Tamper Manifest CPU Warns Of Malicious Backdoors

Scientists have devised a chip design to ensure microprocessors haven not been covertly set with malicious backdoors that could be used to tap sensitive information or obtain instructions from adversaries.

The on-chip engines at the heart of these tamper evident microprocessors are the computer correspondent of cellophane shrink wrap or aluminum seals that flag food or drug packages that have been opened by someone other than the consumer. They are designed to monitor operations curving through a CPU for signs its microcode has been changed by malicious insiders during the design cycle.

At the heart of their proposal are two engines hardwired into a processor that continuously monitor chip interactions for anomalies. One of the engines, dubbed Trust Net, sends an alert whenever a unit executes more or fewer instructions than is expected. A second, called DataWatch, watches chip data for signs the CPU has been maliciously modified.