REVERSIM: A Game-Based Approach to Accessing Large Populations for Studying Human Aspects in Hardware Reverse Engineering

Hardware Reverse Engineering (HRE) is a technique for analyzing Integrated Circuits (ICs). Experts employ HRE for various security-critical tasks, such as design verification or the detection of intellectual property violations. However, HRE also enables threat actors to subvert the security of an IC. Previous studies have shown that analysts rely heavily on their cognitive abilities to perform HRE as no fully automated solutions exist. Therefore, conducting controlled experimental studies to assess the cognitive processes involved in HRE could open new avenues for hardware protection. However, researchers have faced the methodological challenge that HRE experts are largely unavailable for such empirical research. To address this scarcity, we have developed REVERSIM, a game-based simulation that mimics realistic HRE subprocesses and is specifically designed to require no prior knowledge. To support these claims, we conducted two empirical studies: First, we performed semi-structured interviews with 14 professionals and researchers from the HRE domain, who attested to the comparability of REVERSIM to real-world HRE problems. Second, we conducted a user study involving 89 non-expert participants, demonstrating that participants could engage in the simulation without prior knowledge in HRE or related domains. Finally, we outline several research directions for experiments with REVERSIM, highlighting its potential in advancing HRE research.