE expertise. Besides one expert, we recruited eight top-performing students from this training for our exploratory study.

All participants completed a realistic HRE task involving the removal of a copyright protection mechanism from a hardware circuit. We analyzed 2445 log entries by applying an iterative open coding and developed a detailed hierarchical problem-solving model. Our exploration yielded insights into problem-solving strategies and revealed that two intermediates solved the task with a comparable solution time to the expert. We discuss that HRE problem solving may be a function of both expertise and cognitive abilities, and outline ideas for novel countermeasures.

Tags

Hardware Reverse Engineering
Behavior
Understanding and Transforming Security and Privacy Behaviors