Volatile FPGA Design Security - A Survey

Volatile FPGAs, the dominant type of programmable logic devices, are used in space, military, automotive, and consumer electronics applications which require them to operate in a wide range of environments. The continuous growth in both their capability and capacity now requires significant resources to be invested in the designs that are created for them. This has brought increased interest in the security attributes of FPGAs; specifically, how well do they protect the information processed within it, how are designs protected during distribution, and how developers' ownership rights are protected while designs from multiple sources are combined.