Planning IUCRC George Mason University: Center for Hardware and Embedded System Security and Trust (CHEST)

George Mason University, Fairfax VA

Investigators

Abstract

Integrated circuit and embedded hardware devices are critical to most modern military and industrial systems for defense, energy, healthcare, banking, communication, transportation, and other sectors. These devices are more vulnerable than ever to malicious tampering by untrusted entities, with threats over a broad range of attack vectors. Malicious functionality can be added to the devices during the design process, fabrication, or assembly, leading to compromised systems, often without detection. This collaborative effort seeks to further the national defense by developing novel methodologies and technologies that enhance trust and security of these devices and their respective systems. The proposed Center will enable researchers and practitioners from diverse areas -- integrated circuits, architecture, cryptography, system safety and resilience, etc. -- to position device security as a coherent, collaborative discipline. It will be a hub for industry-focused research and a repository for related data. It will foster dialog to promote advances across disciplinary boundaries. The site will lead collaborative efforts in security of modern computer architecture platform deploy in Internet of Things and Cloud environments, as well as application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) security. It will adopt advanced machine-learning solutions, to understand the behavior of hardware attacks at various level of abstraction, to design effective defense mechanisms at the heart of the architecture and hardware. The Center will influence the design, protection, and resilience of cyber physical systems from vulnerabilities associated with device security. It will also help with workforce development needed for industry, government, and military. The Center will disseminate research results and synthesized theories on device security through both professional/scholarly activities and courses taught at the six sites. The results are expected to bring a significant return on investment, in terms of improving the readiness of industry for emergent conditions and improving resilience to threats. The collaborative group for the Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Hardware and Embedded System Security and Trust is composed of George Mason University, Northeastern University, University of Connecticut, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Virginia, and Wright State University. The collaborators host a website at https://www.vdl.afrl.af.mil/programs/PG_CHEST_IUCRC with meeting materials, program information, publications, etc. The website is made available indefinitely or until the Center transitions to the next phase.