A hardware security AI assistant that checks chips for hidden backdoors

Researchers at the University of Florida have developed an AI assistant that detects hidden backdoors in chip designs, addressing the risk of malicious circuits inserted by third-party vendors. The tool analyzes hardware blocks from external suppliers to identify dormant triggers that could be activated by specific inputs.

Chip designers license blocks of circuitry from outside vendors and drop them into larger products. A single processor can carry components from a range of suppliers, each written by a company the buyer may never deal with directly. A malicious supplier can bury a hidden circuit in a working design, and that circuit can stay quiet until a specific input wakes it up. Researchers at the University of Florida built a tool aimed at this … More https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/07/13/hardware-security-ai-assistant-hidden-backdoors/ The post A hardware security AI assistant that checks chips for hidden backdoors https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/07/13/hardware-security-ai-assistant-hidden-backdoors/ appeared first on Help Net Security https://www.helpnetsecurity.com .