DOSCrack: Deobfuscation Using Oracle-Guided Symbolic Execution and Clustering of Binary Security Keys

Jiaming Wu, Olivia P. Dizon-Paradis, M. Sazadur Rahman, Damon L. Woodard, Domenic Forte

Abstract: Design-for-test/debug(DfT/D) introduces scan chain testing to increase testability and fault coverage by inserting scan flip-flops. However, these scan chains are also known to be a liability for security primitives. In previous research, dynamically obfuscated scan chains (DOSC) were introduced to protect logic-locking keys from scan-based attacks by obscuring test patterns and responses. In this paper, we present DOSCrack, an oracle-guided attack to de-obfuscate DOSC using symbolic execution and binary clustering, which significantly reduces the candidate seed space to a manageable quantity. Our symbolic execution engine employs scan mode simulation as well as satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solvers to reduce the possible seed space, while obfuscation key clustering allows us to effectively rule out a group of seeds that share similarities. An integral component of our approach is the use of sequential equivalence checking (SEC), which aids in identifying distinct simulation patterns to differentiate between potential obfuscation keys. We experimentally applied our DOSCrack framework on four different sizes of DOSC benchmarks and compared their run-time and complexity. Our research effectively addresses critical vulnerabilities in scan-chain obfuscation methodologies, offering insights into DfT/D and logic locking for both academic research and industrial applications. Our framework emphasizes the need to craft robust and adaptable defense mechanisms against scan-based attacks.