The Early Bird Gets the Bug: Supporting Security Earlier in the Digital Design Flow

Speaker

Benjamin Tan
Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary

Title

"The Early Bird Gets the Bug: Supporting Security Earlier in the Digital Design Flow"

Abstract

In the evolving landscape of digital hardware, security should no longer be an afterthought but requires proactive solutions for analysis and reasoning. In this talk, we present our efforts to find ways to support a security mindset earlier in the design, focusing on our approaches to apply static analysis and leverage large language models in weakness detection and/or remediation. We also provide some of our recent insights into the challenges faced when trying to be proactive in security.

We explore the idea of hardware patching using eFPGAs and dedicated hardware patching blocks and the decisions that must be made early in the design process. By combining these innovations, we aim to shift security "left" in the design pipeline, fostering a future where digital hardware is more secure by design.

About Speaker

Dr. Benjamin Tan, P.Eng., is an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary, in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering. He received the B.E. (Hons.) degree in computer systems engineering and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, and he was previously a Research Assistant Professor affiliated with the NYU Center for Cybersecurity. His research interests include computer engineering, hardware security, and electronic design automation. His recent work has examined the use of Large Language Models for digital design and hardware security. https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/benjamin-tan