The Trojan-proof chip

A lot of research is still being devoted to understanding the scope of the problem. But solutions are already starting to emerge. In 2011, the United States' Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) started a new program to explore ways to make trusted chips. As part of that program, our team at Stanford University, along with other research groups, is working on fundamental changes to the way integrated circuits are designed and manufactured. Today we try to protect against hardware Trojans by keeping careful tabs on where chips are made, limiting the opportunity for mischief by limiting who is authorized to make a chip. But if this research succeeds, it could make it practical for anyone to design and build a chip wherever they like and trust that it hasn't been tampered with. More radically, our research could open up ways to let you use a chip even if there is a Trojan inside.