[Ics-security] Cyber Security note: 'Secure' FPGAs have back door access

[Kelly Mahoney]

The linked article describes a back door vulnerability in a supposedly 
'secure' FPGA.  Actel/Microsemi specializes in high reliability/high 
security/rad hard programmable devices.
If this is a high reliability design, are there similar back doors 
and/or Easter eggs in common Altera, Xilinx,... devices?

http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Backdoor-found-in-popular-FPGA-chip-1585579.html

Note: Like PLCs, the most vulnerable part of an FPGA design are actually 
the engineering PCs used to develop and store the program files.


Kelly Mahoney

ps. I apologize if you get this twice.  For those of you that do not 
know, there is an internal JLab mail list for controls cyber security 
"ics-security" where we can share info and discuss security issues 
specific to control systems.
-km

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