Rules and FAQs
Rules
Eligibility and Registration
This competition is open to students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs from around the world. Teams must identify an advisor -- either a faculty member, industry or governmental representative.
Registration is required and will remain open until the submission date.
There is no limit to the number of team members during the Qualification Round, but all members must be students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program.
Team members do not need to attend the same university/college.
All players must compete under only 1 team name; playing for multiple teams is not permitted.
Teams should work independently. Sharing answers privately or publicly, or collaborating with another team to secure multiple spots at Finals constitutes cheating.
Virtual participation in CSAW Finals is contingent upon finalists’ ability to adhere to the remote participation requirements. Details will be released prior to finalist notification.
Prizes
The top-3 (student) teams will receive a cash prize (to be distributed in late November):
1st place team: $1000
2nd place team: $750
3rd place team: $500
Resources
Competitors will be given access to locked netlists and oracles. Teams can use whatever techniques/algorithms they wish but will be expected to document, explain, and justify their approaches for full credit.
Use of Personal Data
Personal data (ie, name, school, email) that is collected through the registration process is accessible only by the competition organizers and is used for the following purposes:
Reminding registrants of competition timelines, rules, and updates
Determining and contacting finalist teams and team members
Announcing the names of finalists and winning team members on csaw.io/logic-locking
Examining multi-year participation of teams and individual player
Determining and reporting the total number of teams and total estimated individual participation
Determining and reporting demographic trends related to participation, such as what countries have the highest number of teams participating
Sending occasional updates regarding future CSAW events
Aside from announcing finalist and winners’ names, CSAW will not rent, sell, or share personal data with anyone other than the competition organizers.
FAQs
Q: Where and when does Finals take place?
Answer: Finals will be held during CSAW '21. The CSAW Finals will be a virtual event hosted 10-14 November 2021, organized by NYU Center for Cybersecurity. We anticipate that virtual presentations will take place on Friday 12 November.
Q: Will all participants attack a locking technique? Can participants offer locked defenses?
Answer: Participants can either attack a locked netlist or can volunteer a defense (i.e. offer a locked netlist) or both
Q: How are US government agencies involved in this?
Answer: Initially, we expect SMEs from agencies participating in this program. In the long term, this may inform programs that the agencies may plan.
Q: I am from a company. How can I contribute to Logic Locking Conquest?
Answer: You can request to be a judge or an observer. You can advise a team (although only student members will be eligible for awards etc). You can sponsor CSAW '21.
Q: I am an SME from the US Government. How can I contribute to Logic Locking Conquest?
Answer: You can request to be a judge or as an observer. You can advise a team (although only student members will eligible for awards, etc). You can sponsor CSAW '21.
Q: I am a University researcher and I am not an expert in logic locking. How can I take part?
Answer: You can form and advise a team and bring a revolutionary new perspective and solution to this problem.
Q: Who do I contact with questions?
Answer: You can email csaw-logiclocking@nyu.edu
Helpful Resources
"Exploring eFPGA-based Redaction for IP Protection" by Jitendra Bhandari, Abdul Khader Thalakkattu Moosa, Benjamin Tan, Christian Pilato, Ganesh Gore, Xifan Tang, Scott Temple, Pierre-Emmanuel Gaillardon, and Ramesh Karri, to appear at ICCAD 2021