Automated Profiling Method for Laser Fault Injection in FPGAs

Obtaining a knowledge of internal structure of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), together with the vulnerable spots that can be targeted by a laser fault injection, can be a time-consuming task when done manually. In this chapter, we present an automated method to identify regions of interest in an FPGA, such as logic arrays and cells. Such method identifies circuits that are implemented in FPGA and helps the attacker to determine which fault models are achievable with a given laser fault injection equipment. The chapter follows a step-by-step methodology of evaluation, starting with the chip decapsulation and preparation, followed by the characterization of the laser pulse interaction with the silicon. Later it focuses on the automated profiling itself, with a case study on Virtex-5 FPGA.