Students from the Warren B. Nelms Institute for the Connected World have placed 1st and 2nd place in competition events at CSAW 2023. CSAW (see-SAW) is the world’s most comprehensive student-run cybersecurity event. It serves as an engaging platform for experiential learning and aims to inspire students to pursue education and careers in the field of cybersecurity. There were 3,142 annual competitors this year, ranging from high school students to doctoral candidates. The final competition was organized across five global regions, where finalists were invited to attend the event in-person. The US & Canada event was held at New York University Tandon School of Engineering on November 8-11, 2023.

Logic Locking Competition

Logic Locking is a revolutionary technique for protecting Intellectual Property of Integrated Circuits from myriad security threats, such as reverse engineering, overbuilding, piracy, and hardware Trojan insertion. In this student-led Logic Locking Conquest Challenge, participants attempted to attack designs in an oracle less scenario. Team Bytewise Bandits won 1st Place. The members of the team are: Sudipta Paria, Aritra Dasgupta, and Pravin Gaikwad (Warren B. Nelms Institute, University of Florida) and Tanzim Mahfuz (University of Maine). 

AI HARDWARE ATTACK CHALLENGE

The AI Hardware Attack Challenge required participants to insert a hardware vulnerability, such as a trojan or backdoor, into an open-source digital design using AI. Team Hardware Hacksmiths, comprised of students from the Warren B. Nelms Institute, won 2nd Place. The members of the team are: Sudipta Paria, Aritra Dasgupta, and Pravin Gaikwad.