Air Force TFPGA

TFPGA (Trusted FPGA) is a tool designed to assess and establish trust in FPGAs sourced through untrusted supply chains. The tool applies FPGA self-characterization tests and data analyses to detect potential security issues in field-programmable gate arrays.

The system leverages FPGA re-programmability and statistical methods to measure detailed circuit characteristics that would be affected by Trojan insertion or alternate manufacturing sources. After measurements are taken and statistical variation is compensated for, the tool runs analyses to detect and flag anomalies.

TFPGA can identify three primary types of issues: hardware Trojans inserted into components, counterfeit parts, and re-used or recycled parts. The system operates without requiring golden reference models, making it scalable and extensible for various FPGA testing scenarios.

The tool provides a cost-effective test-for-trust solution for commercial FPGAs that system integrators can use prior to expensive system integration and safety-critical deployment. It is designed to address supply chain security concerns for organizations deploying FPGAs in critical systems.

This tool was developed with support from the Air Force under Contract(s) No. FA9453-17-P-0441 and FA9453-18-C-0267.