Download Backdoors - The Computer Laboratory

Security, Reliability and Backdoors
Security Group, Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, 13 May 2014
Introduction: What is a backdoor?
• Trojan, Backdoor or Feature?
– Trojans are normally introduced by adversaries to gain control over
a computer system
• post design insertion in a production cycle
• modification of firmware
• post production uploading
– “backdoor – an undocumented way to get access to a computer
system or the data it contains”
• deliberate insertion made by the design house
• malicious design engineer
• third party libraries and designs
– Undocumented features are inserted by many chip manufacturers
• used for factory testing, debugging and failure analysis
• Outsider attacker cannot see the difference
– Analyses devices as black boxes
– Looking for any opportunity to understand and attack the device
– Usually aimed at cloning and reverse engineering opportunities