DoW Microelectronics: Application Specific Integrated Circuit Best Practices -- Threat Catalog

Abstract

This report categorizes hardware assurance (HwA) threats that apply to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) as described in the ASIC Level of Assurance (LoA) documents. These reports are also known as the ASIC Best Practice Guides (BPGs). Defense Acquisition University (DAU) defines HwA threats as: An activity to ensure a level of confidence that microelectronics (also known as microcircuits, semiconductors, and integrated circuits, including its embedded software and/or intellectual property) function as intended and are free of known vulnerabilities, either intentionally or unintentionally designed or inserted as part of the system's hardware and/or its embedded software and/or intellectual property, throughout the life cycle. This document focuses on threats resulting in intentional design deviations for digital single-die ASICs throughout the entire ASIC lifecycle starting with requirements development and continuing through ASIC device delivery (Program acceptance testing). The document also includes threats to the design environment and third-party intellectual property (3PIP) threats.