On November 21st, 2024 at 11.00 am the seminar titled "The Impact of Logic Synthesis and Technology Mapping on Logic Locking Security" will take place at DEIB Alpha Room (Building 24).

Logic locking is a design-for-trust solution, safeguarding the intellectual property of integrated circuits within the global semiconductor supply chain. Traditionally, logic synthesis has been relied upon to enhance the security of logic locking. However, recent research has unveiled vulnerabilities inherent in this approach, as logic synthesis is not security-aware by design. On the other hand, state-of-the-art logic locking techniques leveraging specific locking structures, such as routing networks, were initially presumed secure by design. However, the optimization capabilities of logic synthesis have been shown to compromise these structures, diminishing their security assurances, and rendering logic locking vulnerable to attacks. This ongoing interplay between logic locking and logic synthesis necessitates thorough reevaluation. This talk discusses the vulnerabilities and challenges that have emerged at the intersection of logic locking and logic synthesis, offering insights into future research directions aimed at mitigating these issues.

Lilas Alrahis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Engineering at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Associate at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), UAE, and a member of the NYUAD Center for Cyber Security.
Dr. Alrahis' research focuses on hardware security, design-for-trust, and applied machine learning.