An FPGA fab doesn't know what the eventual configuration will be, but that doesn't stop them (or the foundry) from inserting hardware backdoors. One example is

An FPGA fab doesn't know what the eventual configuration will be, but that doesn't stop them (or the foundry) from inserting hardware backdoors. One example is the Actel ProASIC¹. Vulnerabilities like this make it difficult, if not impossible, to trust commercial hardware. The DoD started the Trusted Foundry Program² precisely for this reason. [1] http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~sps32/Silicon_scan_draft.pdf http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~sps32/Silicon_scan_draft.pdf [2] http://www.dmea.osd.mil/trustedic.html http://www.dmea.osd.mil/trustedic.html