# Hardware Trojan Insertion Using Reinforcement Learning

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.04350 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.04350/

## Key facts

- Cited by 6 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 1 of its 19 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 9 Apr 2022.

## Builds on (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1707.06347/) (2017)

## Built on by (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [ATTRITION: Attacking Static Hardware Trojan Detection Techniques Using Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.12897/) (2022)
- [AttackGNN: Red-Teaming GNNs in Hardware Security Using Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.13946/) (2024)
- [Reinforcement Learning for Hardware Security: Opportunities, Developments, and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.13885/) (2022)
- [Multi-criteria Hardware Trojan Detection: A Reinforcement Learning Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.13232/) (2023)
- [The Seeker's Dilemma: Realistic Formulation and Benchmarking for Hardware Trojan Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.17918/) (2024)
- [TrojanForge: Generating Adversarial Hardware Trojan Examples Using Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.15184/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper utilizes Reinforcement Learning (RL) as a means to automate the Hardware Trojan (HT) insertion process to eliminate the inherent human biases that limit the development of robust HT detection methods. An RL agent explores the design space and finds circuit locations that are best for keeping inserted HTs hidden. To achieve this, a digital circuit is converted to an environment in which an RL agent inserts HTs such that the cumulative reward is maximized. Our toolset can insert combinational HTs into the ISCAS-85 benchmark suite with variations in HT size and triggering conditions. Experimental results show that the toolset achieves high input coverage rates (100% in two benchmark circuits) that confirms its effectiveness. Also, the inserted HTs have shown a minimal footprint and rare activation probability.