[Cryptography] ORWL - The First Open Source, Physically Secure Computer

[Perry E. Metzger]

On Mon, 29 Aug 2016 21:49:21 +0100 Ben Laurie <ben at links.org> wrote:
> > I wonder if one could build a low-performance, high-cost but
> > secure processor from an FPGA?  It would seem on the surface to
> > be more difficult to embed an exploit in an un-programmed FPGA,
> > especially if it had a very regular structure.  
> 
> Yes.
> 
> https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/security/ctsrd/beri/ +
> https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/security/ctsrd/cheri/

Of course, BERI and CHERI are secure in a distinct sense -- they are
implementations of a capability architecture on top of the more
ordinary MIPS instruction set. They are not, however, formally
verified designs, and in that sense, are no more or less likely to
have bugs or back doors than any other soft core design.

However, taking it as an entirely distinct topic from being able to
trust that one's hardware isn't malicious, I will note that the
BERI/CHERI design is a very interesting one, and I'm hoping this
research helps capability architectures make a comeback.

Perry
-- 
Perry E. Metzger		perry at piermont.com