How to understand obfuscated IP codes?

[Sumathigokul]

HI,

Good day to all.

If suppose the HDL/ netlist code for FPGA design is obfuscated, how to understand it?? Is there any systematic procedure to perform it??

Thank you in advance.

Regards,
SUMATHI G.

 

[jbeniston]

Yes, you go to the company that you licensed it from, and pay for the unobfuscated version.

 

[dpaul]

Better to design things from scratch, which would be less expensive compared to un-obfuscating or reverse engineering a design.
Unless you are doing your PhD thesis on it, what could possibly be the motivation?

 

[Sumathigokul]

Hi dpaul,

I am doing PhD in developing Obfuscation Metrics, so i am interested to know about it.

 

[dpaul]

I am doing PhD in developing Obfuscation Metrics,

Then I guess you might be knowing more than anyone else here (unless some other forum member, who has already worked on it). Generally the big shot IP/Core provides keep the Obfuscation methods as a closely guarded secret. So even if an EDA board member has worked on it, I guess he/she will never share the knowledge here.
As I see it, your source of knowledge could be white-papers, IEEE papers or advanced text-books.

 

[jbeniston]

Obfuscation is a bit pointless now, given many EDA tools support properly encrypted IP. (i.e. IEEE P1735).