Lockheed Martin Distinguished Speaker Series

Designing Secure Hardware Systems

Shawn Blanton

Trustee Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University

1:00-2:00pm Friday 7 Feb. 2020

Commons 329, UMBC
University Center Ballroom

On October 29, 2018, DARPA issued an RFI that stated: “This Request for Information (RFI) from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) seeks information on technology, concepts, and approaches to support the integration of security capabilities directly into System on Chip (SoC) system design and to enable the autonomous integration and assembly of SoCs.

This RFI and the tens of millions of dollars that the US government has already invested in hardware security research and development is based on the fact that the fabrication of state-of-the-art electronics is now mostly overseas. With the recent announcement that GLOBALFOUNDRIES is going to stop all 7nm development, there is now only one company in the US that continues to pursue advanced semiconductors (Intel). Unfortunately, Intel does not have the same experience of making chips for third parties as does Samsung and (most importantly) TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation). As a result, the US government believes it will be forced to fabricate advanced, sensitive electronics overseas in untrusted fabrication facilities. As a result, there is keen interest in design methodologies that mitigate reverse engineering, tampering, counterfeiting, etc.

In this talk, an overview of hardware security will be presented followed by a discussion on a concept called logic locking. This approach will be described and the “back and forth” that is now occurring in the research community involving: (i) vulnerability discovery and (ii) logic locking improvement.

Shawn Blanton is a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University and Associate Director of the SYSU-CMU Joint Institute of Engineering (JIE). In 1995 he received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research interests include various aspects of integrated system tests, testable design, and test methodology development. He has consulted for various companies and is the founder of TestWorks, a Carnegie Mellon University spinout focused on information extraction from IC test data. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and Senior Member of the ACM and served as the program chair for the 2011 International Test Conference.

The post talk: Shawn Blanton (CMU) on Designing Secure Hardware Systems, 1pm Fri 2/7; COmmons 329 appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

The Baltimore Sun has again named UMBC one of the “Top Workplaces” in the Baltimore region. UMBC is ranked #12 among all large employers in the area, and is the only university and only government institution featured on the list.

New this year, the Sun named UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski the top leader among the region’s large employers (tied for the #1 spot). A profile of President Hrabowski announcing this honor highlights his “focus on the power of education to transform lives.”

In an interview with the Sun, President Hrabowski explained his commitment to a shared leadership approach and to building an inclusive community that values all of its members. “While we have collective and individual goals, and we are committed to moving toward them, we also understand the fundamental truth that nothing is more important than the people who make up the organization,” Hrabowski said.

He continued:

At UMBC, we understand that culture is reflected in the questions we ask, the priorities we set, the achievements we recognize, and so many other aspects of daily life on campus. […] I never think just about my influence on our culture, but instead reflect on the ways that all of us at UMBC — students, faculty and staff — create this culture by supporting and influencing each other. We encourage each other to “be our best selves,” and we also recognize there are times when all of us need support. In this way, we show we are determined to overcome the odds, set high aspirations and dream about the possibilities.

Echoing themes of his book The Empowered University, Hrabowski also noted, “Healthy organizations are made up of people who are empowered to look in the mirror to recognize strengths, and also opportunities for improvement. Effective leaders inspire others to want to be better than they are.”

This honor was announced in December 2019. It follows UMBC’s recognition as one of the Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Great Colleges to Work For” for the tenth year. The Chronicle honored UMBC specifically for confidence in senior leadership and for employees’ sense of respect and appreciation.

Featured image: President Hrabowski with UMBC mascot True Grit, celebrating Selection Sunday, March 2018. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

price ：about  $400  /month  + utilities (average $50/month/per month)+ wifi $10/per month